Clash of the Titans (1981)

Director:

Desmond Davis

Writer:

Beverley Cross (written by)

Release Date:

12 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Action | Fantasy | Family | Romance

Tagline:

An Epic Entertainment Spectacular!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Kraken | Bizarre | Giant Squid | Horse | Zeus

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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	...	Stygian Witch
Anna Manahan	...	Stygian Witch
Freda Jackson	...	Stygian Witch
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Thallo

Also Known As:

Choc des titans, Le (France) [fr]
Fúria de Titãs (Brazil) [pt]
Furia de titanes (Spain) [es]
Gudarnas krig (Sweden) [sv]
Jumalten taistelu (Finland) [fi]
Kampf der Titanen (West Germany) [de]
Lluita de titans (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Scontro di titani (Italy) [it]
Son emir - Cennetin kapisi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Starcie tytanów (Poland) [pl]
Sygrousi ton Titanon, I (Greece) [el]
Titánok harca (Hungary) [hu]

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) (2005) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG (certificate #25716) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The last film of both Flora Robson and Donald Houston.

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.

Quotes:

Ammon: Call no man happy who is not dead!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Die You Zombie Bastards! (2005)

Mythology Comes Alive!

This film opens with a woman and her child being shunned by her kingly father and the city he represents, and banished to the depths of the sea. We soon find out that this child is the son of Zeus, king of Mt. Olympus and king of the gods. Zeus then releases this terrible beast called the Kracken to destroy the city. The child is saved and grows to manhood. His name is Perseus. The film is then a chronicle of Perseus's adventures as he battles the deadly, deformed Calibos, giant scorpions, a two-headed giant dog, and the evil Medusa herself, as well as the mightiest of all titans, the Kracken itself. We also see him befriend the magical Pegasus, and meet Cheron on the river Styx. This movie is great fun and makes all these mythological names come alive. The credit for this goes to the wonderful stop-animation work of Ray Harryhausen, in his (unfortunately) last film. Credit also goes to the wonderful supporting cast of British stage nobility playing the gods and such, Laurence Olivier plays Zeus, Maggie Smith is Thetis, and Claire Bloom, Ursala Andress, Flora Robson, and Burgess Meredith play memorable roles as well. Harry Hamlin as Perseus and Judi Bowker as his love-interest Andromeda are lackluster(although Ms. Bowker is VERY easy on the eyes). But their lack of acting savvy is one of the few detriments of the film. This film is fast-paced adventure that is magical, mystical, and memorable!