Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

This lively and engrossing documentary celebrates the work of special-effects maestro Ray Harryhausen, whose pioneering stop-motion-animated creatures, in such films as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts, have inspired film-makers right up to the present day. As the man himself talks candidly about his craft, painstakingly fashioning believable dinosaurs and giant octopuses on shoestring budgets and against all manner of industry obstacles, this excellent chronicle is interspersed with vintage clips and archive test footage of the beasts during construction. In addition, director Gilles Penso assembles an impressive roll call of A-list directors to pay tribute to the influence Harryhausen had on their own movies (Steven Spielberg describes him as "the father of all we do today in science fiction, fantasy and adventure"). Digital technology may have revolutionised the way fright-fests are made in the 21st century, but this documentary may have viewers hankering for the humble charms of a bygone era.