Heroic Fantasy needs two things: Monsters and a good fight scene. Imagine Conan winning in a story by political debate. Or the Witcher settling a haunting with harsh language and a round of drinks. Or worst of all, Sauron giving up his war for the ring because he got therapy. The fans would storm the castle and hanging the writer in a crow’s cage. We want monsters and we want our heroes to fight them. One filmmaker knew this well and delivered.
Ray Harryhausen did more for Sword & Sorcery than anyone after Robert E. Howard. Ray gave us a cinematic glimpse into what Fantasy could look like. His Greek and Arabian adventures featured many of mythology’s greatest inventions, all set to life with Dynamation. His influence can be seen in young writers like Lin Carter in the 1960s and in the first role-playing games like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. There was no question what you were doing when you fought a skeleton. You were inside a Harryhausen adventure!
Here are my picks for favorite fight scenes from his Sword & Sorcery films (sorry, no giant apes or flying saucers!) Whenever I need a good reminder of what makes a great fight scene in a story, I can always re-watch these fracases and remember. Right! It should be exciting, fast-paced, with a true sense of danger. Thee hero should have an opportunity to display his valor. And best of all, the monsters should be monstrous!
Skeleton
Skeleton Fight from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) is that first duel that pits undead against swordsman. We see that Sokurah must concentrate to use his magic of reanimation. That spiral staircase echoes a bit of Robin Hood. Harryhausen , and audiences, liked the bony battle so much he had to do it again with more skeletons. I suspect Ray was more than a little familiar with Disney’s “Skeleton Dance”. All of these later would culminate in the legendary duel in The Princess Bride.
Dragon Vs. Cyclops
Taro vs Cyclops from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) was Ray’s first time two large monsters go at it while humans look on. He did this with dinosaurs in other films like 1,000,000 Years BC (1966) and The Valley of Gwangi (1969). He would make it part of his Fantasy films, too. There is always a good guy and a bad guy. Or at least a likely winner and an underdog. (We always cheer for the Triceratops though we are there for the T. rex.) In this one, the Cyclops loses and we feel a little sad for him.
Talos the Giant Statue
Talos from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is a fun one since Talos isn’t fighting another monster but attacking the Argonauts. The standing on two points of land comes from the real Colossus of Rhodes. There is an Achilles’ Heel, of course, otherwise the tiny humans would all die. Many a D&Der knows that big monsters can’t be fought with thud and blunder. You have to use your bean.
The Hydra
The Hydra from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is stunning as a feat of animation alone. Those seven heads all have to be animated separately. This fight is at the center of the Golden Fleece story but it isn’t the best one in the film. A love for complex animation would give us Kali and her many arms and Medusa and her snake-headed hair in later films.
Skeleton Battle
Skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is probably Ray’s masterpiece. The skeletons stalk toward Jason and his best warriors then strike. That screaming sound makes it irresistible (It’s actually kind of silly, no vocal chords but it scared the crap out me as a kid.) At the end Jason escapes by jumping into the sea. There are a few skeletons that follow. (Imagine beginning the special effects guy who gets to throw skeletons over a cliff!) It might have been cool to fight a few of them in the water but physics is against it. A skeleton would not swim well.
Kali, the Statue with Six Swords
Kali Fight from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) is another classic. It always made me think of Tharks and John Carter of Mars. A green warrior armed with multiple blades might offer the same kind of challenge. Tom Baker as Koura is fun, too. You can see John Philip Law jump once at the start where Harryhausen could have animated a blade swipe but doesn’t.
Griffin vs Centaur
Centaur Vs Griffin from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) is another two giant beast fight. You are cheering for the Griffin so it makes you sad and angry when Koura slashes its rear leg and the centaur wins. Usually the humans stay out of the fight but we see the Centaur and Koura acknowledge each other’s evil.
Sabertooth vs. Troglodyte
Smilodon Fight from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) is the finale with the sabertooth coming out of the ice and fighting the Troglodyte while the whole place falls down around Sinbad’s ears. Poor Trog dies, in a do-over of the Cyclops death. Sinbad takes the Smilodon out when it jumps onto a spear. A busy, exciting end to a movie. Patrick Troughton, another Doctor Who alumnus, is not an evil sorcerer but a good one.
Medusa and Her Bow
Medusa from Clash of the Titans (1981) is certainly my favorite after the skeleton battle. She is a deadly opponent and scary as hell. The lighting is impressive as Medusa is often in shadow. Another classic scene from mythology, but Ray dresses it up by giving Medusa a snake body as well as twitching snaky hair. Damn, she is a good shot!
Release the Kraken!
The Kraken from Clash of the Titans (1981) is the finale to Ray’s last film, and not the best part of the movie. It is one of the few fight scenes where the hero takes on a titan. If Perseus (Harry Hamlin) had tried to kill the Kraken with a sword, he’d have been paste in a few seconds. (Imagine trying to take out Cthulhu with a kitchen knife!) Perseus has Medusa’s head, of course, so ol’ Krak is going to do just that, crack. Perseus throws the gorgon’s head into the water and it’s gone, end of problem. I always found that a bit easy.
Honorable Mention
The Walrus from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) gets a mention, not because it is a great fight scene but because it has the “Harryhausen Jab”. This is the classic move where a living person takes a spear and pokes at a monster. You see it again in George Lucas’s Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002) in the arena scene. Obiwan Kenobi does the move when faced with the Acklay. Pure Harryhausen!
Next time…Top Ten S&S Fights From the 1980s.
Others may cite Tolkien or AD&D as their foundations of fantasy, but Harryhausen’s flicks are the godfathers of my imagination. Great list!