Jason and the Argonauts

"The epic story that was destined to stand as a colossus of adventure!"

1963 1h 44m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 729

AdventureFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jason, a fearless sailor and explorer, returns to his home land of Thessaly after a long voyage to claim his rightful throne. He learns, however, that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. To do so, he must embark on an epic quest fraught with fantastic monsters and terrible perils.

“The epic story that was destined to stand as a colossus of adventure!”

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Cast

Todd Armstrong
Jason
Nancy Kovack
Medea
Gary Raymond
Acastus
Laurence Naismith
Argos
Niall MacGinnis
Zeus
Michael Gwynn
Hermes
Douglas Wilmer
Pelias
Jack Gwillim
Aeëtes

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Chaffey
Writers: Jan Read, Beverley Cross
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Chaffey, shot by Wilkie Cooper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maurice Rootes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Todd Armstrong and Nancy Kovack and Gary Raymond carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Chaffey directs. Wilkie Cooper behind the camera. Bernard Herrmann scores. Maurice Rootes cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
363 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
5Directed by Don Chaffey, shot by Wilkie Cooper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Maurice Rootes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Todd Armstrong and Nancy Kovack and Gary Raymond carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The epic story that was destined to stand as a colossus of adventure!".
10IMDB entry: tt0057197 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 17 themes, including "ship", "skeleton", "hero", "bravery".

The technical file

Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper
Original score: Bernard Herrmann
Editing: Maurice Rootes
Production design: Geoffrey Drake
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $2,100,000
Return: 70% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

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Don Chaffey

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 7/10
I always find with these stop-motion animation films that the wonderful Harryhausen creations always far out-act the human talent! Sadly, here is no different - Todd Armstrong in the title role and Nancy Novak as " Medea" are as wooden as the Argo in this retelling of the ancient Greek myth. It is still, however, an exciting action adventure though, with plenty of episodes to keep it moving along as Jason fights monsters and treachery to seek out the legendary Golden Fleece from the distant land of Colchis. It's got a decent enough, largely British, supporting cast with Honor Blackman standing out as his patron "Hera" and Nigel Green making for a wonderfully over-the-top "Hercules", but the spoils definitely go to Talos, the Harpies and the skeleton battle is fabulous.
Wuchak2023-05-20
★ 6/10
Swords & Greek Mythology in the Mediterranean Jason (Todd Armstrong), the rightful heir to the throne of Thessaly, Greece, gathers a crew of intrepid sailors to find the magical Golden Fleece, a quest that brings clashes with a 100’ bronze statue, a couple harpies, the venomous Hydra and a squad of sword-wielding skeletons. “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963) is a sword & sandal flick based on Greek Mythology with Ray Harryhausen’s stop motion special effects, which were state-of-the-art at the time. It’s very similar to "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" from five years earlier and on par in all-around entertainment. You can’t beat the scenic Mediterranean locations, the vessel, the costumes and the mystical action sequences. The fight with the skeleton warriors only runs three minutes, at most, but it took Harryhausen four months to produce it. Unfortunately, this isn’t as compelling, story-wise, as “Ulysses” (1954) and “Mysterious Island” (1961) or future flicks like “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger” (1977) and “Conan the Barbarian” (1982). Those movies feature a fairly prominent female presence to counteract the sweaty men in loin cloths; this one doesn't. Sure, Nancy Kovack is on hand, but she doesn’t show up until well past the hour mark and not enough is done with her. The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot on the coasts of southern Italy (Salerno) with studio stuff done in Rome and Shepperton Studios, just west of London. GRADE: B-
Dr Nostromo2025-10-24
★ 6/10
62/100 Jason must find a golden fleece so that he may become the rightful ruler of his kingdom. Being as I spent much of my youth watching creature features and fantasies, it's a mystery that this one slipped by me till now. Of course, watching Harryhausen perform his magic with stop-motion animation is a treat regardless of the film ...first time I've seen the full skeleton battle and wow!. Everything else, though, is pretty much matinee fodder for the time. Also, he goes to a peaceful nation, steals their most precious item and he's the hero?? Hmmm.. -- DrNostromo.com