Harryhausen: The Lost Movies

A beautiful book that was missing from the collection. Unpublished drawings (or made by illustrators other than Ray), and stories of unfinished projects by the master of special effects Ray Harryhausen.It also reports the scenes not used or filmed, on films released at the cinema.A beautiful book for a fairly low price from a dealer. Thanks to him! :-)

'Harryhausen: The Lost Movies' explores the many unrealised projects undertaken the master of special effects, Ray Harryhausen; a man responsible for some of my earliest and most cherished cinematic memories.As a one man industry, Harryhausen was responsible for more than just the incredible stop-motion animation that populated classics such as 'Jason and the Argonauts' and 'Clash of the Titans'. Behind the scenes, he was also responsible for the creation of screenplays and artwork, for directing actors on set, and then for eventually advertising and promoting the finished movies. To discover that there were some 80+ unmade films from his already prolific career was staggering.Delving into the archive which was left by the great man for posterity, some incredible lost treasures have been shared here. Author John Walsh has set out this book in a chronological fashion, exploring the films that Ray was never able to make, alongside famous films that he was offered or asked to work upon. This allows for an in-depth exploration of Harryhausen's creative talents, as well as his practicality and tenacity in dealing with the film industry. It is incredible to see the amount of work which went into projects such as 'War of the Worlds' or 'Force of the Trojans', and much of the artwork here has been newly uncovered for this book. The publication's landscape format is perfect, with a classy layout and fascinating introduction from a variety of famous filmmakers.This book is a must for fans of Ray Harryhausen's work, or of classic cinema in general. The book also contains an important lesson for fans of all ages, on the importance of persistence and determination when dealing with the often harsh lessons of creative life.

If you know a fan of stop motion animation, film making, or science fiction - chances are they have heard of the legendary Ray Harryhausen.Ray, in many ways was ahead of his time in the areas of special effects and film making, so much so that long after he retired, the great directors and film artists will openly admit to trying to capture some of the charm, personality, and thrill of his creations.This book covers the many films and project that Ray was affiliated with that were ultimately never produced, or, at least during his lifetime. It is a fantastic behind-the-scenes journey that follows his career, his art and his imagination right up until the end. It is also written by the fantastic Mr. John Walsh, who is himself a film maker, writer and trustee of the Ray and Diane Harryhausen foundation. Mr. Walsh does a great job of making sure that the fun, interesting details, projects and art are given their proper due in this book and no amount of effort was spared in creating it.I heartily recommend this book as a gift. Or, if you are fan, I would immediately label it as an essential purchase. You cannot go wrong with it either way.

I have been watching Ray Harryhausen movies since I was a kid. 'Earth vs The Flying Saucers', Mysterious Island, through to the Jason and The Argonauts/Sinbad etc. Even today, his work is more realistic than much of the cheaply made CGI work on television shows and some major films. I even had the privilege of seeing some of the models at an exhibition over 30 years ago. They are stunningly detailed close up and have recently been restored for an Exhibition (I recommend the Titan of Cinema book which accompanies it). But onto this book: it is the third Harryhausen book in my collection now and is a worthy addition. Ray was a great artist/visionary as well as an animator and seeing his work displayed in this way is always a joy. Some of this has never been seen before, so thank you to the author, John Walsh, for keeping the memory alive and supporting the Harryhausen Foundation.

This is an excellent book, covering Ray Harryhausen's films (although not in as much depth as other works such as 'An Animated Life'), this one covers in more depth films and concepts that Ray was unable to bring to the screen. Ray's films still stand up today and his creations seem to have more life and character than today's CGI monstrosities. Out of the 'lost' films it is a shame that 'Force of the Trojans' never came to fruition and I also think that if Ray had managed to do a remake of 'King Kong' (the movie that inspired him to become an animator in the first place) then it could have been a sight to behold (although I doubt it would have eclipsed the original version - even Peter Jackson couldn't quite manage that). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read, some great pictures and a wonderful tribute to a true genius of cinema.

Like many others, I've followed Ray Harryhausen's career from a young age, and before I saw most of the films, I had accumulated a mass of magazines, stills and newspaper cuttings about them. This book shows all the projects that might have been; The People of the Mist, The Hobbit, John Carter of Mars, Beowulf, War of the Worlds - as well as the aspects to the films that were made, that ended up on the cutting room floor, such as the infinitely more "alien" aliens for Earth vs Flying Saucers - and absolute must for any library of the cinema of the fantastic! Great value!