Argos, builder of Jason’s ship, had to take his wife, Hildegard, with him everywhere, mostly because she hadn’t any arms. She loved to watch over his shoulder as he worked.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) tells part of the story of Jason of the Heroic Age, heir to the throne of Thessaly, a kingdom invaded by King Pelias of Iolcus. It is Pelias who kills Jason’s father and sister in an invasion following a divine prophecy. But the avarice in Pelias’ heart finds a competitor in fear, fear instilled by another of these damn prophecies, which states that the one-sandaled man shall, in turn, kill Pelias.
Naturally, it’s Jason behind the legend, rescuing Pelias from divine skullduggery while losing a sandal in the process.
But Pelias is clever, giving to Jason both honor and encouragement in finding the legendary Golden Fleece. Jason, in turn, cleverly proclaims an athletic competition to select who shall accompany him; this is all quite satisfying from a storytelling point of view, as at least one competitor is quite clever; too bad he is wasted later. Once Jason and his crew are under way, they face various challenges, both from the divine and from monsters, generally resulting from various morality tests set by the Gods.
Which is all very interesting, as the central quest of the story concerns, to be bald, theft, the theft of a golden, magical fleece that is currently the property of the king of Colchis; nor is there an inevitable and indisputable penalty for this thievery.
Have at it, boys!
For the interested observer of our relations with the Divine, this can be complex. The King of Colchis, besides employing a six-headed dragon, uses its teeth, once it’s been slain, to call up the animated skeletons of those the dragon has slain to chase after Jason; thus, the king has a positive relationship with the Divine. Then there’s Pelias, and, by implication and by tradition, the other kings of this and following Ages who sit their thrones through Divine grace. Even Jason has a relationship, perhaps a bit mixed, with the Divine.
But it’s Jason who gives a foreshortened rant about the positive aspects of expelling the Divine from human affairs, even as he benefits from the attentions of Hera and Poseidon, even, arguably, Zeus himself. Importantly, Hera may help Jason only five times, and after that she may only watch, but Jason’s adventure, aka thievery, is successful even after interventions from the Gods cease, as Jason slays the dragon without assistance, and, at the loss of a couple of men, escapes the clutches of the animated skeletons.
It subtly suggests humanity is ready to move out from underneath the shielding umbrella of the Gods, or their annoying meddling, depending on your viewpoint.
The story itself is hardly authentic to old Greek mythology, so don’t use it as an authoritative source. That said, it has satisfying aspects to it: Defeating Talos has fascinating hints as to earlier mythologies; the rescue of Phineas is clever enough; and Jason’s solution to the attack of the animated skeletons is inspired. The special effects are from the legendary Harryhausen, the cinematography is beautiful, and audio more than adequate.
It has a certain cheesy flavor to it, though, and it ends before Jason returns to Thessaly to avenge his father with no sequel evident, so I shan’t recommend it, but some critics might. If you’re a Patrick Troughton completist, then have fun trying to pick him out without cheating; my Arts Editor was flabbergasted.
