JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS - DVD review

Many of us grew up savoring every moment of "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," "Jason and the Argonauts," and, later, "Clash of the Titans." Whether in a motion picture theater or on TV, they were a integral part of our young lives, quintessential fantasy stories of heroes, gods, and monsters that were at the very essence of our youthful imaginations.

Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen has said that of all the films he was connected with, it was "Jason and the Argonauts" that pleased him the most. I don't quite agree that it's his best work. Seeing it again after a long absence, I still believe "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" is the superior film on all counts. But "Jason and the Argonauts" has its moments and continues to be fun for all ages. Certainly, its new DVD presentation goes a long way toward making it as enjoyable as possible.

Todd Armstrong plays the stalwart hero, Jason, who, in order to inherit a kingdom, must find and bring back a mythical Golden Fleece from "the ends of the earth." He creates a contest to choose the very best soldiers and sailors of Greece to go with him on the voyage, and he commissions the finest shipbuilder in the country to construct the ship, the Argo. Then, with the help of the goddess Hera (Honor Blackman), he is off on his quest. Armstrong looks exactly right for the part, what every kid wanted to grow up to look like--handsome, dashing, athletic. He is also stiff as a board, like most of the other actors in the film, something kids would surely overlook.

However, as Hercules Nigel Green is exceptional; not like the muscular Steve Reeves Hercules of his day but a vigorous, virile older man. The cast aside, the movie really belongs to Harryhausen's stop-action monsters. In fact, before the first creature appears--a wonderful bronze statue a hundred feet tall that comes to life--the movie is pretty routine. Other creatures include a seven-headed Hydra, the model Harryhausen said was the most difficult to coordinate, several winged Harpies, and an army of skeletons, an amplification of the idea in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad."

Although today these monsters could easily be brought to life with computer graphics, the old creations are still impressive. Combine all of the film's swordplay and heroics with Bernard Herrmann's rousing musical score, and the old boat holds water after all these years.

Video:
Columbia TriStar offers the film in both a standard, full-screen format and a 1.85:1 ratio widescreen format on opposite sides of the disc. The image quality is good for a movie of its vintage, unusually bright and clear, but there are traces of wear around the edges, especially visible in static background shots of sky and water.

Audio:
The mono soundtrack renders the dialogue quite distinct but is a little thin and scratchy in its reproduction of music. It is in no way a distraction except to the viewer who expects up-to-the-minute digital stereo sonics. (If you are interested in suites of Bernard Herrmann's fantasy film music done up in the best possible sound, I recommend a pair of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's gold remastered CDs of Herrmann conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra [UDCD 656 and UDCD 692]. Mo-Fi's sound is of audiophile quality.)

Extras:
In addition to the film, Columbia TriStar provides a brief but enlightening interview with Harryhausen conducted by director John Landis. No, Landis didn't direct "Jason and the Argonauts"--Don Chaffey ("The Three Lives of Thomasina," "One Million Years B.C.," "Pete's Dragon") did. But ,Landis admits that, like me, he grew up loving Harryhausen's work, and he shows a clear delight in talking with one of his early idols.

Parting Thoughts:
"Jason and the Argonauts" is a great film for people who have seen it before and want to reminisce; for younger children who have never seen it at all; and maybe for anyone who is just young at heart. Today's special effects vehicles are more visually stunning, but that doesn't make them any better adventure stories.