Remembering Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen, a true breakthrough special effects artist died on May 7^th in London, England. Ray Harryhausen produced trailblazing special effects for the 1950s and 60s science fiction classics It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955), Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), Mysterious Island (1960) and his arguably best work, Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

Cheezy science fiction movies? Classics that defined a genre, more likely. The 1950s were the Golden Age of science fiction movies and , even though they  mostly low budget productions, Harryhausen films stood out like cats eyes in a field of plain marbles. Every Harryhausen film has a unique look and feel to it- fresh, energetic, and creative. There’s an economy and clarity in his scenes that I have not seen anywhere else.

How did Harryhausen evolve into who he was? From what I’ve read there were two overriding influences on his creative life- King Kong and his parents. Harryhausen saw King Kong with his mother and aunt in Hollywood when he was thirteen and was fascinated how inanimate objects like Kong and the dinosaurs were able to move and look so lifelike (opposed to fins glued on live lizards). This set his life on its creative path. The other big influence were his parents.

Quoting from the Ray Harryhausen website biography section, he said, “My obsession with fantasy has been lifelong, growing during my formative years and being taken to new heights by novels, paintings and of course films, and I was always encouraged by my parents. They nurtured this unusual passion in me by taking me to films and theatre, and later enthused about my experiments with marionettes, models and animation, eventually helping me with productions. They never tried to discourage me in any way from my obsession, and could just as easily have said, ‘Get out there and be a doctor or a lawyer or follow some other profession that is bring you in money’. Fortunately, they didn’t.”

Great parental guidance, I believe. Life is short and Ray Harryhausen followed his passion, excelled and never looked back. Talk about a life well lived.

The official Ray Harryhausen website is here:

 http://www.rayharryhausen.com/index.php