Clash of the Titans (1981)

Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.

Director:

Desmond Davis

Writer:

Beverley Cross

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom

2 wins & 6 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' 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:

quest | gods | remade | mythology | zeus | 

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Taglines:

An Epic Entertainment Spectacular!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Video [United States]

Country:

UK 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)

Gross USA:

$41,092,328

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles H. Schneer Productions, 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

Despite the movie being notable for its stop-motion special effects, it was not Oscar nominated for either make-up or visual effects.

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Goofs

Athena's barn owl hoots like a tawny owl.

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Quotes

[discussing Zeus' womanizing]
Thetis: So many women, and all these transformations and disguises he invents in order to seduce them. Sometimes a shower of gold, sometimes a bull or a swan. Why, once he even tried to ravish me disguised as a cuttlefish.
Hera: Did he succeed?
Thetis: Certainly not.
Athena: What did you do?
Thetis: Beat him at his own game. I simply turned myself into a shark.
[they laugh]

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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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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema release was cut by the BBFC to secure an 'A' rating and removed the closeup of Calibos stabbing a man's back with a trident, as well as shortening the scene where Calibos is stabbed in the stomach by Perseus. The cuts were restored in all video/DVD releases and the certificate upgraded to a 15 (12 for the DVD).

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Connections

Referenced in Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

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Soundtracks

Dreams And Omens
(uncredited)
Composed and Conducted by Laurence Rosenthal

User Reviews

Harryhausen presents Harry Hamlin

In mythological Greece, Godly leader Laurence Olivier (as Zeus) mates with a royal mortal, producing handsome, muscular adult Harry Hamlin (as Perseus). With some help from Burgess Meredith (as Ammon), Mr. Hamlin sets out to win the hand of attractive Judi Bowker (as Andromeda), but Maggie Smith (as Thetis) wants Mr. Bowker to mate with her much uglier son. Hamlin must battle all creatures great and greater, as envisioned by special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, in his last feature film...

Hamlin is a perfect Perseus, but the all-star supporting cast adds surprisingly little. Arguably the only one really earning his paycheck is Mr. Meredith. Of course, it helps that Meredith is given the least dull supporting role; others have precious little to make an impression with. The Gods are a bore. Behind his sex symbol looks, Hamlin was sometimes undervalued as a serious actor. Much later, playing a scene with him was difficult; so he keenly and generously went over the lines and motivations, making it easy. Watching Hamlin and Meredith is fun, Ms. Bowker is nakedly beautiful, and the visual effects keep it lively.

******* Clash of the Titans (6/12/81) Desmond Davis ~ Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Laurence Olivier