Synopses & Reviews
Ray Harryhausen is one of the most innovative and influential film animators in the history of the medium, responsible for such classic films as Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans and One Million Years BC. A pioneer of stop-motion animation he has won countless awards, including a star on the Hollwood Walk of Fame, and inspired numerous film-makers, such as Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas and Peter Jackson. Rays story has been told in books such as An Animated Life and many of his concept drawings and models have appeared in The Art of Ray Harryhausen (both of which books were also published by Aurum). This new book reveals a wealth of fascinating artefacts relating to his films that has never been seen before, many of them recently discovered in a garage in Los Angeles. Designed in the form of a scrapbook, it provides a visual feast for Harryhausen fans. There are models from unrealized projects, such as dinosaurs from the unfinished film Evolution; prints of outtakes from various films including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms; early concept drawings and storyboards; colour transparencies of Ray at work; written artefacts such as letters and production budgets and a diary that details Rays first meeting with his mentor Willis OBrien; early film treatments and script extracts; publicity posters and brochures; and much, much more. Some of the items show Rays earliest artistic endeavours such as watercolours painted when he was 15 years old and marionettes of creatures from King Kong that he made when he saw the film in 1933. Organized into themed chapters covering the different genres that Ray worked in, each film is given a brief introduction and every image has a detailed caption. In many cases images are juxtaposed to show how a creature or effect evolved or to compare a concept drawing with a still from the finished film. The result is a treasure trove of rare artefacts and material which not only offer new insights into how Ray created particular effects, but bring the worlds of his films to life in a new way and paint a fascinating visual portrait of the man himself and his creative imagination. This is a must for every Ray Harryhausen fan.
Review
"Ray has been a great inspiration to us all in the special visual industry. The art of his earlier films, which most of us grew up on, inspired us so much." —George Lucas
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"Ray's films, his fantastic visions, his dreams, waking nightmares, whatever he has put into our collective consciousness over the years have jump-started the imaginations of a whole generation of film-makers." —James Cameron
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"I salute him every day." —Steven Spielberg
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"Harryhausen is a living legend and his remembrances of the epic fantasy films he helped create...will be welcomed by his many fans and film heads." —Library Journal
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"[A] visual feast as well as a thorough autobiography" and "a must-see for all movie lovers." —NewsOK.com
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"[T]he book is set up so beautifully that it is hard to turn the page." —Media Mikes
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"Fascinating...highly recommended for film buffs." —Parka Blogs
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"Worthwhile for those who want to know every little detail." —Cinefantastique Online
Synopsis
One of the most innovative and influential film animators in the history of the medium reveals a wealth of fascinating never-before-seen film artifacts, many of them recently discovered in a garage in Los Angeles
Designed in the form of a scrapbook, this visual feast for Harryhausen fans reveals models from unrealized projects, such as dinosaurs from the unfinished film Evolution; prints of outtakes from various films; early concept drawings and storyboards; color transparencies of Ray at work; written artifacts such as letters, production budgets, and a diary that details Ray's first meeting with his mentor Willis O'Brien; early film treatments and script extracts; publicity posters and brochures; and more. Some items show Ray's earliest artistic endeavors such as watercolors painted when he was 15 years old and marionettes of creatures from King Kong that he made when he saw the film in 1933. The result is a treasure trove of rare artifacts and material which not only offer new insights into how Ray created particular effects, but bring the worlds of his films to life in a new way and paint a fascinating visual portrait of the man himself and his creative imagination.
Synopsis
A treasure trove of visual artefacts relating to Ray Harryhausens films and life, many of which have only recently been discovered in a garage in LA, and have never been published.
About the Author
Ray Harryhausen is universally revered as the grandmaster of special effects in the pre-computer age, responsible for such classic films as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, and One Million Years BC. He received an honorary Oscar in 1992 and a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 2003. Tony Dalton has known Ray for more than 30 years, having met him when he was first working at the British Film Institute. He was involved in the publicity for The Omen, Star Wars, and The Towering Inferno, and now runs his own archive research company. They cowrote An Animated Life and A Century of Model Animation. John Landis is the director of such films as An American Werewolf in London, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America, National Lampoon's Animal House, Spies Like Us, and Trading Places, as well as Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.