Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Animated Life by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton, 18 Nov 2003
From the point of a lifelong fantasy film buff, a stunning book. Profusely illustrated with many previously unpublished photos and drawings.Many of his up until now secret cinematic techniques for bringing his stop motion animated characters to the big screen. The story of a young boy starting out in Los Angeles who's whole life was changed by seeing the 1933 epic film, King Kong at age 13. How he persevered throught the years to become the world's leading fantasy filmaker from the 1940's till his retirement in the early 80's. Lucas and Speilberg both consider Ray a major influence in their careers. This is the book film and fantasy lovers have been waiting for.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fabulous insight into memory lane, 6 Jan 2004
Some of my most vivid childhood memories revolve around the creations of Ray Harryhausen, so it was as a fan of the movies, rather than a scholar of animation, that I bought this book. Firstly, the text: Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton deserve huge credit for writing such vivid recollections. The book is laid out chronologically, and is hefty in detail. However, the text will appeal to a broad readership. Stop-motion techniques and insights into the making of the movies abound, but even the casual film-fan will enjoy the enthusiasm and clarity of the writing. Filled with interesting memories, facts and inspiration, reading this book is rewarding for all. Each and every Harryhausen project is charted - including those that failed to reach the screen. Of course, the bulk of the tome recalls the making of those fabulous movies for which Ray is famed. Secondly, the illustrations: Ray appears to be proud of his work and the amount of material he archived during the various stages of his career is astounding. That body of material has been plundered, with great effect, for this book. We have orginal storyboards, pre-production drawings, reproduction movie posters, location photographs, animation photographs, cast and crew photos - the lot. All beatifully presented and well referenced. I could go on, but you get the picture by now: If you are interested in movies; an animation enthusiast; enjoy a great read about somebody who loves his work; or, like me, are just a big fan of those ground-breaking movies; I urge you - buy this book, you won't regret it. Wonderful in its own right, and a perfect companion piece for the films.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A FASCINATING INSIGHT, 24 Feb 2009
I purchased this book as it brought back memories of some classic effects films I watched as a child. What I did not expect was that it would provide such a fascinating insight into the painstaking production of some tremendous animation sequences. I was particularly impressed by the concept artwork and storyboards for these action films. This book would make a great teaching aid to anyone interested in the history of special effects or the development of animation from artwork to moving image. Excellent commentary and analysis throughout.
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