CG Arts and Animation / Anatomy / Unit 1 / Year 1.

Simon J Bloyce / Metamorphosis Essay

Throughout history the relationship between man and beast has been intertwined. As a food source, working resource and companion the way we co-exist, manipulate and integrate animals into our lives has been altered, dened and re-dened. So, at what point did the boundaries become so blurred that the myths and legends of beast and man become the popular and often frightening lore that most are familiar with? And why have such tales not lost their potency over time. It seems to be a human trait to search, learn and interpret all that we can about the world and universe that we inhabit. Even if that accrued knowledge drifts into whimsy. In this Essay I shall endeavor to bring some clarity to the altered beasts we create, and why. From a very early age we are exposed to images and stories that make no scientic sense. They are in our books, lms and television programmes. Images that are used to intrigue, astound and very often terrify. Some of my earliest memories are of creatures created in folklore and immortalised in print or lm. Usually demonised and defeated by heroes or circumstance. It is strange that we as a race spend so much energy creating these monsters only to vilify and exterminate them. One of the saddest elements of being human is that we destroy, in anger or ignorance all that we hold dear. Our search for truth is our blessing, and the curse of almost every living thing, real or not. Back to the subject in hand... ...where do these monsters come from? In Greek and Egyptian mythology hybridisation was very matter of fact. Purely in the sense that mixtures of beast and man were accepted. Many were deied. In Egyptian mythology two of the most recognised hybrids are Anubis and Horus (pictured below). Anubis, a cross between man and jackal was linked to the underworld. Horus, man and kestrel was the God of the air. Whilst Anubis has more nefarious undertones it is interesting that the Egyptians believed strongly that the underworld was the next step in their life cycle, as such he was revered and not feared. This was common in Egyptian lore. Whilst the images of gods like

CG Arts and Animation / Anatomy / Unit 1 / Year 1. Simon J Bloyce / Metamorphosis Essay

Seth were terrifying (man and crocodile) their place in the balancing of the Universe was clearly dened, and thus accepted by commoner and Pharaoh alike. This was not the case in all the ancient civilisations. In Greece, hybridisation seemed more of a curse than a blessing. Notable examples are those of the Minotaur and Medusa (both pictured below).

A Prince in exile and a beauty so exceptional that she was an affront to the very Gods themselves. Interesting that in a similar age and Geographical proximity (by modern standards) that there can be such a difference in perception. It is also interesting that the Greek, then Roman view on hybridisation as something to be feared is the enduring perception. Earliest memories of cinema reinforce this view, admittedly Clash of the Titans 1981 is a modern retelling of Greek myth with the brilliant Ray Harryhausen bring Medusa to life in all her petrifying glory. A woman with the body of a snake, a hater of man, hair of living writhing serpents and the ability to turn all who gaze upon her into stone. It is small wonder then that those Godly abominations are so enduring. And small wonder that they terrify us still. Clash of the Titans was a huge box ofce hit in 1981, so much so that it was remade in 2010, with the stop-motion animation being replaced (to lesser effect) by CG.

CG Arts and Animation / Anatomy / Unit 1 / Year 1. Simon J Bloyce / Metamorphosis Essay

The Minotaur was also immortalised in ink and lm, having to bear his shame ever onward. Firstly (to my knowledge at the time) in Terry Gilliams quite brilliant Time Bandits in 1981 (pictured below) and later in 2005 in, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (bottom right) Unlike Medusa however the Minotaur has been replicated time and time again in computer games. Most notable inclusions for me are, The Elder Scrolls series developed by Bethesda and the massively popular MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Seen as a behemoth, an unbelievable powerhouse using brute force to destroy, interestingly, man.

These ideas are fairly established, what is more interesting are subjects like Lycanthropy. The idea that under a full moon man, infected by another of their crossed species turns into the Werewolf to feed and multiply. From a lm point of view, this is a very difcult change to present with any authority, that said, it has been done successfully many times. Pictured left is a scene from John Landis 1981 horror/black comedy spectacle, An American Werewolf in London. A scene where the main character (David Naughton) is visited by himself in a dream, forcing him to comes to terms with his new afiction. A transition which many werewolves nd difcult to deal with. The juxtaposition between

CG Arts and Animation / Anatomy / Unit 1 / Year 1. Simon J Bloyce / Metamorphosis Essay

the calmness of man to the brutality and violence of the beast is continually covered as a key issue, which of course it is. Perhaps it is this notion that makes this beast so enduring. As men we are always trying to nd the balance between civility and masculinity. Throw in the added stresses of teenage life and you have the recipe for hirsute comedic brilliance.

In Rod Daniels Teen Wolf (1985) Michael J Fox bears the burdens of both. But here the wolf becomes accepted in his world to such a degree that he feels better as the beast than he does as himself. Any teenage boy would rather lose their own identity at this troubling time, and the opportunity for excessive body hair cannot be overlooked.

Here we see Russell Tovey, mid change as the character, George in BBC Threes quite brilliant, Being Human. Here the denials of his new identity are played out to delicious extent. A mild mannered, middle class polite boy struggling to deny the beast within makes for compelling viewing, and when he nally comes to terms with, and revels in the advantages that the beast brings, well, then thats is when the story really starts. It is rare, in my experience for the sufferer of the metamorphic change to be at ease with their alterations, however in David Cronenbergs, The Fly (1986) Jeff Goldblum is perfectly happy (at least at rst) with his advantaged genetic state. He falls headrst into patterns of behaviour that his mild mannered pre-y self might have found incapable of embracing, but Brundley lets rip. Very few modern mysteries remain, the human thirst for knowledge has exterminated grey areas of doubt on our tiny planet with the same voracity that we use to exterminate everything that lives, there are some however. Sasquatch (pictured left) is the Native American moniker for the missing link that is said to inhabit the mountain regions in the North of the country. Whether the image on the left is true, or an elaborate hoax is immaterial in this context.

CG Arts and Animation / Anatomy / Unit 1 / Year 1. Simon J Bloyce / Metamorphosis Essay

What is important, is that despite our incessant need to understand we also want to believe. Perhaps these two polar opposite states are interlinked, forming a perpetual cycle that satises all the criteria that seems to blight humanity. Suspect, investigate, capture, study and destroy. In conclusion, perhaps this is a good time to address the negativity that runs through this essay. It has been interesting to take nostalgic trips through lms and television that have inspired me throughout my life. On reection, I nd it saddening that the more unpleasant extremes of thought and behaviour have such an impact on our imaginations. Human beings it seems create only to dissect and destroy. We fear that which we dont understand, but our pursuit of the knowledge of that which scares and stupees only leads to more fear. Perhaps this is why we do it. A diversionary tactic to stop us killing each other. If there is one thing that history has taught me, it is that we are able to unify ourselves against a common foe, even if that foe is entirely of our own making.