MovieChat Forums > The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) Discussion > Visuals

Visuals

posted 17 years ago by xredgarnetx
5 replies | jump to latest

You don't have to love this movie, or even watch the whole thing, to appreciate Harryhausen's visuals, some of the best he ever did. I am not talking about his stilted animation technique, but the trick photography and various set designs he employed to suggest tiny people and giant people. Just as STARSHIP TROOPERS still shines in its use of CGI, 3 WORLDS stands out all these years later for its perspective camera work. And regardless of the childish tone of the film, was there ever a more appealing Gulliver than Kerwin Mathews? Certainly not Ted Danson!

[–] obit1 16 years ago

I agree!

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[–] Mr_McLaurel 15 years ago

I agree - this movie accomplishes the extreme-size effect better than many others. But I have to take issue with your description of his animation as "stilted."

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[–] WWu777 15 years ago

How did they pull this off in 1960, the effect of him being a giant in the same shot as the Lilliputians?

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[–] ltarex 15 years ago

I've never seen "Three Worlds of Gulliver" but if you ask me they could do a lot of tricks to make him a giant in 1960s with a fair-sized budget.

1. They could use rear projection with clever positioning of the actors and the scenery, with models, sets, etc.

2. They could use blue screen which was quite awkward back in 1960 with blue lines around the actors and so on, but they used it anyway.

3. They could simply do perspective tricks with the camera, like the actor standing at a small model house in the foreground with people in the background in normal-sized sets looking tiny because of the difference in position to the camera.

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[–] FedoraDave 13 years ago

I believe it was a type of matte shot, but more sophisticated and versatile than the standard "this is in the foreground/this is in the background" type. Somehow, they were able to achieve a layered effect, and it works pretty well, especially considering the time period and the limited technology they had to work with.