Jason & The Argonauts

Product Information

In London, writing partner and biographer Tony Dalton accompanies Ray on one of his best movie tracks. Director John Chaffey also keeps the film moving at a decent clip, going from one setting to the next with hardly any dull points in between. Of course, the scenes combining stop-motion with live-action don't look very attractive in high-definition, although to be fair they will never be due to the techniques originally used in the film. The added color detail of Blu-ray brings out hidden character in the main title artwork, and gives the green highlights on Talos' bronze skin more definition.

But I found no smearing or evidence of the digital removal, so no worries there, except for the die-hard fans who believe that “everything from the original print should be preserved, warts and all”. The surging surf of the Isle Of Bronze is also brought more vividly to life with some crashing resonance travelling front to back. Day for night scenes never convince me it's really night, so that particular aspect won't bother me. And to complicate things a little further, this is the type of film that probably appears to have a whole lot more than it really does. I'm thinking here of the scene within Talos' treasure trove, or the setting of the Golden Fleece, or the temple-dance sequence.

Obviously, and a little regrettably, this otherwise fine feature becomes a little too sweet with sugary praise and adulation . But this takes nothing at all away from what is surely the best ever transfer that these films have received. The skeleton battle found at the end of the film is easily one of cinema history's more memorable movie moments.

Jason and his crew must overcome incredible obstacles including a 100-foot bronze giant, the venomous Hydraa huge creature with the heads of seven snakes, and a spectacular battle with an army of skeletons. Sony planned to go light on new extras until Ray Harryhausen's close associates took pains to lay down a pair of excellent commentaries. Ultimately, the compromise benefits the viewer as we get to see slightly more of the original frame.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The new track is still generally front heavy, as this isn't a film with much in terms of discreet effects and ambient surround activity, but the wider presence is certainly a welcome upgrade. There is a nice little touch when Jason seeks assistance from the Hera figurehead as the ship and the crew founder in the sea after Talos has toyed with them, when the soft woodwind theme for the Goddess emanates from the rears.

With more animation and other effects than any of his previous pictures, Jason was a highly satisfying matinee dazzler back in 1963. The intrepid Jason leads the Argonauts on a quest for the fabled Golden Fleece during which he must brave all manner of dangers and face a host of terrifying foes - including the seven-headed Hydra, fighting skeletons, bloodthirsty Harpies and the invincible colossus, Talos. The acting can be rigid and excessively melodramatic, but Armstrong brings energy and charisma to our main hero, and Green is probably the most entertaining as the boastful strongman -- oozing machismo and leaving a trail of manliness in his wake. For more about Jason and the Argonauts and the Jason and the Argonauts Blu-ray release, see Jason and the Argonauts Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on July 14, 2010 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.

Unfortunately most of the stop motion sequences have this problem, and the issues are actually made worse by the clarity of Blu-ray, notably as this contrasts so much with the other scenes. The Columbia Classics site has been updated and it has a poll for you to vote on what should be the next Ray Harryhausen film to get the Blu-ray treatment. Filmed on sunny Italian locations with production values that local sword 'n' sandal pix could only dream of, Jason is Harryhausen's baby from one end to the other.