The Story of King Midas (The Story of King Midas) (1953)

The Story of King Midas

“All of these fairy tale adaptations have flirted with terrifying images, but “The Story of King Midas” gives us a warlock that looks like Nosferatu manifesting from a loose golden coin in a puff of smoke. This creature of dark magic wouldn’t be out of place in one of Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad movies or Jason and the Argonauts, but he’s a cracked visage of imperious and cruel fairy creatures here. It’s a minimalist knockout of Harryhausen creating mood and tension, character and ominous atmosphere through clever visual tricks and animation.   Just as great is the joy then slowly escalating terror in Midas as he realizes the truth and consequences of his greed and supernatural powers. It’s all fun and games transforming cups, torches, and flowers into golden objects, but once” read more