When we released our Ray Harryhausen documentary, Mythmaker,
last year it was to coincide with what would have been the animator’s 100th birthday,
and of course we were not the only ones celebrating it.
The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation had worked with National Galleries Scotland
to create the largest ever exhibition of Harryhausen’s work,
encompassing artwork, models, interactive exhibits to celebrate the centenary.
Unfortunately the pandemic intervened and the exhibition was pushed back to October,
which didn’t work out that well either but,
touch wood, it can now reopen at the Modern 2 gallery in Edinburgh.
Of course that’s not convenient for everyone but you can also visit the virtual exhibit online
with pictures galleries and specially created videos, and we were invited by National Galleries Scotland to have a look around.
First things first, this is a Ray Harryhausen Exhibition as it should be done.
This is not a few models and video clips,
it is a serious retrospective of his career, starting with his influences, both cinematic and artistic
and going right through to the extraordinary influence that he has had over future generations of filmmakers.
Secondly, I think I own every Harryhausen book, I’ve seen the pictures,
I’ve watched the documentaries but there is still stuff here I haven’t seen,
largely because of the sheer volume of material Harryhausen produced preparatory to each film,
most of which he kept and which is now held by the Foundation.
So we get marionettes and photo collages of Fay Wray Harryhausen made when he was a kid,
even home movie clips of his parents who were so supportive of their son’s dreams.
From the films themselves, there’s acres of artwork, including the photo-storyboards Harryhausen made,
sketching directly onto location photos to save time.
And of course the surviving models are here in force from skeletons to what’s left of the cyclops,
restored, but with an eye on authenticity,
so the model of Pegasus retains the damage it sustained during filming because that’s part of its history.
And it’s not just the model itself, you can see the designs, the armature, the mould – every part of the process.
It’s all here so as well as seeing these iconic creations, we get a real sense of the artists at work.
I also learned new things – can you name two Harryhausen film influenced by The Bride of Frankenstein?
I now can and who wouldn’t want to know that?
There’s also a very well-illustrated demonstration of how the dynamation process worked,
particularly helpful in explaining the matte, counter-matte process
– narrated incidentally by Randall Cook, a great animator in his own right.
I did have some quibbles;
technically – and hopefully this will be fixed –
there were glitches, most notably that every time I tried to move on to the next room, it logged me out.
I do also have to say the pictures are quite small
on the screen and when you click on them, they actually get smaller, so you are constantly having to zoom in for yourself.
Very odd decision but nothing that’s going to spoil it.
Harryhausen’s obsession with King Kong.
There is well known and there’s a story about him repeatedly getting his father to drive him out to Culver City
to see the Skull Island gate, still standing at that time.
He’d seen the film over 30 times but to actually see it there in front of him was different.
And that is always the case.
I can’t pretend that this is a substitute for being there.
For one thing you don’t get to see all the exhibits,
there was stuff that the camera was passing and I wanted to say ‘no, stop, I wanna see that’.
But really it’s about the connection; I want what young Ray Harryhausen wanted when he got his Dad to drive him to Culver City
I know the models will look exactly the same as they do on my screen,
but that thrill of being there with them in front of you is irreplaceable.
That said, if, like me, you cannot afford a trip to Edinburgh just to go to the museum,
this exists and they’ve done a great job.
It was always going to be second best to being there, but
it’s as good as second best can be.
For me, the most important thing about this exhibition is that it exists.
One of the videos has an interview with director of modern and Contemporary art, Simon Croom,
who said that initially they weren’t sure if this was for them.
but then thought; why isn’t it?
Cinema is a modern art form and Ray Harryhausen is one of its great artists.
If art museums are for anything then it should to, and I quote
‘Celebrate creativity in all it’s forms’.
This exhibition certainly does that which is a tribute to Harryhausen in itself.
It’s a celebration and exploration of a filmmaker and artist who is quite unique.
It’s there until February next year, do check it out if you can.
Thanks for watching, to see our Ray Harryhausen documentaries click here.
Let us know your thoughts on this exhibition and if you had the chance to meet the man himself we'd love to hear the story.