In my senior year of high school, I took a class on children's literature and one of the books we were assigned to read was "Gulliver's Travels". At the time to me, it was very slow reading and I quickly lost interest. I knew the story from abbreviated versions of the novel and did not pick up on the political ramifications of the story. Almost 35 years later, the book remains a far- off memory. However, in studying cinema and watching this fetching looking version, the things that I missed are now as clear as crystal.
Difference in appearances, being more popular than royal leaders and the ability to solve issues easier than those in charge makes him enemy of the state. He is Gulliver, a friendly giants from England visit who has landed on the island of Lilliput, of little people the size of his finger. They first think that he is some sort of monster, but his abilities to do things for them it which they couldn't imagine being done making popular, for the moment. The underlying meanings hidden inside the plot are still very potent today, and even if you don't pick those up on your initial reading or viewing of any of the Gulliver's Travels movies, you can still enjoy the movie for the fun fantasy that it is.
As with several other Ray Harryhausen movies, the special effects use the best of stop motion. Kerwin Mathews is an excellent hero. Some tidbits of minor characters make you think that there will be a few subplots but they pretty much disappear with the rainstorm that Gulliver blows away. The film switched gears half way through when Gulliver finds himself in a world full of giants which gives the reminder that we are all small fish on a large planet and our differences are not meant that I divide us but make us closer.
Difference in appearances, being more popular than royal leaders and the ability to solve issues easier than those in charge makes him enemy of the state. He is Gulliver, a friendly giants from England visit who has landed on the island of Lilliput, of little people the size of his finger. They first think that he is some sort of monster, but his abilities to do things for them it which they couldn't imagine being done making popular, for the moment. The underlying meanings hidden inside the plot are still very potent today, and even if you don't pick those up on your initial reading or viewing of any of the Gulliver's Travels movies, you can still enjoy the movie for the fun fantasy that it is.
As with several other Ray Harryhausen movies, the special effects use the best of stop motion. Kerwin Mathews is an excellent hero. Some tidbits of minor characters make you think that there will be a few subplots but they pretty much disappear with the rainstorm that Gulliver blows away. The film switched gears half way through when Gulliver finds himself in a world full of giants which gives the reminder that we are all small fish on a large planet and our differences are not meant that I divide us but make us closer.