The Giants of Thessaly

The reputation of the classic 1963 Jason and the Argonauts (the one with Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion Skeleton Army) is under no threat from this ropey rendition of the old Greek legend released three years before. An Italian-French co-production, it's really a mash-up of the Golden Fleece myth with Homer's Odyssey (with the inclusion of a Cyclops, a Circe-like sorceress and the Sirens) than a traditional rendition of the tale. The scene where Jason (Roland Carey) has to climb a colossal statue to snag the fleece certainly has some epic scope to it. But the Cyclops is a lumbering man-in-a-suit monster, who froths at the mouth as he gives Jason's men one of his special cuddles, while dubbed chit-chat, dubious dancing and scenes of bare-breasted blokes showing off their pecs induces more bore than awe. Just goes to show what brilliant Harryhausen special effects and a well-hewn script can do to turn legend into cinematic magic.