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Top Ten Tuesday: Mythological Masterpieces – We Are Movie Geeks

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Top Ten Tuesday: Mythological Masterpieces

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Warner Brothers is set to “release the kraken” this Friday, April 2… so, WAMG is set to release the Movie Geeks, wielding their swords of cinematic heroism to establish the most epic Top Ten list of Mythological Masterpieces… ever! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is devoted to the great Greek mythological stories of heroes, gods and monsters.

10. HERCULES (1997)

You know why this movie is on this list? It’s not because it was Disney’s last, great, hand-drawn, animated film of the ’90s. It wasn’t. The film’s not great, but you have to hand it to whatever genius decided the perfect voice for Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, would be James Woods. Best. Voice casting. Ever. Rip Torn voicing Zeus? Another stroke of genius. This was also probably the first time many kids born in the early ’90s became privy to the voice of Charlton Heston, who does the narration. Sure, the animation is stale, the songs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and the story is by-the-numbers Disney at best. Ruth Lambert, though, deserves a special place on Mount Olympus for her incredible casting work.

09. ULYSSES (1954)

ULYSSES marked Kirk Douglas’ first venture into the genre of sword and sandal epics, six years prior to SPARTACUS. In this film, he plays the hero of Homer’s legendary tale of the Greek’s return from Troy, post-Trojan horse. The wrath of Poseidon is called upon by Cassandra (Elena Zareschi) to punish Ulysses during his long and perilous journey home. Ulysses’ besting of Cyclops is clever and Douglas’ onscreen charisma is put to good use, as are the talents of Silvana Mangano in duel roles as Ulysses’ assumed widow Penelope and the sorceress Circe. Anthony Quinn has a small but well-played role as Antinoos, courting Penelope.

08. HERCULES (1958)

Italian filmmaker Pietro Franicisi searched high and low for his ideal muscleman to portray his HERCULES. Bodybuilder Steve Reeves stepped up to the challenge, combining rugged good looks and rippling muscles to astonishingly capture the physical essence of the unbelievably strong demi-god. Hercules must fight off a tribe of savages, Amazon women and battle the mighty Cretan Bull. This sensational telling of Hercules would spawn sequels and join the ranks of popularity in an era when sword and sandal flicks were all the rage.

07. THE GORGON (1964)

Megeara, one of the mythological gorgons, is haunting a small English village when the moon is full in THE GORGON (1964), a bold attempt by Hammer Studios to come up with a monster without ripping off the Universal films from the 1930’s and 40’s. Their riff on Greek mythology has all the classic Hammer Horror elements. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, an imposing old house, scared villagers, and is bathed in director Terence Fisher’s trademark Gothic atmosphere. It’s been criticized over the years because of its depiction of the titular creature. The brief shots of her at first are frightening, but when you get a longer look, the plastic, barely-moving snakes are awfully lame but I’m sure this was a difficult make-up task in the early 60’s. Christopher Lee even once said “The only problem with THE GORGON was The Gorgon. Still, THE GORGON scared the crap out of me in TV viewings as a child and it’s a solid entry in Hammer’s horror cycle.

06. TROY (2004)

TROY may not be as intellectual as reading Homer’s original work, but you can’t go wrong by combining epic battles, the world’s most famous love triangle and an A-list cast. Brad Pitt is excellent job as Achilles, the original golden boy. The story follows Achilles and the Greeks as they battle to bring Helen (Diane Kruger) home after Prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) woos her away from King Menelaus of Sparta and flees to Troy. Myth has it that it’s not a good idea to mess with guys from Sparta, especially when they have a demi-god like Achilles (Brad Pitt) amongst their ranks. TROY is incredibly entertaining and you’ll probably get flashbacks to the first time your heard about the Trojan Horse.

05. THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1974)

Harryhausen’s sequel to his 1958 classic THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD has always lived in the shadow of its predecessor, but still has plenty to offer. John Phillip Law was a far more physical and convincing Sinbad than Kerwin Mathews and Caroline Munro, the undisputed goddess of 70’s fantasy cinema, never looked sexier. While the monsters in 7TH VOYAGE were clearly superior, GOLDEN’s six-armed stone idol Kali (from Hindu legend), brought to life in a sword-duel, is one of Harryhausen’s most lively creations. Other highlights include a to-the-death battle between a griffin and a cyclopean centaur, a menacing ship’s figurehead come to life, and the flying homunculus that Tom Baker, a scene-stealer as the evil Prince Koura, pokes and teases as it lies pinned to a table. Miklós Rózsa’s wonderful “Arabian Nights” score helped make THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD a great fantasy romp that appealed to the adventurer in all of us. Did I mention how hot Caroline Munro looked?

04. HERCULES AND THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961)

After the international success of the first HERCULES film in 1959, there were hundreds of Italian-made sequels and knock-offs. These poorly-dubbed epics, known collectively to fans as “Peplum”, are mostly interchangeable and undistinguished but HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961) stands out mightily. The first color film from celebrated horror director Mario Bava (who was responsible for the special effects and lighting in the earlier Steve Reeves Hercules movies), HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD substitutes psychedelic imagery, mysterious characters and clever in-camera special effects for the usual sword fights and the massive battle sequences. The story, following Hercules (Reg Park) as he attempts to rescue his beloved from the depths of Hades, features lethal sirens, rock monsters, and a sea of molten lava. The result is a colorful amalgam of Greek mythology and Gothic strangeness and is benefited greatly by the casting of Christopher Lee as King Licos, evil lord of the Underworld.

03. THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)

Searching for a boatload of mythological creatures? Look no further than Ray Harryhausen’s THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, a fantasy filled with genies, Cyclopes and skeletons. After the evil magician, Sokurah, casts his spell on Princess Parisa and shrinks her, our hero, Sinbad, comes to the rescue. To bring her back to normal, he must go in search of the eggshell of a two-headed vulture, Roc, and voyage to Colossa, an island complete with Cyclopes and dragons. The real hero was visual effects master, Ray Harryhausen. His creatures vividly came to life with his dazzling use of what he called Dynamation, a split-screen combination of stop-motion animation and live action, rear-projection. The four-armed, snakewoman dance was especially freaky, but Harryhausen’s pinnacle creation was his animated skeleton in the seamless sequence of Sinbad’s sword and shield battle with this bony adversary. What makes this cool scene even better is the brilliant Bernard Herrmann score. THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD is the first of 3 adventures in the SINBAD series and a great way for not only kids but adults to see superb visual effects prior to the world of CGI.

02. CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981)

Zeus bless Beverley Cross for teaching so many children of the late ’70s and early ’80s all the Greek mythology we needed to get us through. He takes the Perseus myth and completely revamps it, adding in creatures like Calibos and the Kraken around the creatures already known to the myth of Perseus like Pegasus, the Stygian Witches, and Medusa. CLASH OF THE TITANS might not have the best special effects around. Even for the early ’80s, the shots of Pegasus flying could have been executed better. Also, I’ll never understand why he’s galloping mid-flight. And the less said about Bubo, the better. Nonetheless, CLASH OF THE TITANS is a classic in its own right.

01. JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963)

Jason (Todd Armstrong) leads a group of adventurous men including Hercules (Nigel green) on a quest for the magnificent Golden Fleece. Widely considered the best of Harryhausen’s work, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is filled with gods and heroes, sword fights and creatures of mythological lore. Harpies, giant stone statues coming to life and even the multi-headed hydra… its all there. Directed by Don Chaffey, this is one of the most fun-filled, exciting and action-packed mythological fantasies ever created and it stands the test of time. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film, and in the realm of stop motion animation, is the epic fight with the skeleton soldiers. Often a bit comical by today’s standards, the technical and artistic mastery of the film is still admirable and amazing.