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Jason and the Argonauts

Michael Lee February 20, 2020 at 00:34 2925 views 7 comments
Just like Tom Hanks remarked when Ray Harryhausen finally was awarded his well overdue Academy Award, "Jason and the Argonauts" is by far my favourite motion picture too. The story is much older than the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, and depicts a more realistic view of our gods arguing with each other. Power hungry Pelias kills his brother Aeson to conquer the Throne of Thessaly, only to learn from the Goddess Hera to beware of a one sandalled man.

Despite the difficulty Ray encountered in animating, over the period of three months of hard work, seven skeletons in his masterpiece of stop motion photography we now call the "skeleton fight," the best scene occurred when Jason attempted to pass the "Clashing Rocks." Despite his horrible fears ahead of him, he proceeds anyway owing to necessity. Upon realizing his obvious doom, he calls upon the end of the Greek gods.

Michael


Comments (7)

Sir2u February 20, 2020 at 01:19 #384330
And the question is ......................................
Michael Lee February 20, 2020 at 01:35 #384338
Reply to Sir2u There is no question. I just want to share it with you. Sir2u, I need to share it with you.
Sir2u February 20, 2020 at 02:01 #384347
Quoting Michael Lee
There is no question. I just want to share it with you. Sir2u, I need to share it with you.


OK, cool. :smile:
Sir2u February 20, 2020 at 02:07 #384349
The need to share, is it in some way spiritual?

The gods in those days were not shy were they? they came down to our level and let us see them.

Maybe if we all started worshiping Neptune or even Thor they would come back.
Michael Lee February 20, 2020 at 02:23 #384353
Reply to Sir2u Okay, this is a lame post. I do that from time to time, but I just loved the story. The Iliad was by far too violent and greedy and tells us who we really are Sir2u. As a human race, we have lost our sense of empathy and compassion. It is incredibly disappointing, but since I will be dead in about thirty years, at best, why should I worry?
Michael Lee February 21, 2020 at 01:21 #384627
Reply to Sir2u Speaking of the Iliad, listen to this verse that Hector said,

No man will hurl me down to Death, against my fate.
And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it,
neither brave man nor coward, I tell you --
it's born with us the day that we were born. Iliad VI, 580

But look what happens later...

But the two Aeantes blazing in battle-fury
saw to Imbrius now...as two lions seizing a goat
from under guard of circling rip-tooth hounds,
lugging the carcass on through dense matted brush,
hoist it up from the earth in their big grinding jaws.
So the ramping, crested Aeantes hoisted Imbrius high,
stripping his gear in mid-air, and the Little Ajax,
raging over Amphimachus' death, lopped the head
from the corpse's limp neck and with one good heave
send it spinning into the milling fighters like a ball,
right at the feet of Hector, tumbling in the dust. Iliad XIII, 240

I don't know where I'm going with this Sir2u. Do you know?



Sir2u February 21, 2020 at 01:47 #384632
Quoting Michael Lee
Okay, this is a lame post.


No, it has a lot of potential. All that is missing are the road signs to show the path to take.

Quoting Michael Lee
I do that from time to time, but I just loved the story.


Welcome to the club. Free membership and drinks are on the house for the first evening.

Violence is as much a part of human nature as love. It hits some more than others.
If you look at the history and present state of humanity you will find so many examples of how violence was used to overcome the obstacles in the path of many group's advancement. Throughout history conquering the people on the land you wanted or that had the food you needed was the way of life.

Try reading the Iliad using groups as the characters instead of individuals.

I always tried to get my students to put the stories we read into a modern setting. Have you tried doing this. I used this idea to see if the stories carried any messages that were still valid today. Not all of the students were up to the task, but we had some good ideas and a lot of very good discussions.

Quoting Michael Lee
I don't know where I'm going with this Sir2u. Do you know?


That sounds a bit like my all time favorite bumper sticker.

"Don't follow me, I'm lost.
Put up some signs and we can follow them and see where we end up.

Hell, Banno used to start with less and get a century thread. :lol: