When it comes to stop-motion effects on the big screen, Ray Harryhausen was the master. His creatures were always the stars of the movies they were part of, and the adoration of film fans hasn’t waned at all. The largest display of his work is currently on display at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. We caught up with Ray’s daughter Vanessa to talk about the Titan of Cinema exhibition.
STARBURST: When you started going through your father’s work for the new exhibition, did you find anything that surprised you?
Vanessa Harryhausen: There was a lot of things; sketches on the back of lots of things. He had dozens and dozens of sketchbooks, some of them I brought back from America when he asked me to go and check the garage out there to see if he had anything worthwhile bringing over because he couldn’t remember. So everything that you look at, you have to double-check, especially with sketchbooks or notes, and then we’ve got several little storage boxes where we have bits of material. We were trying to figure out what these were, whether they were part of something or he was playing around, experimenting with the ball and socket things. You never know what you find, and we’re still discovering stuff, so I always say it’s like Christmas when you go into one of his boxes, you don’t know what you’ll find, and it’s always a pleasant surprise. We found an armature, and it was Talos’ hand. We found just a basic skeletal thing that dad had been tinkering around with. Or you might find the odd foot or leg or something, and we’d go ‘I wonder what that was for?’ So it’s great fun discovering all these things.
What can people expect from the exhibition?
People know dad from his films, so I really wanted to get over with the museum his incredible artistic skills. His beautiful pictures and sketches to his basic pencil things that you see in the exhibition, the very basic stuff he did when he was 17. There’s one of a gorilla, and there’s one of a skeleton, and I wanted that to be put in for our youngsters to understand that you’ve got to start somewhere. You know, he didn’t just suddenly produce all these beautiful films; he had to really work at it. So it’s about his art, and all his techniques and what influenced him. It’s a good collection of all sorts, and, of course, his models are there.
John Landis did the dialogue track for when you’re walking around; he’s very enthusiastic. At the end of the exhibition, there’s a green screen where you can fight with the harpies or the hydra. You’ve got all the sound effects, so you’re this little person with all these creatures. I could spend hours there, honestly, because I had great fun.
There’s a reason why the exhibition is in Scotland that harks back to your mother’s family, isn’t there?
Yeah, many people ask what the link between an American and the Scottish was, and it’s because my mom was a great, great, great-granddaughter of David Livingstone the Explorer. Dad was very enamoured with Livingstone’s story of going through Africa. As you’re coming in, there’s a sculpture of Livingstone being attacked by a lion in the exhibition. So yeah, he had that commission by Gareth Knowles at Blantyre, which is just between Glasgow and Edinburgh; there’s a David Livingstone exhibition there. So that’s the connection between the Scottish and the American; we’ve got some history on my mom’s side, which is lovely.
What was it like also working on the book that accompanies the exhibition?
Terrifying! I’ve never written a book in my life, and everyone kept saying, ‘oh, you should do something to commemorate your dad’. I was like, ‘Where do I begin?’ I always promised I wouldn’t because it was a standing joke with Daddy that you’re not going to write anything about me when I’m dead, are you? So I’d go ‘No dad’. Ray Harryhausen: The Titan of Cinema is a collection of different stories, a little look into our home life and some funny moments. There are also some of his dear friends talking about dad’s influence and doing things with him. There are some lovely early models that some people have seen, some they haven’t. I think your blue snake lady is in it too. There are some sad bits too at the end of the book, but it’s a celebration.
You said it was daunting going into writing the book, but would you be interested in doing another one if they asked you?
Well, I could, we wrote way more in the chapters, but obviously, the publishers had to narrow it down to 100 items, so if I had to do another book. I’ve got a good start because some stories still haven’t been told. I don’t know; it was quite stressful and emotional writing. Happy emotional.
Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema is at the Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art in Edinburgh until February 20th, 2022. You can find out more here and book to see the exhibition in person or via a virtual exhibition experience. Find out more about the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation here.
Main Image by Mark Mawston.
