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Tributes are paid to film special effects genius Ray Harryhausen

Tributes are paid to film special effects genius Ray Harryhausen

TRIBUTES have been paid to film special effects genius Ray Harryhausen who has passed away at the age of 92.

Mr. Harryhausen was an American, but had been based in the United Kingdom for many years.

In an age when most special effects in films are computer-generated, Mr. Harryhausen came from a time when models of monsters and suchlike had to be filmed frame-by-frame — a process which could take months to complete. 

His work is regarded as some of the finest special effects in the history of cinema. One of his best-loved sequences appeared in Jason And The Argonauts (1963) in which a number of skeletons came to life (see below). Another example was the Medusa which appeared in Clash Of The Titans (1981).

Other films which featured his work included First Men In The Moon (1964), The Valley Of Gwangi (1969) and Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger (1977).

Among the many people to pay tribute was the director John Landis who said Mr. Harryhausen had been: “a true giant of the cinema”. He continued: “His creations were not only stars of those movies, but the main reason for those movies to exist at all.”

Mr. Harryhausen was presented with a special Oscar in 1992. BAFTA held a special tribute to mark his 90th. birthday (see below).

To view an interview in which Ray Harryhausen discusses his work on Jason And The Argonauts, click here.

To view an excerpt from BAFTA’s 90th. birthday tribute to Mr. Harryhausen, click here.

To visit the official Ray Harryhausen website, click here.

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