History Trivia / ClashOfTheTitans1981

* ColbertBump: It's been said that most people born from the 80s onwards owe their knowledge of Medusa to this film. She rarely appears in media made before this. Notably the Film/HammerHorror film ''Film/TheGorgon'' doesn't use her.

** Initially, Calibos had no dialogue and was a purely stop-motion character. After a rewrite to the script, dialogue was added and the role was given to Neil [=McCarthy=].

* ChannelHop: Creator/ColumbiaPictures were initially set to distribute the film having made most of Creator/RayaHarryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer's films, but after a change of guard at the studio, they dropped the project during pre-production, saying it was too expensive. Schneer took it to Creator/OrionPictures who insisted on Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger playing Perseus, but the producer refused as the role involved too much dialogue. He then tried Creator/{{MGM}} who agreed to finance. "They loved the material, they loved the picture, and they were wonderful to us," said Schneer. "As I put the film together and the castings came up, they approved the additional castings and added that expense to the budget.

* DawsonCasting: Twenty-eight year old Harry Hamlin as twenty year old Perseus.
* EndOfAnAge: This film did very well in the box office, but the visual effects from newer artistic teams like Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic began to eclipse Harryhausen's techniques so much that the studios passed on a proposed sequel, ''Force of the Trojans'', and thus Harryhausen decided to retire from film production.

* RealLifeRelative: Creator/MaggieSmith was married to the film's screenwriter.

* StillbornFranchise: According to Creator/RayHarryhausen's official website, a sequel to this movie, titled ''Force of the Trojans'', was pitched to MGM in 1984, but further development of the picture never eventuated.

** The original storyline focused just on Perseus and Andromeda's romance, linking together a number of myths. Once Ray Harryhausen was brought on board, the story was changed to feature more monsters.

** The {{Hellhound}} that Perseus fights in Medusa's temple was originally going to be Cerberus himself. However, Ray Harryhausen thought animating three heads would be problematic, so the creature was replaced with a two-headed Orthrus expy instead.

** The original storyline focused just on Perseus and Andromeda's romance, linking together a number of myths. Once Ray Harryhaussen was brought on board, the story was changed to feature more monsters.

* EndOfAnAge: This film did very well in the box office, but the visual effects that newer artists like Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic began to eclipse Harryhausen's techniques so much that the studios passed on a proposed sequel, ''Force of the Trojans'', and thus Harryhausen decided to retire from film production.

* EndOfAnAge: This film did very well in the box office, but the visual effects that newer artists like Creator/{{ILM}} began to eclipse Harryhausen's techniques so much that the studios passed on a proposed sequel, ''Force of the Trojans'', and thus Harryhausen decided to retire from film production.

* EndOfAnAge: This film did very well in the box office, but the visual effects that newer artists like Creator/ILM began to eclipse Harryhausen's techniques so much that the studios passed on a proposed sequel, ''Force of the Trojans'', and thus Harryhausen decided to retire from film production.

* TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment: The film was completed in 1979, but not released until 1981.

** Creator/MalcolmMcDowell and Creator/MichaelYork were considered for Perseus. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger was briefly considered, but producer Charles H. Schneer felt that, with the exception of Hercules, Greek heroes were athletic, but not overly muscular, and relied more on cunning than strength. He also felt that casting a very muscular actor was a cliché, hearkening back to the cheesy Italian sword and sandal films made in the 1950s and 1960s.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The original script had more FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and more nudity on the part of Andromeda (she was supposed to remain nude throughout the entire Kraken sacrifice scene). These elements were toned down in pre-production when the British censors reviewed the script and told the studio that they would give the film an "AA" (no one 14 and under admitted) rating if they put those scenes in the film.

** Creator/MalcolmMcDowell was considered for Perseus. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger was briefly considered, but producer Charles H. Schneer felt that, with the exception of Hercules, Greek heroes were athletic, but not overly muscular, and relied more on cunning than strength. He also felt that casting a very muscular actor was a cliché, hearkening back to the cheesy Italian sword and sandal films made in the 1950s and 1960s.

* AllStarCast: Zigzagged. The Olympian Gods were all portrayed by actors who were, at the time, A-list in Britain, the most well known being Creator/LaurenceOlivier. Almost everyone else in the film wasn't as well known.

* CreatorBacklash: Creator/RayHarryhaussen viewed the stop motion on this film as some of his weakest work.

* AdvertisedExtra: Creator/UrsulaAndress was given top billing, but has only one line in the whole movie.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Harry Hamlin had to choose between doing this film and an adaptation of ''Film/TristanAndIsolde''. He chose this because Laurence Olivier was in it. ''Tristan & Isolde'' was not made until 2006.
* CanonForeigner: Calibos is an original character created specifically for the film, loosely inspired by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineus Phineus.]]

* CreatorBacklash: Ray Harryhaussen viewed the stop motion on this film as some of his weakest work.

* RealLifeRelative: Maggie Smith was married to the film's screenwriter.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The hell hound has only two heads rather than three, because it would have taken Ray Harryhaussen too much work to animate a third.
* RomanceOnTheSet: Harry Hamlin and Ursula Andress began a relationship during the production of this movie, which produced a son, Dimitri Hamlin, born in 1980 after completion of principal photography.

* WagTheDirector: The original script called for Perseus to cut off Medusa's head simply by throwing his shield at her, in an attempt to appease UK Standards and Practices censors (as the producers felt that the hero decapitating someone would not be appropriate for children in the audience). Harry Hamlin was apparently resistant to the idea from the beginning, as it wasn't in keeping with the actual Greek Mythology. When the day came to film the scene and it still hadn't been changed, he threatened to quit the film and fly home. He remained in his trailer, much to the producer, director, and Ray Harryhausen's annoyance. In the process of trying to coax him out, he was gradually able to get some of the other crew members on his side, which resulted in the scene being rewritten accordingly.

** Creator/MalcolmMcDowell, Michael York and Richard Chamberlain were considered for Perseus. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger was briefly considered, but producer Charles H. Schneer felt that, with the exception of Hercules, Greek heroes were athletic, but not overly muscular, and relied more on cunning than strength. He also felt that casting a very muscular actor was a cliché, hearkening back to the cheesy Italian sword and sandal films made in the 1950s and 1960s.

** Creator/MalcolmMcDowell, Micheal York and Richard Chamberlain were considered for Perseus. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger was briefly considered, but producer Charles H. Schneer felt that, with the exception of Hercules, Greek heroes were athletic, but not overly muscular, and relied more on cunning than strength. He also felt that casting a very muscular actor was a cliché, hearkening back to the cheesy Italian sword and sandal films made in the 1950s and 1960s.

* AdvertisedExtra: Ursula Andress was given top billing, but has only one line in the whole movie.

* ColbertBump: It's been said that most people born from the 80s onwards owe their knowledge of Medusa to this film. She rarely appears in media made before this. Notably the HammerHorror film ''Film/TheGorgon'' doesn't use her.

* DawsonCasting: Thirty year old Harry Hamlin as twenty year old Perseus.

** Initially, Calibos had no dialogue and was a purely stop-motion character. After a rewrite to the script, dialogue was added and the role was given to Neil McCarthy.

* PlayingAgainstType: Maggie Smith as a vengeful goddess who isn't particularly funny -- and is actually rather terrifying.

* MoneyDearBoy: Part of the reason Creator/LaurenceOlivier was cast as Zeus. Probably the same with Creator/MaggieSmith.