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inside reading 4, 3- a big gorilla started it all

3- a big gorilla started it all

King Aeetes of ancient Greece is desperately seeking the Golden Fleece. lOnly Jason and his men stand in his way. He reaches into a helmet and throws the Hydra's2 teeth upon the ground. Seven armed skeletons pop up from the earth and march in unison toward three nervous warriors. "Kill them all," Aeetes cries. For nearly four minutes, a wild battle ensues among the ruins of a temple overlooking the sea, as three live actors do close combat with the animated figures.

This famous action sequence from the movie Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is the work of special effects creator Ray Harryhausen, a legend and an inspiration to the technical wizards who create the cinematic wonders we enjoy today. Those familiar with his work will detect the influence of what he called "kinetic sculptures" on later blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Harryhausen achieved the skeleton illusion by using a technique called stop-motion animation. Harryhausen equipped one-foot-tall model skeletons with joints that allowed the skeletons to move naturally. He photographed the skeletons in one pose. He then adjusted their bodies slightly and photographed them again. When this process was repeated many times and run as a movie, it created the illusion that objects were moving on their own. By coordinating the actions of the models with the actions of live actors, Harryhausen made us believe the miniature models were interacting with full-size human actors. It was a tedious process—the skeleton battle took four and a half months to film. But the characters were far more realistic and three-dimensional than cartoon characters and more physically expressive than puppets.

Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1920, Ray Harryhausen's bond with movie special effects formed at age thirteen when he saw the pioneering stop-motion work of Willis O'Brien in the film King Kong (1933). Even as an adolescent, Harryhausen could tell that the gigantic gorilla was not a man in an ape suit or a cartoon. He wondered how the filmmakers made the gorilla's movements seem so natural and its face so expressive.

Harryhausen began his long career of trying to achieve and surpass the effects made famous by King Kong. His first effort was a cave bear made out of his mother's fur coat and photographed with a borrowed camera. Despite difficulty controlling the camera, he succeeded in making the bear appear to move. Excited by the possibilities, he then sought training in all aspects of trick photography. He studied drawing, ceramics, and sculpture, each an important component in the success of his stop-motion work.

By 1940, Harryhausen was making films on his family's back porch, and soon worked on animated shorts for Paramount Studios. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army Signal Corps, where he worked on animated sequences for training films. After his discharge, Harryhausen made five stop-motion fairy tales called Mother Goose Stories. The artistic success of these animations led to his first big break when Willis O'Brien hired him to work on Mighty Joe Young (1949). The movie, an entertaining King Kong sequel of sorts, earned its producers a special effects Oscar.

In the 1950s, Harryhausen did impressive special effects work on low-budget, black-and- white science fiction monster films. In The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), sci-fi fans saw a giant stop-motion dinosaur attack New York. In It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), an octopus tears down San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. In 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), a monster from Venus grows huge and lays waste to Rome.

Over the next 24 years, Harryhausen turned from sci-fi to fantasy/adventure stories filmed in color. These ten films feature dozens of fascinating monsters, each a testament to Harryhausen's vision. In The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958), live actors fight a giant two-headed bird, a 30-foot-tall Cyclops, and a living skeleton. In Mysterious Island (1961), castaways do battle with a gigantic crab and a huge bird. Jason and the Argonauts features a blind man fighting off two bird-like humans, a battle with a huge bronze man filled with thousands of gallons of fluid, and Jason's duel with a seven- headed hydra. And don't forget those relentless skeletons. Harryhausen's final feature film, The Clash of the Titans (1981), finds Perseus, the hero of Greek myth, fighting giant scorpions, outsmarting the deadly, snake-haired Medusa, and bringing down the colossus Kraken. Movie fans still marvel at the expressiveness and personality of these creatures.

Harryhausen was never nominated for a special effects Oscar. Some feel it was because he worked away from Hollywood on lower budget films, rarely using assistants. (Harryhausen retained close bonds with his family—his father nude the ball-and-socket joints for his inotlel.s and occasionally his mother made the fur coverings.) Others feel that until the success of George Lucas's Star Wars (1977), Hollywood marginalized sci-fi movies, particularly those featuring monsters and strange creatures. In 1992, Hollywood finally recognized this oversight and honored Ray Harryhausen with a lifetime achievement Oscar. At the presentation ceremony, two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks reportedly said to Harryhausen, "Lots of people say Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time.... No way, it's Jason and the Argonauts!"

Today, Harryhausen's stop-motion animation technique has been superseded by more sophisticated computer-generated imaging and performance-capture animation. People accustomed to seamless digital effects may find his work a little rough around the edges. Nonetheless, many contemporary filmmakers are students of his work and cite it as their inspiration. Peter Jackson, the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong (2005), is one prominent example. He credits much of his lifelong desire to make movies to a childhood fascination with Harryhausen's work. And most of the stop-motion master's work, even his early experiments, is available on DVD today.

Movies are usually labeled as the work of the actors or director. Technicians most often play an unseen or subordinate role in the moviegoer's mind. Ray Harryhausen defies that tradition. Although he never directed or acted in the 15 or so feature-length films he worked on, these films are now seen as vehicles for showcasing his talents. Known today as "Ray Harryhausen films," each one is marked by the taste, imagination, and kinetic magic Harryhausen brought to his creations.


3- a big gorilla started it all 3- un gran gorila lo empezó todo

King Aeetes of ancient Greece is desperately seeking the Golden Fleece. El rey Eetes de la antigua Grecia busca desesperadamente el vellocino de oro. lOnly Jason and his men stand in his way. Sólo Jason y sus hombres se interponen en su camino. He reaches into a helmet and throws the Hydra's2 teeth upon the ground. Mete la mano en el casco y arroja los dientes de la Hidra2 al suelo. Seven armed skeletons pop up from the earth and march in unison toward three nervous warriors. Siete esqueletos armados surgen de la tierra y marchan al unísono hacia tres nerviosos guerreros. "Kill them all," Aeetes cries. "Mátenlos a todos", grita Aeetes. For nearly four minutes, a wild battle ensues among the ruins of a temple overlooking the sea, as three live actors do close combat with the animated figures. Durante casi cuatro minutos, se libra una batalla salvaje entre las ruinas de un templo con vistas al mar, en la que tres actores reales combaten cuerpo a cuerpo con las figuras animadas.

This famous action sequence from the movie Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is the work of special effects creator Ray Harryhausen, a legend and an inspiration to the technical wizards who create the cinematic wonders we enjoy today. This famous action sequence from the movie Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is the work of special effects creator Ray Harryhausen, a legend and an inspiration to the technical wizards who create the cinematic wonders we enjoy today. Esta famosa secuencia de acción de la película Jasón y los Argonautas (1963) es obra del creador de efectos especiales Ray Harryhausen, una leyenda y una inspiración para los magos técnicos que crean las maravillas cinematográficas que disfrutamos hoy en día. Those familiar with his work will detect the influence of what he called "kinetic sculptures" on later blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Quienes estén familiarizados con su obra detectarán la influencia de lo que él llamaba "esculturas cinéticas" en posteriores éxitos de taquilla como Parque Jurásico y la trilogía de El Señor de los Anillos.

Harryhausen achieved the skeleton illusion by using a technique called stop-motion animation. Harryhausen consiguió la ilusión del esqueleto utilizando una técnica llamada animación stop-motion. Harryhausen equipped one-foot-tall model skeletons with joints that allowed the skeletons to move naturally. Harryhausen equipó esqueletos modelo de un pie de altura con articulaciones que permitían a los esqueletos moverse con naturalidad. He photographed the skeletons in one pose. Fotografió los esqueletos en una sola pose. He then adjusted their bodies slightly and photographed them again. A continuación, ajustó ligeramente sus cuerpos y volvió a fotografiarlos. When this process was repeated many times and run as a movie, it created the illusion that objects were moving on their own. Cuando este proceso se repetía muchas veces y se ejecutaba como una película, creaba la ilusión de que los objetos se movían por sí solos. By coordinating the actions of the models with the actions of live actors, Harryhausen made us believe the miniature models were interacting with full-size human actors. Al coordinar las acciones de los modelos con las de actores reales, Harryhausen nos hacía creer que los modelos en miniatura interactuaban con actores humanos de tamaño natural. It was a tedious process—the skeleton battle took four and a half months to film. Fue un proceso tedioso: el esqueleto de la batalla tardó cuatro meses y medio en filmarse. But the characters were far more realistic and three-dimensional than cartoon characters and more physically expressive than puppets. Pero los personajes eran mucho más realistas y tridimensionales que los de los dibujos animados y más expresivos físicamente que las marionetas.

Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1920, Ray Harryhausen's bond with movie special effects formed at age thirteen when he saw the pioneering stop-motion work of Willis O'Brien in the film King Kong (1933). Nacido en Los Ángeles, California, en 1920, Ray Harryhausen se vinculó a los efectos especiales del cine a los trece años, cuando vio el trabajo pionero de stop-motion de Willis O'Brien en la película King Kong (1933). Even as an adolescent, Harryhausen could tell that the gigantic gorilla was not a man in an ape suit or a cartoon. Incluso siendo un adolescente, Harryhausen pudo darse cuenta de que el gigantesco gorila no era un hombre vestido de simio ni un dibujo animado. He wondered how the filmmakers made the gorilla's movements seem so natural and its face so expressive. Se preguntaba cómo habían conseguido los cineastas que los movimientos del gorila parecieran tan naturales y su cara tan expresiva.

Harryhausen began his long career of trying to achieve and surpass the effects made famous by King Kong. Harryhausen comenzó su larga carrera intentando alcanzar y superar los efectos que hizo famosos King Kong. His first effort was a cave bear made out of his mother's fur coat and photographed with a borrowed camera. Su primer trabajo fue un oso de las cavernas hecho con el abrigo de piel de su madre y fotografiado con una cámara prestada. Despite difficulty controlling the camera, he succeeded in making the bear appear to move. A pesar de las dificultades para controlar la cámara, consiguió que el oso pareciera moverse. Excited by the possibilities, he then sought training in all aspects of trick photography. Entusiasmado por las posibilidades, buscó formación en todos los aspectos de la fotografía trucada. He studied drawing, ceramics, and sculpture, each an important component in the success of his stop-motion work. Estudió dibujo, cerámica y escultura, cada uno de los cuales es un componente importante del éxito de su obra en stop-motion.

By 1940, Harryhausen was making films on his family's back porch, and soon worked on animated shorts for Paramount Studios. En 1940, Harryhausen ya rodaba películas en el porche trasero de su casa y pronto trabajó en cortos de animación para los estudios Paramount. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army Signal Corps, where he worked on animated sequences for training films. En 1942, fue reclutado por el Cuerpo de Señales del Ejército, donde trabajó en secuencias animadas para películas de entrenamiento. After his discharge, Harryhausen made five stop-motion fairy tales called Mother Goose Stories. Tras su licenciamiento, Harryhausen realizó cinco cuentos de hadas en stop-motion titulados Mother Goose Stories. The artistic success of these animations led to his first big break when Willis O'Brien hired him to work on Mighty Joe Young (1949). El éxito artístico de estas animaciones le llevó a su primera gran oportunidad cuando Willis O'Brien le contrató para trabajar en Mighty Joe Young (1949). The movie, an entertaining King Kong sequel of sorts, earned its producers a special effects Oscar. La película, una especie de entretenida secuela de King Kong, valió a sus productores un Oscar a los efectos especiales.

In the 1950s, Harryhausen did impressive special effects work on low-budget, black-and- white science fiction monster films. En los años 50, Harryhausen realizó impresionantes trabajos de efectos especiales en películas de monstruos de ciencia ficción de bajo presupuesto y en blanco y negro. In The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), sci-fi fans saw a giant stop-motion dinosaur attack New York. En La bestia de las 20.000 brazas (1953), los aficionados a la ciencia ficción vieron cómo un dinosaurio gigante en stop-motion atacaba Nueva York. In It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), an octopus tears down San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. En It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), un pulpo derriba el puente Golden Gate de San Francisco. In 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), a monster from Venus grows huge and lays waste to Rome. En 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), un monstruo de Venus se hace enorme y arrasa Roma.

Over the next 24 years, Harryhausen turned from sci-fi to fantasy/adventure stories filmed in color. Durante los 24 años siguientes, Harryhausen pasó de la ciencia ficción a las historias de fantasía y aventuras filmadas en color. These ten films feature dozens of fascinating monsters, each a testament to Harryhausen's vision. Estas diez películas presentan docenas de monstruos fascinantes, cada uno de ellos testimonio de la visión de Harryhausen. In The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958), live actors fight a giant two-headed bird, a 30-foot-tall Cyclops, and a living skeleton. En El séptimo viaje de Simbad (1958), actores vivos luchan contra un pájaro gigante de dos cabezas, un cíclope de nueve metros de altura y un esqueleto viviente. In Mysterious Island (1961), castaways do battle with a gigantic crab and a huge bird. En La isla misteriosa (1961), los náufragos se enfrentan a un cangrejo gigantesco y a un pájaro enorme. Jason and the Argonauts features a blind man fighting off two bird-like humans, a battle with a huge bronze man filled with thousands of gallons of fluid, and Jason's duel with a seven- headed hydra. Jasón y los argonautas presenta a un ciego que lucha contra dos humanos con aspecto de pájaro, una batalla con un enorme hombre de bronce lleno de miles de litros de líquido y el duelo de Jasón con una hidra de siete cabezas. And don't forget those relentless skeletons. Y no te olvides de esos implacables esqueletos. Harryhausen's final feature film, The Clash of the Titans (1981), finds Perseus, the hero of Greek myth, fighting giant scorpions, outsmarting the deadly, snake-haired Medusa, and bringing down the colossus Kraken. El último largometraje de Harryhausen, Furia de Titanes (1981), muestra a Perseo, el héroe de la mitología griega, luchando contra escorpiones gigantes, burlando a la mortífera Medusa y derribando al coloso Kraken. Movie fans still marvel at the expressiveness and personality of these creatures. Los aficionados al cine siguen maravillándose ante la expresividad y personalidad de estas criaturas.

Harryhausen was never nominated for a special effects Oscar. Harryhausen nunca fue nominado a un Oscar por sus efectos especiales. Some feel it was because he worked away from Hollywood on lower budget films, rarely using assistants. Algunos opinan que se debió a que trabajó lejos de Hollywood, en películas de menor presupuesto, en las que rara vez utilizaba ayudantes. (Harryhausen retained close bonds with his family—his father nude the ball-and-socket joints for his inotlel.s and occasionally his mother made the fur coverings.) (Harryhausen mantuvo estrechos lazos con su familia: su padre desnudaba las rótulas de sus inotlel.s y, ocasionalmente, su madre confeccionaba los revestimientos de piel). Others feel that until the success of George Lucas's Star Wars (1977), Hollywood marginalized sci-fi movies, particularly those featuring monsters and strange creatures. Otros opinan que, hasta el éxito de La guerra de las galaxias (1977) de George Lucas, Hollywood marginó las películas de ciencia ficción, sobre todo las protagonizadas por monstruos y criaturas extrañas. In 1992, Hollywood finally recognized this oversight and honored Ray Harryhausen with a lifetime achievement Oscar. En 1992, Hollywood reconoció finalmente este descuido y honró a Ray Harryhausen con un Oscar a toda una vida. At the presentation ceremony, two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks reportedly said to Harryhausen, "Lots of people say Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time.... No way, it's Jason and the Argonauts!" Al parecer, en la ceremonia de presentación, el actor Tom Hanks, ganador de dos Oscar, le dijo a Harryhausen: "Mucha gente dice que Ciudadano Kane es la mejor película de todos los tiempos..... De ninguna manera, es Jason y los Argonautas".

Today, Harryhausen's stop-motion animation technique has been superseded by more sophisticated computer-generated imaging and performance-capture animation. Hoy en día, la técnica de animación stop-motion de Harryhausen ha sido sustituida por imágenes generadas por ordenador y animación por captura de imágenes más sofisticadas. People accustomed to seamless digital effects may find his work a little rough around the edges. Las personas acostumbradas a los efectos digitales sin fisuras pueden encontrar su trabajo un poco tosco. Nonetheless, many contemporary filmmakers are students of his work and cite it as their inspiration. No obstante, muchos cineastas contemporáneos son estudiosos de su obra y la citan como fuente de inspiración. Peter Jackson, the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong (2005), is one prominent example. Peter Jackson, el director de la trilogía de El Señor de los Anillos y King Kong (2005), es un ejemplo destacado. He credits much of his lifelong desire to make movies to a childhood fascination with Harryhausen's work. Atribuye gran parte de su deseo de toda la vida de hacer películas a su fascinación infantil por la obra de Harryhausen. And most of the stop-motion master's work, even his early experiments, is available on DVD today. Y la mayor parte de la obra del maestro del stop-motion, incluso sus primeros experimentos, está disponible hoy en DVD.

Movies are usually labeled as the work of the actors or director. Las películas suelen etiquetarse como obra de los actores o del director. Technicians most often play an unseen or subordinate role in the moviegoer's mind. La mayoría de las veces, los técnicos desempeñan un papel invisible o subordinado en la mente del espectador. Ray Harryhausen defies that tradition. Ray Harryhausen desafía esa tradición. Although he never directed or acted in the 15 or so feature-length films he worked on, these films are now seen as vehicles for showcasing his talents. Aunque nunca dirigió ni actuó en los cerca de 15 largometrajes en los que trabajó, estas películas se consideran ahora como vehículos para mostrar su talento. Known today as "Ray Harryhausen films," each one is marked by the taste, imagination, and kinetic magic Harryhausen brought to his creations. Conocidas hoy como "películas de Ray Harryhausen", cada una de ellas está marcada por el gusto, la imaginación y la magia cinética que Harryhausen aportaba a sus creaciones.