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The Story of King Midas

Name: The Story of King Midas
Director: Ray Harryhausen
Released: 1953
Duration: 10 min

Representation Score

1.7/10

Minimal

1953

Director

Ray Harryhausen

Runtime

10 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film uses a classical mythological framework to deliver a traditional moral lesson. It relies on established patriarchal and straight-centered structures to drive its narrative. While it is visually impressive, it lacks the complexity found in modern storytelling. Characters primarily serve to uphold a traditional morality.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Story of King Midas have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The story revolves around a traditional family unit and does not include any queer subtext or non-cisgender identities.

How does The Story of King Midas portray gender?

Limited

The story centers on a male protagonist's journey, where the daughter serves as a passive catalyst rather than an active character.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Story of King Midas?

Limited

The film follows a Western classical tradition rooted in Greek mythology and maintains a homogeneous aesthetic without any racial diversity.

How does The Story of King Midas represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film emphasizes traditional cautionary themes about greed and reinforces the importance of maintaining a traditional family structure.

Does The Story of King Midas include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

The film effectively uses a classical mythological framework to deliver a clear moral lesson about greed.

Limited or Absent

Female characters lack ability to act and primarily function as passive catalysts for the male protagonist.
The story adheres to a homogeneous, Western-centric aesthetic that lacks racial or cultural diversity.
The film lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender perspectives.

Official Synopsis

A greedy King Midas is visited one day by a mysterious visitor who grants him the ability to turn all things he touches to gold. He learns his lesson when the food he tries to eat and his own daughter are turned to gold as well. The visitor reappears and offers him the opportunity to return to his old self, which he gladly does. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.

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