Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1339678
76 C I N E M O N T A G E B O O K R E V I E W and the Eye of the Tiger" (1977) include a full-page comparison sketch of four characters standing in a row beside Sinbad, perfectly drawn to make clear their relative sizes. On nearby pages are the glowing gold 44x16x13 cm Minaton model, a production still of actor Peter Mayhew in the Minaton costume, and a close-up of the human-size head Mayhew wore in the film. If this were not enough, there is also a real-life location photo- graph with trees and wolves painted on it, furry models of a baboon and a sabretooth tiger, and a production still of the crew, shirtless and sunburned, on location in Malta. To see these in a unified collection is noteworthy, but what makes it extraordinary is the commentary by Vanessa Harryhausen. The Minaton is described as a bronze minotaur, a crea- ture of unfathomable strength, powered by a golden heart, who tries to block Sinbad's quest. He is a well-known mon- ster, but only a daughter could tell his further story. Years after this third film in the Sinbad Trilogy was released, "Dad asked me to take care of the Minaton's head that Peter Mayhew had worn for the role…. He suggested that I mount the head like a hunting trophy, and display it among the stag heads, swords, and targes (shields) that were up on the wall already. The head is made of fiberglass, and so is not particularly heavy -- however there are no holes for air or sight, and so I can't imagine what it would be like to wear on location." Growing up, Vanessa was often on m o v i e s e t s, a n d h e r re m e m b ra n c e s convey the joyfulness of an enchanted childhood. Family snapshots thoughtful- ly placed throughout "Titan of Cinema" link the Harryhausen family's lives with R ay 's p ro fe ss i o n a l wo r k a n d p u b l i c image. The care he put into designing and animating the models is paralleled in loving photographs such as one of five-year-old Vanessa proudly and pos- sessively hugging Pinky the elephant model from " The Valley of Gwangi" (1969). Her writing, marked with friendly colloquialisms, offers insight into Har- ryhausen's working methods and his creations, but also into his friendships, including his decades long bond with childhood buddy Ray Bradbury. The rapport between these two hamburg- er-loving men is represented in "Titan of Cinema" by a caricature of Bradbury and Harryhausen as Laurel and Hardy and a signed first edition of Bradbury's "A Graveyard for Lunatics," in which the character Ray Holdstrom is based on Harryhausen. During most of his career, Harry- A concept sketch for "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," the fantasy film Harryhausen helped produce in 1958. I M A G E : N A T I O N A L G A L L E R I E S S C O T L A N D Vanessa was often on movie sets, and her remembrances convey an enchanted childhood.