Clash of the Titans

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Not to be confused with the Nelvana/Teletoon series, Class of the Titans.

Clash of the Titans

Directed by	Desmond Davis
Produced by	Ray Harryhausen Charles H. Schneer
Written by	Beverley Cross
Starring	Laurence Olivier Harry Hamlin Maggie Smith Ursula Andress
Music by	Laurence Rosenthal
Cinematography	Ted Moore
Editing by	Timothy Gee
Distributed by	MGM (USA) United Artists (Non-USA)
Release date(s)	June 12, 1981
Running time	118 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Clash of the Titans is a 1981 fantasy and mythology movie based on the myth of Perseus.

Stop motion animation is used to a large extent in the film to animate the various monsters. The special effects creatures were created by Ray Harryhausen, who retired from filmmaking shortly after the movie was released.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Box Office
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot

King Acrisius of Argos expresses anger towards Zeus for impregnating his daughter, Princess Danae. He then casts Danae and her infant son Perseus out to sea in a wooden chest. Unknown to everyone, a white bird who witnessed everything was really Poseidon, who informs Zeus of Acrisius' unfaithfulness. Zeus orders Poseidon to release the Kraken to destroy Argos by flooding his entire kingdom. While Argos is completely devastated, Danae and Perseus are safely brought to the island of Seriphos where they live a happy life and Perseus grows up to manhood.

Calibos - the spoiled son of Thetis, the goddess of the Sea - was a handsome young man destined to marry Princess Andromeda, the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and heir to the rich city of Joppa and eventually all of Phoenicia. Zeus entrusted Calibos to care for the Wells of the Moon; Calibos instead hunted, trapped and killed everything that lived there, including Zeus' sacred herd of flying horses, leaving only the stallion Pegasus alive. As punishment, Zeus transforms Calibos into a monster and he is shunned and forced to live as an outcast in the swamps and marshes. Thetis, furious at her son's fate, vows that if Calibos cannot marry Andromeda, then no other man will either.

Perseus is brought by Thetis from his island home on Seriphos to Joppa. He learns of Andromeda and her plight: she cannot marry unless her suitor successfully answers a riddle, which is given to her by Calibos. Any suitor that fails to answer the riddle correctly is burned at the stake. Using a number of gifts given to him by the gods, including the winged horse Pegasus and a helmet given to him by Athena that renders its wearer invisible, he discovers the answer to the riddle. Calibos nearly captures him, but Perseus cuts off his hand with a sword (another divine gift, this one from the goddess Aphrodite).

At the next ceremony for a new suitor, Perseus enters, guesses the riddle correctly and presents Calibos's severed hand, winning Andromeda's hand in marriage.

At the Temple to Thetis, Calibos prays to his mother Thetis to take vengeance on Perseus for cutting off his hand. Thetis tells Calibos that she cannot do that because Perseus is protected by Zeus, but she can take vengeance on Joppa.

At the wedding, held in the temple of Thetis, Queen Cassiopeia compares Andromeda's beauty to that of Thetis herself, which angers the goddess. The statue of Thetis collapses and its head comes to life demanding Andromeda as a sacrifice to a sea monster (the Kraken, a modern addition to the myth; the Greek version had Cetus as the sea monster) in 30 days, and still a virgin; otherwise, the Kraken will destroy Joppa.

The gorgon Medusa from the film

Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, the last of the Titans, who were the race of monsters that pre-dated the gods. When Zeus commands Athena to give Perseus her owl, she instead orders Hephaestus to build the mechanical owl Bubo as an aid for Perseus. Bubo leads Perseus to the Stygian Witches, three blind women who disclose that the only hope of survival in combat against the Kraken is by using the head of another monster, Medusa the Gorgon. Medusa, once a beautiful woman, was transformed by Aphrodite, because Poseidon and Medusa were in love, into a monster so horrible that mere eye contact will turn any living creature to stone, including the Kraken. She makes her home on the Isle of the Dead, which lies across the River Styx, at the very edge of the Underworld. Perseus travels there and kills her, removing her head, though he must contend with Calibos (who has replaced his lost hand with a trident-like blade) along the way - whom he finally kills with Aphrodite's sword.

Just as Andromeda is about to be sacrificed to the Kraken, Perseus appears astride Pegasus and turns the Last Titan to stone with Medusa's head, which is then cast into the ocean where it can do no more damage. Perseus frees Andromeda and they live happily together. The hero and heroine become constellations at the decree of Zeus, who does the same for Pegasus and Cassiopeia.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Box Office

Clash of the Titans was a box office hit, grossing $41 million [1] domestically alone, on a $15 million budget. It was the 11th highest grossing film of the year[2].