Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)

Jason and the Argonauts
Theatrical release poster by Howard Terpning
Directed byDon Chaffey
Written byBeverley Cross
Jan Read
Based onThe Argonautica
3rd century BC
by Apollonius Rhodius
Produced byCharles H. Schneer
Starring
CinematographyWilkie Cooper
Edited byMaurice Rootes
Music byBernard Herrmann
Production
company
Morningside Productions
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • June 13, 1963 (1963-06-13)
Running time
104 minutes
CountriesUnited States[1]
United Kingdom[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million[3]
Box office$2.1 million (rentals)[4]

Jason and the Argonauts (working title: Jason and the Golden Fleece) is a 1963 independent fantasy adventure film distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was produced by Charles H. Schneer, directed by Don Chaffey, and stars Todd Armstrong, while co-starring Nancy Kovack, Honor Blackman, and Gary Raymond.

Shot in Eastman Color, the film was made in collaboration with stop-motion animation visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen and is known for its various legendary creatures, notably the iconic fight scene featuring seven skeleton warriors. Although it was a box-office disappointment during its initial release, the film was critically acclaimed and later considered a classic.

The film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann, who had partnered with Harryhausen on The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) and Mysterious Island (1961).

  1. ^ "Jason and the Argonauts (1963)". Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  2. ^ Clayton, Wickham (2015). Style and Form in the Hollywood Slasher Film. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-49646-1.
  3. ^ Harryhausen, Ray (20 December 2003). "Ray Harryhausen on making Jason and the Argonauts". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Top Rental Features of 1963", Variety, 8 January 1964, p. 71.