Customer Reviews

Art of Ray Harryhausen

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To start with, this book reproduces so many unseen and barely- glimpsed-before drawings and concepts, that one can spend hours looking at each one again and again. So it is rare are we are afforded this backstage look at the making of those wonderful stop motion films. Harryhausen's legacy is testamony to a time when films were made of this kind, and they not only took a long time of thinking and planning to make, but the result on screen was epic and, worth the wait. Nowadays fantasy film effects are churned out so ad nauseum thanks to CGI, that they simply lose their wonder-it's like we're used to it. I'm a big fan of *real* model work and real matte painting. You could touch it and it had presence, and those little nuances people fault it for now, are what give it it's character and style. Because of that, Harryhausen's legacy stands on it's own and will be remembered well past his lifetime. Remember, even up to his last film CLASH OF THE TITANS(1981) he worked largely out of a very small studio-one time it was his garage(!!)with one or two assistants and that was only on later,larger budgeted pictures. What does that say compared nowadays to $150M dollar + effects films!!!???

And though retired, we have Harryhausen now, still working away with his drawings ans sculptures into his 80's. A man who loves what he does.I can't recommend this book enough, save to say that the reproduction is excellent on all the art shown-pencil sketches, storyboards, charcoal drawings. It's so nice to see drawings as opposed to overrendered computer artwork of nowadays.

Of note is the "Inspirations" part of the book where we see some of the artwork by others that inspired Ray to follow his muse. It says much about the man.

Being a Harryhausen fanatic, I was bound to love this book. For those "not so compulsive" collectors who are wondering if the book is worth having after buying Ray's autobiography: I think you'll find the answer to be YES!
The hardcover volume is attractive, with Ray's awesome charcoal drawings slightly tinted to give them extra flavor. Some of the drawings span 2 pages, so you can really enjoy the details. Most of the photos and artwork have never been seen before. I especially love the two page spread that shows the genesis of a creature, from charcoal drawing to animation armature. Terrific!
Casual fans might find this overkill, but if you have all of Ray's stop motion films on DVD, this is a must. And the price is right!

While science fiction artist Ray Harryhausen's ART OF is intended as a companion to his prior autobiography AN ANIMATED LIFE, this succeeds well in standing alone as an outstanding focus on his movie art and his overall artwork. Source material for ART OF comes from Harryhausen's own archives, preserved in his London home and published here for the first time. Here are exquisite sketch and scene reproductions, storyboards, original art and models in black and white and color throughout. For avid Harryhausen fans - and there are many - ART OF RAY HARRYHAUSEN is a 'must'. Very highly recommended.

I don't feel qualified reviewing my purchase as it was a gift for a dear friend who has been a Harryhausen fan since he was twelve. By his reaction upon receiving the book I felt I must have given him the greatist gift in the world. It was before I wrapped the book that I had a chance to skim through it and I found it to be very impressive in its wealth of photos, illustrations and information. I was very glad to see it was printed on quality paper and the illustrations were large and clear. I have seen other books of this type and get very annoyed when they print a picture of a film no larger then 2"x 2 1/2". I would say this book is a great tribute to Mr. Harryhausen's career.

Much better than the first book. The first while good was to technical. We all love Ray Harryhausen for his visual work and this book shows it off beautifully. I highly reccommend it.
Phil

As much as I loved "Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life" - and I did, I did! - I think that this second book tops it.

Using his wonderful sketches, paintings and (incredible!) sculptures as the book's foundation, Harryhausen takes us further into the workings of his vivid imagination. There is very little duplication of material from the first book. This time out, key drawings are printed in large format so you can pour over the details for hours at a time. Hardcore fans of Ray's work will drool over the sight of more detailed drawings and models from unrealized projects like "War of the Worlds" and "The Elementals", and mourn the fact that these pictures never got made.

I have always thought of Ray Harryhausen as my own personal Gandalf. Every 2-3 years, I would eagerly line up at the box office of the Embassy Theater to see what new wonders The Master would reveal to me. Now, he is bowling me over again on the printed page. When I got a chance to meet Ray in 1980, I was impressed by his humor, charm and modesty, qualities which are very much part of the fabric of this book.

"The Art of Ray Harryhausen" is worthy of any first-class wizard. May Ray live forever!

The word genius has become one of the most overused and improperly used words in our society, easily passed out to those who are often undeserving. But in the case of Ray Harryhausen it is the only word that fits. It's not just his body of work over the past sixty plus years that earns him this title, but also his many pioneering achievements in filmmaking. In "The Art of Ray Harryhausen" the old master takes readers on a journey that begins with his earliest influences in film, art, and storytelling. Throughout the fascinating journey he explains many of the techniques that he either devised himself, or improved upon.

Ray's first great influence on film was the stop-motion work of his friend and eventual mentor Willis O'Brien. Ray discusses how he first contacted O'Brien at the film studio and arranged to meet him at O'Brien's home where the friendship blossomed and Obie...as Ray calls him...took him under his wing. Harryhausen also talks about some of his formal art training in the 40's at schools in L.A. and New York.

Aspiring filmmakers or special effects fans are going to love this book. Ray devotes an early chapter to how his famous models were made including the building of the metal armatures, to the coverings made with cotton and latex, to the final painting of the models, many of which are still intact today including a wooly mammoth made in 1938, his oldest surviving (and working) model. This chapter provides up close and detailed photos of some of Ray's most famous creations including the Skeleton warriors from "Jason and the Argonauts" and Ymir from "20 Million Miles to Earth". The entire creative process is demonstrated in photographs beginning with concept sketches and storyboards, to the building of the models and the actual animation.

While Harryhausen is best known for his stop motion animation and wonderfully detailed models, these were not his only talents. Ray is a fantastic, natural artist and the book features literally hundreds of Ray's rough sketches, storyboards, pencil and charcoal illustrations, and color paintings. His remarkable illustrations conjure up those bold, adventurous scenes involving his animated creations and it all started with a simple drawing. Ray also made his own masks and puppets. In the early 50's he made a series of short films based on fairy tales for which he made the models and animated them as well. The book includes rare photos of these creations which most of us have never seen before.

Other chapters are segmented by film genre type such as his Sci-Fi films that covers works like "First Men in the Moon" and "Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers" and his Greek films "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Clash of the Titans". Again readers are treated to numerous works of Harryhausen art for these films as well as photos of the models. Ray admits that "Jason" remains his favorite film and how he was inspired by Greek mythology. Talos, the iron golem, was inspired by the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, a giant bronze statue of the Sun God Helios that was erected around 282 BCE and stood for decades until an earthquake toppled it. The legendary statue was supposed to have straddled the harbor to Argos as a guardian and Ray pays tribute to this by having Talos block the harbor as Jason's ship tries to flee. Of course, we cannot forget one of Ray's very first jobs, working on "Mighty Joe Young", which gave him not only the chance to work with his mentor Willis O'Brien, but also the chance to work with Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack the Directors/Producers of King Kong. One can only imagine the thrill it was to work with the men who inspired his own career in film.

Peter Jackson provides a foreward to the book and offers his own tribute to Harryhausen and the inspiration that he provided to the "King Kong" remake director. At 230 pages and in a coffee table sized, hard cover format, this is no fluff piece. It is a fantastic companion to 2004's Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, also from Billboard Books. Together these books demonstrate the brilliance of one of film's most humble gentleman. Highest recommendation!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

In his comprehensive 2004 autobiography AN ANIMATED LIFE, stop-motion animation grandmaster Ray Harryhausen finally gave his admirers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life behind the scenes. His artistry at conjuring creatures of fancy and nightmare and breathing life into them is captured on film; what AN ANIMATED LIFE revealed was the mechanics of the magic. Happily, this peek behind the wizard's curtain did nothing to rob Harryhausen's work of its beauty and mystery. If anything, a new respect for the man and his resourceful and innovative methods was forged.

The most surprising lesson gleaned from the tome was the degree to which Harryhausen was involved in all aspects of his productions. From concept to pre-production and planning through location prep and shooting, to re-shoots and editing and scoring, up to the laborious hours spent at the animation table long after the picture had wrapped for everyone else, Ray Harryhausen was behind it all, and AN ANIMATED LIFE celebrated all of it.

With its focus on the tricks of the trade, however, the book could only skim over Harryhausen's most impressive contributions short of his legendary animation skills: his extravagant charcoal renderings and deftness in the art of sculpture. A new companion book, THE ART OF RAY HARRYHAUSEN, utilizes the same sweeping grandeur of the previous effort in focusing on the artist's lesser-known and seldom-seen talents.

This lavish volume features preliminary sketches, movie storyboards and other artwork that was crucial to the sale and production of Harryhausen's various projects. It also highlights his processes in crafting models and reveals Harryhausen's current efforts to preserve his fragile, time-ravaged latex creations as relief casts and bronze sculptures. 211 color and 75 black-and-white illustrations are handsomely reproduced in this oversized, 240-page hardcover from Billboard Books, and are accompanied by detailed essays that trace Harryhausen's influences and single-minded determination to realize his celluloid flights of fancy.

At long last, the full extent of this filmmaker's talent and vision is unveiled. Inspired by the original King Kong, the teenaged Harryhausen understood that the fulfillment of his dream to bring his own creations to the big screen would require far more than mere technical and creative proficiency at model animation. He enrolled in art classes to enhance his drawing and sculpting skills, perfecting methods that would serve him well in his blossoming career.

Long before his dinosaurs, aliens and mythological creatures roared to cinematic life - indeed, long before they were even designed and built - Harryhausen used intricate conceptual drawings to visualize the exploits of his fanciful characters and sell his ideas to skeptical movie producers. These pre-production sketches, and the means by which the creations they envisioned were granted three-dimensional form, comprise the core of this tribute.

And a remarkable tribute it is. In comparing Harryhausen's charcoal sketch of any given scene with the actual film sequence that evolved from it, it seems hard to believe that the drawing came first. Such was Harryhausen's ability to conjure, compose and render a planned action sequence and later deliver on his promise to accurately capture the vision on film. His prowess at designing lifelike creatures and creating the armatures to sustain and animate them made for the perfect marriage of art and engineering, and THE ART OF RAY HARRYHAUSEN illustrates how one man mastered both the technical and artistic aspects of filmmaking.

Ray Harryhausen, an authentic Renaissance Man, was one of the true auteurs in the business. This book underscores both his creative genius and his ability to translate images from his imagination to the big screen. Coupled with AN ANIMATED LIFE, it chronicles the life and work of an artist who inspired the collective imaginations of generations of filmgoers. From concept to rendering to model design to animation, Harryhausen did far more than simply dream the impossible. He delivered it in grand style.

If you're a fan of Ray and his films, or even just a fan of great movies in general, this is a must-have book. There are plenty of other reviewers here who give details about the book, so I'll skip that and just say that it really does live up to the hype you're seeing here. Ray is a master (and a really nice guy too), and he speaks candidly and in detail about his life and films so it's an enjoyable and informative read. Plus the pictures are phenomenal. I don't know that I'd say this is better than the first book, because they're really both great.

As Peter Jackson points out in the introduction to this hefty tome, it's so important not to grow up. Even in his 80s, sci-fi master Harryhausen continues to conjure the entrancing magic he first created with 1949's Mighty Joe Young. The wondrous worlds and mythical monsters made by this master of cinematic magic, in the days of stop-action animation before computer-generated images became the norm, are showcased in this lush coffee table book. This treasure, with 211 color plates and 74 black-and-white illustrations, contains not a single scene from any of his motion pictures, but rather storyboards, pencil sketches and oil paintings, models, masks, puppets, rubber dinosaurs and bronze Cyclops, sundry ideas for movies bearing the HH stamp. Even more fascinating are images from movies that Harryhausen wanted to make but for which he never got financing. Many of the drawings are so detailed and ornate that the viewer is at once pulled in; we experience them with the fear and wonder of a child's limitless imagination. Looking at these detailed sketches, it's easy to believe we are in some pre-Christian religious temple, some deserted island populated by monstrous things or Anytown, USA, totally destroyed by evil ugly aliens. Like a child, we simply wonder at it all.