Clash of the Titans (1981)

A film adaption of the myth of Perseus and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster to save the Princess Andromeda.

Director:

Desmond Davis

Writer:

Beverley Cross

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier	...	Zeus
Claire Bloom	...	Hera
Maggie Smith	...	Thetis
Ursula Andress	...	Aphrodite
Jack Gwillim	...	Poseidon
Susan Fleetwood	...	Athena
Pat Roach	...	Hephaestus
Harry Hamlin	...	Perseus
Judi Bowker	...	Andromeda
Burgess Meredith	...	Ammon
Siân Phillips	...	Cassiopeia
Flora Robson	...	A Stygian Witch
Anna Manahan	...	A Stygian Witch
Freda Jackson	...	A Stygian Witch
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Thallo

Storyline

Perseus is the favored son of the god Zeus, but he has unwittingly ticked off the sea goddess Thetis. Just to make things worse, Perseus falls in love with the lovely Princess Andromeda, who used to be engaged to Thetis's son. Soon Perseus is off on one quest after another, with Zeus helping, Thetis hindering, and lots of innocent bystanders getting stabbed, drowned, and squished.

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Plot Keywords:

kraken | zeus | princess | medusa | quest | 

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Taglines:

An Experience The Fantastic

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Video [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Furia de titanes

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Peerford Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bubo, the mechanical owl of Athena, was introduced to capitalize on the popularity of R2-D2 from Star Wars. The name "Bubo" is a scientific term for the genus of eagle owls and horned owls, which is interesting because the robot Bubo is modeled on a barn owl, which is the genus Tyto, and not a Bubo at all. Bubo makes a cameo appearance in this movie's remake Clash of the Titans.

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Goofs

When Perseus follows the Vulture carrying Andromeda through the air, there is a shot that shows the Vulture flying over the city. Two peasants can be seen walking up a hill at the bottom of the screen. When Persus enters the screen from the top left, riding Pegasus, the two peasants suddenly disappear and instantly reappear a few steps back, then repeat their walk up the hill. In the much later scene when Perseus rides Pegasus to save Andromeda from the Kraken, the same two peasants are briefly visible in the exact same position.

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Quotes

Calibos: Release the Kracken!

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, the cast is divided into three categories: The Immortals (for the gods of Olympus), The Mortals (humans, etc.), and The Mythologicals (As Themselves) (In Alphabetical Order) Bubo, Charon, Dioskilos, Kraken, Medusa, Pegasus, Scorpions, Vulture. Those 8 are the non-human animated characters supplied by special effects.

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Connections

Referenced in Ray Harryhausen Interviews (2008)

User Reviews

Excellent Fantasy Movie

I love this movie. I remember when it made it's debut in 1981. Sure the stop motion special effects used in the movie were just about at their end by that time, but that does not detract one iota from the story. Special effects DO NOT make a movie. Good acting and story do, period.

The movie of course is based on the Greek myth of Perseus. It follows the original myth rather well but of course there was some artistic license taken. A few of my favorite scenes were the encounter with the three blind witches, the crossing of the River Styx and of course the showdown with Medusa.

I fully recommend you see the movie and remember, don't pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side.