Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)

The life and work of the renowned film visual effects artist and producer.

Director:

Gilles Penso

Writer:

Gilles Penso

Stars:

Ray Harryhausen, Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Harryhausen	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Peter Jackson	...	Himself - Director of The Hobbit
Terry Gilliam	...	Himself - Director of Brazil
Guillermo del Toro	...	Himself - Director of Hellboy
James Cameron	...	Himself - Director of Terminator & Avata
Tim Burton	...	Himself - Director of Mars Attacks
John Landis	...	Himself - Director of Blues Brothers
Henry Selick	...	Himself - Director of The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ray Bradbury	...	Himself - Author of The Martian Chronicles & Fahrenheit 451
Tony Dalton	...	Himself - Film Historian
Nick Park	...	Himself - Creator of Wallace & Gromit
Randall William Cook	...	Himself - Animation Supervisor of The Amazing Spider-Man (as Randy Cook)
Phil Tippett	...	Himself - Creature Supervisor of Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg	...	Himself - Director of Jurassic Park
Dennis Muren	...	Himself - Visual Effects Supervisor of Star Wars

Storyline

This is the definitive documentary about Ray Harryhausen. Aside from interviews with the great man himself, shot over five years, there are also interviews and tributes from Vanessa Harryhausen, Tony Dalton, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Peter Lord, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, Rick Baker, John Landis, Ken Ralston, Guillermo Del Toro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more. For the first time Ray and the Foundation have provided unprecedented access to film all aspects of the collection including models, artwork and miniatures as well as Ray's private study, where he designed most of his creations, and his workshop where he built them. In addition the documentary will use unseen footage of tests and experiments found during the clearance of the LA garage. Never before has so much visual material been used in any previous documentary about Ray. This definitive production will not only display a huge part of the unique ...

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Plot Keywords:

film producer | giant gorilla | animator | visual effects | flying saucer | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ray Harryhausen, le titan des effets speciaux

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frenetic Arts, Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 97 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Quotes

Vincenzo Natali: Let's face it: he made the best monster movies of all times.

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Connections

References The Wrong Trousers (1993)

User Reviews

Splendid tribute to a great man

RAY HARRYHAUSEN: SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN is an affectionate tribute to the great man and all of his work. This documentary is loaded with interviews with big name directors who found themselves influenced by Harryhausen's work - the likes of Spielberg, Jackson, Del Toro and plenty more besides - along with lots of clips of cool monster action and filmed segments from the special effects genius himself.

For anyone with even the slightest love or fondness for the great old effects pics of old, this is a must see. The format of the documentary explores the master's work in chronological order, starting out with his earliest efforts in the 1940s and concluding with his 1981 epic, CLASH OF THE TITANS. There's no negative stuff here, just a celebration of the techniques that made his films so famous. The running time flies past and you're left wanting more; what else is there to say than that?