HUGH CORNWELL: AN ANIMATED DISCUSSION + MIGHTY JOE YOUNG FILM SCREENING
As part of a season of events celebrating the Lost Worlds Of Ray Harryhausen exhibition at Waterside, CIT presents this special event featuring Hugh Cornwell, one of the UK’s leading musicians, a Ray Harryhausen aficionado and a keen supporter of animation, along with a rare screening of the stop motion classic, Mighty Joe Young (1949) that gave Ray Harryhausen his break.
Hugh Cornwell: An Animated Discussion
Join Hugh Cornwell – original lead singer, guitarist and songwriter with The Stranglers (Peaches, No More Heroes, Golden Brown and many other hits) and now an acclaimed solo artist – for this discussion with host Ric Michael which explores Ray Harryhausen’s cinematic legacy and Hugh’s own championing of animation in his music videos. At this event, Hugh will also share previously unseen animations developed during his music career.
Alongside a discography which features 21 top 40 hits during his time with The Stranglers, with millions of albums sold worldwide, Hugh is host of the Mr DeMille FM cinema podcast which devoted a full episode to Ray’s career, in conversation with Vanessa Harryhausen. Hugh is also an author, actor and music video director who has worked with renowned animators including Jan Švankmajer, Teru Noji and Jesse Bond. This event provides a unique insight into the impact of Ray’s work and the power of animation in the company of one of the country’s most celebrated musicians.
Celebrating Ray Harryhausen: Mighty Joe Young (1949)
This film has become an animation classic with sequences regarded as being among the greatest stop-motion sequences in film history. This highly influential piece of cinema saw Ray Harryhausen collaborate with stop-motion legend, Wilis O’Brien (King Kong) with their work winning the Academy Award for Special Effects.
The film tells the story of a young woman, Jill Young, living on her father’s ranch in Africa, who has raised the title character, a large gorilla, from infancy. Years later, she brings him to Hollywood, seeking her fortune in order to save the family homestead.