Calibos
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Calibos is a fictional character from the MGM film Clash of the Titans, released in 1981, and its main antagonist. Although the film was based on many elements from Greek Mythology, Calibos is not found in any of the Greek myths, though his presence does effectively bring stories together that otherwise would not have been associated with one another- being based on several unrelated myths. It has been said that Calibos was based on Caliban from "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare, perhaps because of his bestial appearance and deformity.
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[edit] History
Calibos is the half-divine son of the sea goddess Thetis and an unknown mortal man, yet as a citizen of Joppa refers to him as "Prince Calibos", it is implied that his father was royalty. Born a handsome and charming, though arrogant, young man, Calibos was spoiled and indulged by his mother since his birth. He was not popular with the gods nor the people of Joppa, but as Thetis was the patron goddess of the city they had to put up with him. Thetis had planned that Calibos would one day marry the sole heiress to Joppa, Princess Andromeda, and become king. But when he was given the Wells of the Moon to rule he took advantage of his position and hunted and killed most living things there, including all of Zeus's precious herd of winged horses, save the stallion Pegasus. Zeus was so enraged that he transformed Calibos into a revoltingly deformed monster. His face became like that of a devil, he sprouted horns and a tail; one foot became a cloven hoof and his skin became rough, brown and hairy. Andromeda could no longer bear the sight of him and he was shunned, despised and banished as an outcast in the swamps and marshes. This was the mark of his vile wickedness. Thetis was incensed at what happened to her beloved son and vowed that no man would marry Andromeda seeing as she had rejected Calibos. Calibos, for his part, cursed Joppa and took hold of the princess's soul. He summoned her every so often to his lair, late at night, by calling her astral image to him and transporting it in a cage carried by a giant vulture, explaining that "if I cannot look upon your true beauty, I can see its mirror and remember how you once loved me."
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Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
When first seen in the film, Calibos haunts the rotting swamplands with his hideous imp and goblin slaves, surrounded by skulls on the end of spears, and sitting in a throne made out of human bones. Nevertheless, he is on some levels an almost pitiable character due to his inabitlity to maintain Andomeda's interest and he begs her to "remember [him] how [he] was". Quickly displaying his ability to hold simultaneous sympathy and revulsion in an onlooker- and, it is later revealed, in Andromeda herself- he ignores all of Andromeda's pleas for mercy, and gives her a riddle which her suitors must solve if they are to marry her. All who fail are burned alive. Andromeda tries to talk Calibos into freeing her and lifting his curse from Joppa, but he refuses and sends her back to her palace almost in tears. The film's hero Perseus confronts Calibos after travelling to his lair with the help of Pegasus, and reading, unseen, the answer to his latest riddle so that he may marry Andromeda himself. After losing the helmet that had enabled him to be invisible, wrestling with Calibos, and nearly being drowned in the swamp, he severs the tyrant's hand and spares his life in order for him to release his curse upon Joppa. Calibos complies, but in retribution, he later prays to his mother to curse Perseus. Though originally questioning whether he is really asking her for "justice, or revenge", when the Queen of Joppa later offends her by boasting of Andromeda's beauty and comparing it to Thetis', the angry goddess- knowing that she cannot touch Perseus directly, since he has protection from Zeus himself- avenges her son by demanding that the princess be chained to the shore as a sacrifice for a sea monster called the Kraken after thirty days have past, otherwise all of Joppa will be devastated by the merciless creature. Perseus goes out on a quest to find a weapon powerful enough to destroy the Kraken and thwart the goddess' plans, but Calibos slows him down again by capturing his winged steed Pegasus and imprisoning him in his lair. Perseus eventually returns with the head of Medusa the Gorgon with which to defeat the Kraken, but Calibos tracks him down on his way back and tears the sack the head is in, allowing Medusa's poisonous blood to fall to the earth and turn into three giant scorpions where it lands. He then, with a sharp fork strapped to the arm whose hand had been struck off by Persus, kills one of Perseus's kinsmen and friends, and looks on as a scorpion kills the other. He waits for Perseus to wear himself out battling with the last of the scorpions and then, when Perseus wins, nearly flogs and strangles him to death with a whip. He is finally killed by the blow of a well-thrown magical sword given to Persus by the goddess Aphrodite. With Calibos out of the way, Perseus is able to release Pegasus from what had been his adversary's lair, and fly back to Joppa to rescue Andromeda.
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Spoilers end here.
[edit] Trivia
- In the original script, the character of Calibos had no dialogue, but after the script was re-written by Beverly Cross, he was given some lines; thus, Harryhausen felt that they needed a live actor. Calibos was a rare combination of both stop motion special effects and a live actor. Neil McCarthy was the actor. Colin Arthur was the make-up artist.
- Calibos's fate, being transformed from a most handsome youth into a grotesquely deformed monster, is similar to that of many recognised Greek mythical heroes, the most famous being Medusa herself, who is present in the film.
- There were two Calibos models; one 18” version was constructed from the Trog model from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The other smaller version was used for long shots, such as in the scene where he prays to Thetis.
[edit] References
The MTV 2 program Wonder Showzen uses footage of Calibos from the film throughout their series as a running gag. In episode 102, Space, he appears on screen and is referred to as "The Dark Lord Kramdar." Later, in episode 108, Patience, he is introduced as "Rad Mark" with the message "Sez Rad Mark: 'Patience.'" Eventually this segment is played backwards, and an intentional hidden message is revealed: "Worship Kramdar. Yes."
