Ray Harryhausen was one of the classic Hollywood filmmakers, a pioneering figure whose work made it seem as if actors were fighting with skeletons or being devoured by giant dinosaurs.
And now, the National Galleries of Scotland and Mr Harryhausen’s daughter, Vanessa, have revealed glimpses of several recently-restored models created by the legendary filmmaker who transformed the face of modern cinema.
They have also unveiled new dates for the biggest-ever exhibition of the innovative American’s work which will go on show in Edinburgh later this year.
The stop-motion auteur assembled a remarkable archive after designing and building a diverse range of iconic models for such films as Jason and the Argonauts in 1963 and from his Sinbad series of the 1950s and 70s, the Minaton from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger in 1977 and Medusa from Clash of the Titans in 1981.
These ground-breaking pieces of cinematic history will go on display from October 24 at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema, the widest-ranging exhibition of Harryhausen’s work ever seen.
The event had originally been scheduled for May this year, but had to be rearranged due to the impact of lockdown.
However, it will now lead the reopening of Modern Two with an extended run from October 24 until next September in what has been described as an “immersive“ experience, with the public being offered the chance to buy tickets from September 2.
It’s anticipated that there will will significant interest in an exhibition which will highlight Harryhausen’s abundance of ingenuity, invention and technical expertise; the qualities which directly inspired many of today’s greatest filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Sir Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.
Spielberg has hailed Harryhausen as: ‘The dean of special effects’, citing how his own early exposure to “all the leviathans of the Saturday matinee creature features inspired me, when I grew up, to make Jurassic Park”.
Vanessa Harryhausen has given her own perspective on her father’s ground-breaking career and collection and how his imagination was piqued when he watched King Kong as a teenager and was so captivated by the famous film’s trailblazing special effects that he eventually watched it more than 30 times.
This will be the first occasion she has spoken about her father’s work in such detail, and will include a personal biography of his Academy Award-winning career, from the ear,y days – in the 1930s – all the way through to the new millennium.
The myriad items on display will include the models which were miraculously brought to life on screen, including the skeletons who battled Jason and the Argonauts; the Cyclops from the Sinbad series; and the UFOs from Earth vs the Flying Saucers which terrified audiences when the movie premiered.
She said: “Our plans to celebrate Dad’s centenary at the National Galleries in Edinburgh are so exciting; if he was still around [he died in 2013], I am sure that he would be so enthused by all of our plans.
“It is wonderful that we are able to display so much of Dad’s collection: the space at the galleries gives us great scope to display as many of his models and artworks as possible, as well as personal items never been exhibited before, such as his equipment and tools.”
“We at the foundation are thrilled by the enthusiasm that the galleries’ team are showing about displaying Dad’s collection and celebrating his legacy.
”He established the foundation to encourage future generations to enjoy stop-motion animation and we hope the celebrations and activities in Edinburgh will encourage fans of all ages to be inspired by his creativity.”
Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema will take place at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two) from Saturday October 24 2020 until September 5 2021.
Further information can be found at www.nationalgalleries.org