For Aleteia last week I had the dubious pleasure of taking in 300: Rise of an Empire. Between that, Son of God and Pompeii, it feels like I’ve spent most of the last month sitting back in sword and sandal times. I haven’t been around this many people in togas since Latin club in high school. I don’t mind, though, as Greek & Roman myths were always a favorite of mine as a child. Maybe that’s why I developed a soft spot for The Mighty Hercules even though it’s generally considered one of the cheapest animated features to ever hit television. Take this episode, for instance, in which Herc tangles with a giant bug monster so sorry looking that Roger Corman wouldn’t even be caught dead using it (that’s a lie). And just for the heck of it, let’s watch it in glorious black and white, just like I first saw it…
How about that Daedalus, Sea Witch, and Mask of Vulcan, huh? No final impenitence on their part, was there? What’s that? Final impenitence? Oh, that’s just one of those old school Catholic phrases that refers to a person’s resisting of God’s grace all the way to their last breath. The Catechism tells us that “there are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.” No such tragedy existed on the part of the three villains in this episode, however. Like an atheist in a foxhole, as soon as the giant bug turned their way, they were crying out for their god to save them with all their hearts. Oh well, anytime the call comes, it’s music to God’s ears.
Speaking of music, just in case you can’t live without it, here’s the show’s original opening theme sung by Johnny Nash, the same guy who would go on to record that perennial staple of oldies radio, I Can See Clearly Now. Go on, you know you want to hear it…
4 comments:
Thanks for the nostalgia trip. I watched this show when I was a preschooler. Innacurate as it was, it started me on a lifelong interest in mythology. The next step was the articles and picture in my Golden Book encyclopedia, snd then the enchanting D'Aulaire book of Greek Myths.
I didn't catch the show until about 2nd grade, but it definitely sent me to the school library looking for more. They had either an abridged version of Hamilton or Bullfinch, can't remember which. Within a couple of years I was so into it I began copying down genealogies trying to see how everybody in Olympus connected. Guess I was a myth nerd :)
Oh my gosh! I haven't seen these in so many years, I'm afraid to admit how long. Thanks for bringing them back. I'm still humming the theme song now. What is it about mythology that attracts us so? For me it was the art. Ancient Greek and Roman art was captivating and beautiful. But not so beautiful as an even simple icon of the Blessed Mother. See
http://www.orthodox.or.th/images/news/icon_Theotokos_Kazanskaya_big.jpg
just chosen at random. We can look at her longingly all day and yearn to be in her presence.
The art came later for me once I got into drawing. I'm afraid the initial attract was all monsters.
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