harrycosmo

[harrycosmo]

This is my second post on Fumito Ueda and Ray Harryhausen. This times it's the Greek myth movies, Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Clash of the Titans (1981).

Jason and the Argonauts is famous for the fight with Talos and the skeleton soldiers at the end. With Harryhausen, most of the time I don't forget that I'm watching an animated thing that the actors can't see, but that's not the case with Talos. Perhaps that's because he's a giant bronze statue - one of many on the Isle of Bronze - so it fits that his movement should be a bit clunky. He looks pretty amazing, stomping around the island.

Jason's ship, the Argo, has a figurehead of Hera which the goddess inhabits in order to whisper advice to Jason. She tells him ‘Fight Talos with your wits rather than your courage. And look to his ankles.’ It's a bit like Dormin giving you hints when you're taking too long with a colossus.

The stuff that comes out of Talos' heel is apparently something called ichor, 'ethereal fluid' that is the blood of gods and immortals. Also, notice the green where the bronze is corroding.

Jason's next stop is to visit a man called Phineus who's being tormented by harpies because he misused Zeus's gift of prophecy. He's not as successful at batting them away as Ico is with the shadows and turns to Jason for help.

Clash of the Titans.

The story goes that Danaë, daughter of King Acrisius of Argos, got herself knocked up by Zeus and gave birth to Perseus. Acrisius, in his anger, has his daughter and baby Perseus locked in a wooden chest and pushed out to sea. We see a seagull flying high above the wooden chest and follow its flight over epic landscapes until it arrives at Mount Olympus and transforms into Poseidon, who tells Zeus what Acrisius has done. Zeus kills Acrisius and has Poseidon send a sea monster to destroy Argos, while Perseus and his mother arrive safely on an island. We then see Perseus grow up in this idyllic place, both him and his mother rather scantily clad most of the time. In Shadow of the Colossus, there are kites that bear witness to what happens, including the arrival of Mono and baby Wander in the secret garden. No kite is ever revealed to be a supernatural power in disguise, though.

The seagull flying to Mount Olympus and then transforming into Poseidon -

Perseus practicing his horse-riding skills on the beach -

Having watched Perseus grow up, we hear about a ruler called Calibos who is punished by Zeus for his wickedness and transformed into a hideous beast, reflecting his ugly heart. Calibos had been expecting to marry Andromeda before this happened and unfortunately for her, Calibos has power over her soul, so every night he summons her soul to the swamp where he now resides. This puts a dampener on her marriage prospects and calls for a hero like Perseus to take on the beast and win the fair maiden.

When Andromeda meets Perseus, she realises that she knows him already but only from a dream (when she was being summoned to Calibos' lair). Perseus says to her, “Light has conquered Darkness. You are free”.

Further interventions by the gods mean that Perseus has to take on the gorgon, Medusa, in order to save Andromeda from being sacrificed to the sea monster that destroyed Argos. Medusa turns people to stone by glaring at them with her glowing, green eyes. The Queen in ICO has a similar power.

And finally there's Pegasus, the winged horse, Perseus' trusty steed.

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Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).

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l watched the three Ray Harryhausen Sinbad movies having seen that 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' is on Fumito Ueda's video shelf in that photo from the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus artbook. That third movie in the series is without a doubt the silliest of the three and also the most enjoyable. All three movies though have a lot of stuff going on that will make you think of Ueda's games. The tales of Sinbad were apparently a late addition to One Thousand and One Nights. It's interesting that Prince of Persia (1989), one of Ueda's favourite video games, also has roots in those Middle Eastern folktales.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). Some of the action takes place on an island called Colossa where they fight a cyclops.

The baddie, Sokurah, summons from a magic lamp a genie who creates a barrier so they can all get away from the cyclops. The genie is a boy who speaks with two overlapping voices (which I think are just his own voice twice).

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973). Near the beginning of the second movie, Sinbad has a dream that's like a premonition of what's to come, set against a dark, cloudy sky.

This time the baddie is called Koura and one of the things he does is create these bat-like creatures and then send them off to spy on Sinbad. The vizier explains that it is Koura's watchdog, "a living homunculus, an extension of his eyes and ears, and with it he now knows as much as we". We are shown that Koura is indeed listening to them. When Sinbad captures one in his hands, it disappears in a puff of smoke. I was thinking they look like the small Spider shadows in ICO. Is it possible that Ueda thought of them as spies with a direct line to the Queen?

Koura also brings to life the figurehead of Sinbad's ship and is able to control it remotely, attacking the crew of the ship.

Sinbad and his men visit a temple, looking for 'The Oracle of All Knowledge'. It emerges from a well with engravings on it and tells them where to go and who their next foe will be: "Go north... North to barren lands of pagan places... The pagan barrens... Before a goddess cast with many limbs and death to all intruders is their whim". Then the oracle disappears back into the well.

Towards the end, a bunch of green guys grab Sinbad's girl, carry her away and dump her in the cave of a one-eyed centaur. Sinbad hops on the back of the centaur and kills it.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). And finally, the one photographed on Ueda's shelf which I highly recommend people watch. If there'd been a Carry On Sinbad, it wouldn't have been so different from this movie. The antagonist is a witch called Zenobia. She transforms Prince Kassim into a baboon so Sinbad and Kassim's sister, Farah, need to go places and find people in order to restore him to human form. Zenobia goes after them, aided by her son who wants to take the throne and by an automaton minotaur called Minoton, who has a clockwork heart and does all the rowing. Groovy.

They come across a young woman called Dione who can communicate with her father via ESP. "My father taught me. He calls it telepathia, a Greek word for communication of the mind", she explains to Sinbad. Zenobia also has some ability to see things without actually being there. They have a fight with a giant walrus which stamps on one of Sinbad's men.

Zenobia giving chase, takes a shortcut through an ice tunnel. They float past structures that look like tombs and her son suggests that these could be 'the last of the Arimaspi', a society of mathematicians.

In the end, they manage to transform Prince Kassim from a baboon back into a human by putting him in a cage and hauling him through a column of light inside a shrine. I was getting major Shadow of the Colossus vibes at this point.

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Some other screenshots from the Sinbad trilogy -

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This iceberg chart serves as a table of contents for the ICO encyclopedia I've long been building up in my brain. Feel free to reach out and ask me about any of these entries (but don't anticipate a quick response, especially when I need to gather a lot of sources to fully explain the entry). Transcription of the image under the cut.

Tip of the Iceberg

Connections to Shadow of the Colossus

US vs Japanese Box Art

Watermelon Ending

You Fight the Sacrificed Children as Shadows

Design by Subtraction

"Mono is the Queen" Theory

Inspired the Gaming Industry

Below the Surface

(a.k.a "What you might learn in a video essay about the game")

Inspired Hidetaka Miyazaki's Career

Hidden Weapons

Originally Developed on PlayStation 1

The ICO Novelization

Amiga Game Inspirations

Scrapped Human Enemies

Yorda's Language is Japanese with Each Word Spoken Backwards

Yorda's Tattoos (PS1)

The Cut Dialogue

Regional Version Differences

i-c-o.net

Yorda's Hints

Ueda's "Pilot Movie" for ICO

Bottom of the Iceberg

(a.k.a "What you might learn from a speedrunner about the game")

50 Hertz Super Jump

Shouting Makes Ico Faster

The Shadow's Names

The US Version Released First

Shadow Phasing

The Unseen Commercial that Inspired Ueda

Shadows are Weak to Water

Ico Can Block Attacks

Below the Ice

(a.k.a "What you might learn from research and repeat playthroughs")

The Pipe Between Upper and Lower Cogwheel

E3 2000 Articles Claim Yorda is Magically Cursed with Blindness

The Staff Exclusive ICO Merch

The Queen's Sword Has a Missing Scabbard

Ico's Handcuffs

Scrapped Shadow Types

R1 to Find Queen's Sword

Dark Water

(a.k.a "What you might learn through translation and sharp eyes")

The Horsemen are Priests

Scrapped Bats and Geckos

Yorda's Name Comes from Hilda (from "Horus, Prince of the Sun")

UEQ Website

The Castle Has Some Electric Lightbulbs

Kabutomushi

The Graves Have Horns

The Deep

(a.k.a "What you might learn over the course of many years")

Scrapped Backstep Maneuver

Idol Statue Children are Based on Yorda's Pilot Design

GPL Violation

The Queen and Yorda Share Face Textures and Body Proportions

The Queen's Concept Design is Still in the Game

Yorda's Dress is Partially Inspired by Cicadas

Midnight Zone

(No clever title. You're too deep for clean categories.)

The Pattern is Everywhere, Even the Sofas

Scrapped Mid-Boss Fight

Yorda's Shadow Form Briefly Has a Forcefield in the Storyboards

Luz y Sombra

Ramsès Younan's "Tropique du Cancer" is the True JP Cover Art Inspiration

Prototype "Nostalgia of the Infinite" Cover

Abyssal Zone

Yorda's Cage Neighbors the Throne Room

Wireframe Office Fans

Insect Net

November 5th, 2001 at Shibuya's "Museum 1999 L’eau à la bouche"

Subtle Alterations to End Credits' Flashbacks

Yorda Sings in Early Concepts

Below The Abyss

Ico Calls Out Yorda's Name (8/06/01 Prototype Build)

Scrapped Queen Statue

Scrapped Heroine "Reaction" Mask

イand コ Buildings

Scrapped ICO Numerals

Hadal Zone

Throne Room Bloodstains

The Saddle Blankets

Scrapped "Torture Chamber" and Other Stages

PS1 Ico Operating a Mounted Gatling Gun

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Shirley Henderson's sofa flip in 'May Contain Nuts' is pretty good.

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This translation of the Japanese manual for ICO on MysticOde's website got me thinking about the castle sofas. These are probably not very original thoughts but they do relate to why one feels such a strong connection to Ico and Yorda.

The sofas look like the main gate because they contain the same magic but they are a sofa like the thing you're sitting on when playing the game because they are a bridge between Ico's reality and your own. Ico has to fall asleep and etch his memories into the magic sofa before you can emerge from the experience of being him, waking up to the reality of yourself sitting on your own sofa.

Just as Ico and Yorda need to stay together if they are to progress through the castle, they also need to be together when taking a break from their quest - Ico leads the way and fends off the shadows but it takes Yorda's magic to activate both the idol gates and the sofas. Only once they have fallen asleep together can you wake up from your dream of being in the castle with Yorda.

Fumito Ueda's games are so thoughtfully and completely realised.

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I watched Lev Atamanov's 'The Snow Queen', a 1957 Soviet animated adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Hayao Miyazaki has said that it inspired him to keep going in animation when he was considering quitting. I did think the queen was particularly beautifully and smoothly animated.

It starts with two friends, Gerda and Kai, being told about the Snow Queen by Gerda's grandmother.

The Snow Queen is enraged when Kai jokes about melting her and so she sends ice splinters into Kai's eye and heart so that he starts being cruel to Gerda. His complexion changes and he looks a bit like a zombie or like he's possessed.

When Kai hitches a ride on the Snow Queen's sled, Gerda sets out on a quest to find him, in spite of how he treated her. She is assisted by thieves, animals and rivers because she is so kind and polite. Doors even open for her.

When she's almost reached the Snow Queen's palace, the reindeer she's been riding through the snow storm collapses and Gerda has no choice but to leave him and press onwards.

Like Fumito Ueda, Lev Atamanov appears to have been a fan of Gustave Doré's illustrations.

I wonder if Ueda, like Miyazaki, is a fan of this old Soviet animation.

You can watch it here on YouTube and see what you think.

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Zendaya struggling at Spider-Man on the playstation.

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I finally got round to watching Horus the other day and then came back to have another read of this great post.

I took some screenshots of my own while watching the movie. The first one below is because it reminded me of the green colour when the Queen uses her dark magic. The second one is just so like Yorda on the beach. In the scene that follows, Hilda asks herself, ‘How can I be alive without the medallion?', which is like the questions we have when we finish ICO.

I also noticed all the bright light effects that the animators managed to create, which of course is something Fumito Ueda does so beautifully.

Etched into stone

Here and there, over the last 18 years, I have written most everything I ever wished to write about Wanda To Kyozou. However, I don't believe I've discussed how influential Isao Takahata's 1968 film Taiyō no Ōji Horusu no Daibōken was to Ueda's work, this game in particular.

Before anything else, I'd like to establish a certain degree of verité. This classic animation has not only been mentioned by Ueda on a few occasions, the actual DVD can be seen in the booklet included with the Japanese limited edition of the game's re-release on the PS3.

From its size to the manner in which it moves, there are several similarities between the colossi and Mōgu, especially the first of them all, Valus. Notice the birds hovering above their heads.

Mōgu is a gentle titan afflicted by a splinter in his shoulder. Horus discovers that the splinter is in fact the magical sword of the sun. Rooted in Arthurian legend, pulling it out mirrors the necessary force which Wander needs to exert to inflict damage on a colossus.

Horus' sword of the sun also suggests an interesting link with Wander's ancient sword, in that both blades are able to magically gather light as a defining characteristic.

Horus defeats a giant pike using his axe and spears, a confrontation not without its share of parallels with Hydrus'. While this 7th colossus is more dragon than fish-like, the combat requires holding fast to the creature as it submerges. Also, early concepts showed Wander carrying a spear.

A more speculative connection, perhaps, is that of the villain Grunwald. Despite being an average-sized human, the first scenes of the film depict him as a giant on the horizon. The presence of horns alone is noteworthy, more so in combination with his shining eyes.

On a final note, the film's influence is just as discernible in Ico. Yorda (Yoruda) shares many resemblances with Hilda (Hiruda), including their inherent special abilities, their family bond with a villain representing absolute evil, as well as the resulting internal conflicts.

To conclude, I would merely like to add that this relationship between the two works operates at both a conscious and unconscious level. If Ueda watched this film as a child, the above connections become all the more relevant because they speak of a process of long-term assimilation, where the visual themes and concepts of the film acted as a formative reference for the author.

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Katya in 2025.

Katya on the Strictly Live Tour 2025.

Katya bursting into view.

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Fumito Ueda was inspired by… Willow (1988).

We get a brief backstory at the beginning of Willow with the following text - 'It is a time of dread. Seers have foretold the birth of a child who will bring about the downfall of the powerful Queen Bavmorda. Seizing all pregnant women in the realm, the evil Queen vows to destroy the child when it is born…' The child that the queen is after, a baby girl who has a distinctive marking on her arm, is placed on a raft to be carried down stream, out of danger. Willow finds the baby and throughout the movie, it's his task to protect her from the evil queen.

When Willow first encounters Madmartigan, a 'Lovable Rogue' who teams up with him, he's been imprisoned the same way as Yorda.

An army arrives with soldiers wearing helmets that made me think of the Shaman's Mask from Shadow of the Colossus.

An interior of Queen Bavmorda's castle and one from the castle in ICO -

At Tir Asleen, trolls climb around the ramparts, chasing after our heroes like shadow creatures.

Madmartigan takes down a two-headed monster in a manner I thought only Wander was capable of.

When Willow and Madmartigan arrive at Tir Asleen they find the people there have all been trapped in stone by Bavmorda. Willow is also in possession of magic acorns that turn to stone whatever they're thrown at. The queen in ICO has the power to turn people to stone.

Apparently, Willow did very well in Japan and I think some brilliant young artists and storytellers were in those cinemas.

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For reasons of chronic illness, I haven't managed to play Ico for several years, until this week. It's been a wonderful experience again.

The footage I used to make these gifs comes from this really nice fan-made music video for the song 'You Were There'.

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Katya Jones on the Strictly Live Tour 2025.

It's the transition between the two moves being so smooth. Like Michael Jackson.

Feel so sorry for Wynne Evans that the puritans have managed to have him removed from the Strictly Live Tour. I really hope it doesn't get any worse. Katya just quoted on her Instagram Story: ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’. She has more wisdom, temperance and integrity in her little finger than all of the offence-takers combined. I've just been on Nikita Kuzmin's instagram and it looks like a fetish festival. How can you be surprised if someone makes a crude *joke* when they're surrounded by bizarre kinky culture night after night?

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First attempt to run ICO (PS2) on my new crt tv.

Update: it's all sorted and it's about to happen, baby.

Update: I've got shingles and I don't want to begin until I'm definitely getting better.

Update: I played it. My chronic illness has been terrible for the last few years and all that time I decided that I didn’t want to play ICO until I was more comfortable and stable. I was worried that it might not be the same if I was distracted by too much discomfort and fatigue. Last week, circumstances made me decide to go ahead with it, on PS2 for the first time and a tiny CRT TV. My hypermobile/EDS body interrupted me a lot and probably did alter the experience. Today, I managed to finish it in spite of struggling to hold my head up to face the TV. When I first played it in 2018, I was in a daze for a week afterwards. I'm not like that right now. The one thing that's the same though is how ICO makes me find everything else so trivial.

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Odette and Siegfried's special move is very effective against Rothbart.

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In Black Narcissus, the scenes with exotic plant life were shot at Leonardslee Gardens in Sussex.