MovieChat Forums > Clash of the Titans (1981) Discussion > Few things I don't understand *SPOILERS*

Few things I don't understand SPOILERS

posted 9 years ago by At_The_Drive_In
8 replies | jump to latest

Feel free to to call me stupid for not understanding what should be a straightforward movie but would much prefer some answers to my questions ...

1. What happened to Danae?
2. Why was moving Perseus to Joppa considered punishment?
3. Why did Calibos bother to offer riddles to lift the curse?
4. Why does Zeus allow Thetis to take revenge?
5. How can Zeus not notice the owl gift has been replaced by a tin robot version?
6. Why does spilling Medusas blood produce scorpions?
7. Why does Zeus allow Thetis to release the Kraken?

Thanks.

[–] disinterested_spectator 9 years ago

To answer your questions, one must distinguish the story in the movie from the myth, for there are many differences. On the one hand, much in the movie contradicts the myth. On the other hand, much of what is unexplained in the movie is based on the myth. But not everything in the myth can be explained either. So, it is a mess.

[–] seekquaze125 9 years ago

Contrary to the other response about differences between the myth and movie all your questions are answered in the film:

1. Perseus mentioned in passing she died. Her "last wish" was for him to reclaim the throne.

2. It wasn't so much punishment as Thetis messing with him to try and get back at Zeus. Imagine going to bed only to wake up in another country without knowing where you are, no money, no friends, etc.

3. For the torture of hope. Making them suffer under flies and plagues is one thing. Offering them a way out to get their hopes up only to crush it makes them suffer more. Plus, in Greek myth virtually every curse or monster had some escape clause.

5. I imagine Zeus did notice, but didn't care. The owl served its purpose well enough and Athena is Zeus' favorite daughter.

6. In this case it is artistic effect. The closes explanation would be her blood was cursed.

4 and 7. Because Zeus had responsibilities as king of the gods and cannot allow mortals to disrespect them. Thetis could do nothing until Cassiopia insulted her in her own temple. That was blasphy and hubris, two major crimes against the Olympians. Zeus had to allow the Kraken to be released otherwise it would be an insult to her, turn her into a liar, and show mortals could insult the gods and the gods would do nothing.

The entire movie is a series of petty squabbles between Zeus and Thetis played out through mortals. Zeus is the most powerful god and king, but there is a limit to how far he can force his will on the others. If they united against him they could overthrow him. The natural order in the Greek world places the gods firmly above mortals. Zeus cannot allow mortals to insult the gods especially after Thetis had publicly revealed she was going to punish them. He would have lost the respect of the gods and risk the collapse of the whole order. Of course, Thetis couldn't have done anything until Cassiopia opened her mouth.

Perseus could get away with killing the Kraken because he was the son of Zeus. It brought glory to both Perseus and Zeus. In its own way it could be considered the "will of Zeus" which is why it was passable.

[–] At_The_Drive_In 9 years ago

Thank you seekquaze125, that helped a lot! I guess knowledge of the mythologies would certainly explain bits.

[–] seekquaze125 9 years ago

You're welcome. Knowing some of the myths does help, but a lot of it is implied in the film. I admit some of the subtleties are easily missed and can require multiple viewings. A lot of this is conveyed in facial expressions or a single line has a deeper meaning.

[–] Kris_AB 9 years ago

1. Perseus mentioned in passing she died. Her "last wish" was for him to reclaim the throne.

Thank-you ! I missed that line of dialogue. I only thought about it later, that something was missing -- he'd been trasported in his sleep to Joppa, so why no wrap-up scene or offhanded one-liner to explain that his mother knew he was okay ? But all right, Danae was already dead by that point. I wonder what happened to her in the myth (if they mention her fate at all). I did a quick wiki search and it doesn't mention what happened to Danae after she and Perseus were saved, except for her refusing the hand of the king on that island of Seriphos. A lot more backstory for her and her family than was explored in this film, though.

And re: Medusa's blood, I couldn't tell if scorpions sprang forth frommit, or if it transformed/enlarged some actual scorpions that were already crawling around on the ground in that area. We were told that Medusa's blood was poisonous earlier on (by the witches, I think, but nothing ever comes of that), not that it could do that. But it's all good, 'cause Greek mythology = nutty and random a lot of the time, so why not its adaptations as well ?

[–] bladou20 9 years ago

In some versions of the myth, Medusa's blood had special properties. When Perseus carried her head across Africa, the drops of blood caused the growth of all the poisonous snakes that are still there today.
In classical art, including DaVinci's lost painted shield, Medusa's severed head is surrounded by insects and serpents. If you look closely at that scene on the DVD or Blu Ray,you can see fly's and other bugs in addition to the scorpions. I believe they were from her blood and not already there.

Also, in the original screenplay and on the storyboards, Medusa is shown dipping her arrows in her own blood before each shot.

[–] Kris_AB 9 years ago

Thanks for all that info -- interesting stuff.

Okay, so they were scorpions from Medusa herself, not randoms that were on the ground already and magically enlarged by her blood.

[–] jsk32870 8 years ago

In the movie we never see her again after the nude beach scene, and as other posters mentioned, it seems she died some time before Perseus reached manhood.

I guess a convenient way to get rid of her. Because the 'real' story of Perseus is quite different and does involve her. In the myth, by the time Perseus has matured, she is still very much alive and is being pursued by a king she does not love, and who Perseus finds lacking. So the king devises a plan to get rid of Perseus so Perseus can no longer object or influence his mother. He decrees that everyone should bring a gift of a horse to a banquet he was hosting, knowing full well Perseus would be unable to do this. So Perseus counters by offering to fulfill any other wish that might be desired. That wish became "bring me the head of Medusa!" and there begins the quest. Very, very different from this film version, which has Perseus pursuing Medusa to save Andromeda. While that happens in the myth, it happens more by accident, as something he does while on his way to return to Seriphos to save his mother from the marriage, not as the focal point of the quest.