88 Lothian Road
Sun 9 Aug · 16:30
PERFECT PAIRS: Book tickets for two or more of Clash of the Titans , Jason and the Argonauts and The Odyssey ( 70mm or digital ) in the same transaction to receive a discount! Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, goes on a quest to win the hand of the beautiful Andromeda and defeat her former betrothed Calibos, who has been turned into a monster. With the help of the poet Ammon and a robot owl, Perseus must also catch and tame the winged horse Pegasus, overcome some giant scorpions, and behead the evil Medusa, all in an attempt to stop Andromeda from being sacrificed to the giant creature known as the Kraken. Desmond Davis' 1981 fantasy was the last film overseen by special effects genius Ray Harryhausen, with his stop-motion creations bringing to life the various creatures throughout the film. Much like the Greek mythology it stems from, there were many connections throughout the cast and crew - Harry Hamlin (starring as the protagonist Perseus) and Ursula Andress (a stunning Aphrodite) were married at the time of production, as were screenwriter Beverley Cross and not-yet-Dame Maggie Smith (Thetis, mother of Achilles). On top of this, Jack Gwillim (god of the sea Poseidon) also played as King Aeëtes in Jason and the Argonauts (another epic that Harryhausen also provided special effects for), which you can see just before this with a Perfect Pairs discount! "With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey reigniting our passion for all things Greek Legend, what a perfect time to bring back a couple of films which may, for many of us, contain everything we might imagine we know about it! A perfect time also to find out whether or not Tom Hanks was right when he said: 'Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane . I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made.' " - Written by Rod White, Programme Director