Tom Hanks is correct... the Greatest Film ever made is... (1 Viewer)

[Gary Tooze]

When Tom Hanks announced to the world, during an Oscar ceremony honoring Ray Harryhausen, that he considers Jason and the Argonauts the greatest film ever made, I had to agree...
As a boy, I remember growing up watching some of my favorite adventure films; Mysterious Island, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, First Men in the Moon and Jason and the Argonauts. The common thread of these films are that the special effects were all done by Ray Harryhausen and two of the films were backed by a stirring musical score from the great Bernard Herrmann.
Here is the synopsis of the stroryline from my review that includes 14 images from the film:
CLICK HERE to access it.
Synopsis:
Jason is the surviving son of Aristo ( "Aeson" of the written legend ) and has been prophesied to take the throne of Thessaly from King Pelias. Pelias murdered Jason's father and sister Briseis ( other sister Phoilomela survives ), 20 years prior but unknowingly Jason saves him from drowning one day, losing his shoe in the process. The lost shoe alerting Pelias of the prophecy of his arrival as warned by the Oracle ( actually the God Hermes in disguise ): "Beware a stranger who wears but a single sandal". Under a guise of friendship, Pelias persuades Jason to travel to Colchis, at the end of the world, in an attempt to abscond with the "Golden Fleece"; a golden ram’s hide with mystical powers of healing. Jason takes his heed and stages a great athletic contest, assembling a sailing crew of the best warriors in Greece. He has a ship constructed by the worthy shipwright Argus, deriving the name of the sea vessel: The Argo.
Some of the Argonauts include:
The legendary Hercules (or Heracles, to give him his proper Greek name), "Phalerus of Athens" - champion archer, "Polydueces" the bare fist fighter, "Castor of Sparta" - the wrestler, "Euphemus of Taenarum", the swimmer "Spyros of Saracuse", the brainy "Hylas" - and "Acastas of Thessaly", the son of Pelias sent there by him as a spy and to disrupt the voyage by causing dissention in the crew.

 

[alan halvorson]

I love Jason and the Argonauts, as well as nearly all the other Harryhausen films (excepting that crashing bore, Clash of the Titans), but it doesn't exactly fill the bill as the greatest film ever made, except, perhaps, as a type. I do have one major problem with it and that is the ending - it's inconclusive. There was to be a sequel but it never came about for reasons I have never found out. Too bad. Great fun though, and highly repeatable.

 

[Steve Christou]

I love 'Jason and the Argonauts', a superb fantasy epic, Ray Harryhausen's fantastic stop motion creatures are still great even today, and another classic score by the legendary Bernard Herrmann.

The incredible skeleton fight is still one of the top ten special effects sequences in cinema history, IMHO.

 

[MikeAW]

It was very nice for Hanks to tell us what his, ahem, non-prepared feelings are about what his greatest film of all time is, but methinks he is just being a nice guy and really telling us what his favorite Ray Film is...and NOT the greatest film ever made is.

I'm not going to hold him to it and I don't think anyone there did, so should anyone else ?

 

[Gary Tooze]

really telling us what his favorite Ray Film is

Sorry, I thought this was so obvious that it didn't even need stating... of course this was Hanks inner-child speaking. I can't imagine any film fan in the universe not realizing this, especially in this forum... Well, I suppose that I'm proven wrong again...:rolleyes

 

[Peter Kline]

Well, what do you expect from a guy who used to wear a dress to make a living!

 

[MikeAW]

Hanks seems to be well meaning and having a pleasant personality, but I don't get any impression he is a great intellectual...like I'm sure he wants us to feel, because he is a film director and because of the films he directs.

 

[Heinz W]

I could have sworn that I heard Hanks say the same thing about Kubrick's opus, 2001...

 

[Mark Philp]

If Tom Hanks or anybody else thinks that "Jason and the Argonauts" is the "world's greatest film", that's his opinion and that's ok with me. However, I've never been able to figure out how someone can call ANY film the greatest without seeing every film ever made. You can't make a logical judgement without seeing all of them. I guess that's why I hate "100 Greatest" lists.

 

[MikeAW]

It's just Superstars engaging in mindless hyperbole, and it's cute isnt it ?

 

[Mitty]

...I don't get any impression he is a great intellectual...like I'm sure he wants us to feel, because he is a film director and because of the films he directs.

I've never heard anyone refer to Hanks as a director before. Yes, he has directed one feature, and very occasionally directed for television, but his director credits hardly stack up against his 30+ movies as an actor.

I also don't imagine he was trying to score points as an intellectual by calling 'Jason' the greatest film ever made. Quite the opposite actually, he was flexing his "everyman" muscle.

 

[Jason Whyte]

Hey, any movie with my name in it is automatically good.
I thought Hanks' favorite film was a certain space film that is to Mr. Briggs' liking (and mine, and many others as well). Guess not anymore. :frowning:
Jay

 

[MikeAW]

To me, Hank's is not "everyman", though he may be very successful in acting as one.

All of the comments of offense to questioning his Being, only go to show that ANY Media Personality belongs to that special class that gets away saying stupid things, when people of lesser abilities have to be responsible for what they say.

Remember, he's only an actor !

 

[Trace Downing]

Well, at least he didn't say the greatest film ever made was The Bonfire of the Vanities

 

[Mitty]

Remember, he's only an actor !

And we're just a bunch of guys with internet connections.

 

[Evan Case]

This must be the oddest thread I've ever stumbled across here.
It's got everything.
- Mr. Tooze singing the praises of a film I'd have never guessed given his posting history (no offense intended, of course)
- Rightful praise of Harryhausen's brilliance
- Both lighthearted and mean-spirited jabs at Hanks
- Defense of Hanks that for some reason doesn't seem like it
- The patented Gary eyeroll (although I couldn't gauge the seriousness of this post either until reading the disc review on your site)
- Posts about how strange the thread is
- Strangest of all, the mention of 2001 and Bonfire of the Vanities in the same thread!
All this in under 15 posts.
What was this about again?
Evan
P.S. I remember now - it's the film with the big bronze guy who's not as cool as the big one-eyed guy from the other one, many nasty skeletons instead of one mean boney dude, and a weaker score (only because that music-writing guy decided not to use strings and stuff this time around)
P.P.S. Seriously though, this isn't a gag post, right Gary? Not that'd I disagree with you about the film's value (though I do prefer 7th Voyage) but rather because it just doesn't seem as "serious" as a lot of the other films you post about or review.

 

[Jerry Rhoades]

My response to the “what’s your favorite move” question has never changed in over 25 years. It has always been Jason and the Argonauts. I’m glad I put the money out years ago for the laserdisc ($100). The picture is beautiful and even today bangs with DVD quality. This is the movie that made me fall in love with movies.

“There’s no turning back on this journey”

Jerry R

Tfc-dod-cs-rtcw (RedPimp)

 

[Sam Hatch]

Wow Gary! I clicked on this thread fully prepared to read about an obvious, yawn-inducing 'Greatest Film' choice.

But "Jason and the Argonauts"?

Damn. Can't disagree at all. It rocked when I was young and it still rocks now!

 

[MikeAW]

"I thought Hanks' favorite film was a certain space film that is to Mr. Briggs' liking (and mine, and many others as well). Guess not anymore"

Jason,

I guess it depends on who he honoring at the moment!

Yeah, Hanks is really a deep intellectual !

 

[Gary Tooze]

Yeah, Hanks is really a deep intellectual

Yeah not like any of you guys that can't seem to tell a whimsical off-the-cuff comment spoken via childhood memories from a statement of fact.
Don't worry, he didn't mean to tred on your precious Citizen Kane ( my, my, aren't you the clever boys ) or god forbid, your Star Wars...
Hanks meant nothing by it and knows more about film than many of you are giving him credit for... it is his life, acting, producing, directing NOT pasttime, wasting his hours in Internet Forums preening with a bunch of pseudo film snobs. His comment made a very well-liked, older gent very happy... and don't worry, all you sharp tacks, he, like I, knows it is not the Greatest Film Ever made... he is smart enough to know he didn't mean it... many of you are not.