"Clash of the Titans"--A Film Review

Paper Summary:

This paper describes and reviews the film "The Clash of the Titans," while also considering the mythological basis of the storyline. The paper examines the deeper mythological themes present in the movie, especially how human beings try to satisfy the willful nature of the gods. The review describes the intent of Greek mythology in the paper, also giving attention to its deeper psychological meaning. The review concludes that although the film "The Clash of the Titans" does add some changes for dramatic effect, it does not veer too far away from the themes found in the original Greek myth.

From the Paper:

"The symbolic frame for the mythology considers that the people form cultures with their own rites and ceremonies, mythology, heroes and stories as unique as any other culture. The Greeks developed over time a massive and complex mythology that explained in animistic, anthropomorphic terms many of the natural phenomena seen in the world around them and at the same time propounded a direct relationship between themselves and the gods as part of that explanation. In mythology, the Oedipus myth suggests that the hero is challenged and reformed by his encounter with his anima in the form of Jocasta, but his daughter Antigone is herself faced with her animus in the form of her father and all that he represents. Even a superficial reading of the story and an examination of the mythology behind it points to the fact that Antigone's character has been formed from her relationship with her father. Her relationship with her mother is secondary and indeed only sketchily formed at all in the context of the myth. Jocasta plays a role that is vital more because she is the mother as well as the wife of Oedipus than because she is the mother of Antigone. Elements of this myth are apparent in the way Perseus seeks to reconnect with the mother and rebuild the family lost so long ago. The godly world inhabited by these characters is a world where human passions have been projected on the deities so that rather than act as deities might be expected to, keeping some distance from the passions of the world, they instead exhibit human passions heightened because they are part of the behavior of the gods."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davis, Desmond. Clash of the Titans. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1981.
• Peterson, Amy T. and David J. Dunworth. Mythology in Our Midst: A Guide to Cultural References. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004.
• Rose, Peter W. "Teaching Classical Myth and Confronting Contemporary Myths. In Classical Myth & Culture in the Cinema, Martin M. Winkler (ed.), 291-318. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
• Wilk, Stephen R. Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

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