Above is Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, symbol of letting our imaginations fly free

Recently, I rented a later Harryhausen film, the 1981 CLASH OF THE TITANS, based on Greek mythology, and rediscovered the genius of Ray Harryhausen. Yes, the monsters and special effects are not computer-generated wonders, but in an accompanying interview Harryhausen makes the very interesting observation that he never worried that his creatures looked not quite real, because he believed that what we enjoy about these creatures is that we know they are imaginary. We don't want them to be real. He also believed that movies are fantasies, pure and simple. Brilliant man, brilliant movie maker.

What a joy to spend an evening watching a movie that delights in the powers of human imagination and celebrates what is best in us, our courage, our kindness, our love, and our wisdom, all without ever being condescending, or preached at, or scorned for our politics.

And I must add that the movie has a stellar cast which includes Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Maggie Smith (You might remember her as Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter, or Duchess Grantham in Downtown Abbey) as Thetis, Claire Bloom, and Flora Robson.

But the man who carries the movie is the immensely talented American actor Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill in all the Rocky movies). His performance is so subtle, but so outstanding that he is irresistible. It is his impish wisdom and rueful poetry of soul that help bring to life the whole marvelous conceit of the film's Greek mythology.