- Title: Jason and the Argonauts
- IMDb: link
A larger than life summer blockbuster a decade before the idea even existed, 1963’s fantasy epic has something for everyone. Adapted from the Greek epic poem, our story follows Jason (Todd Armstrong) and his band of soldiers on the quest to find and retrieve the Golden Fleece from remote kingdom of Colchis at the end of the world. Jason’s quest is spurred by his need for justice and his plans to retake the throne of Thessaly stolen by Pelias (Douglas Wilmer) who murdered its king and the rest of Jason’s family.
Told by the gods that his end will come at the hands of one of the children of the deposed king, Pelias’ sacking of Thessaly includes an attempt to kill all members of the royal family. In the classic idea of meeting your destiny on the road to avoid it, however, his actions spur Jason on to become the man worthy to retake the thrown and takes his revenge.
Featuring some of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen‘s best-known work (including the Argonauts battling a legion of skeleton warriors), Jason sets off on his quest where he must deal with the betrayal of one of his own men, a turbulent sea voyage, the bronze giant Talos, a hydra, and even the wrath of the gods (although one remains firmly in his corner).
A thoroughly enjoyable crowd-pleaser, the film also makes use of cinematic staple of our protagonist putting together a team in the kinds of sequences we’ve seen done many times over the years in movies from The Magnificent Seven to Ocean’s Eleven. Featuring a unique score from Bernard Herrmann conducted without a string section, the film’s soundtrack highlights loud booming drums and brass along with harps and woodwinds for the plot’s calmer moments.
Despite the absence of big name stars of the time, Armstrong is suitable in the lead, Nancy Kovack works as the high priestess Medea whose allegiance to her home is shaken after Jason saves her life, Nigel Green is having a ball as the bawdy Hercules, and Bond fans will also notice future Bond girl Honor Blackman as Hera in the segments of the gods arguing and wagering over Jason’s possible success.
Although seen as a box office disappointment, Jason and the Argonauts may simply have been too far ahead of its time for an audience not quite ready for the kind of elevated B-movie adventure it offered. Over the years it has earned respect and has garnered praise from the likes of the Academy Awards, the AFI, the BFI, and even the Oxford Handbook of Children’s Film.
