The Valley of Gwangi

[Scott]

Just seen the movie THE VALLEY OF GWANGI and it was an entertaining film for a Tuesday afternoon. What year was it made? I see it in color. This film would definately make it to my 24 hour B-Movie Channel.

[Gerry]

1969.  If you liked that one, don't miss ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.  Plus it has Raquel Welch in a buckskin bikini!

[Dave]

The movie's from 1969 and is high on my list as well.

[Nathan]

Without a doubt, the best "cowboys vs. dinosaurs" movie ever made.  (Granted, I can only think of one other example...)

Nathan

[Gerry]

Which would be...?  (I know I should know this.)

[FLANGEPART]

And , no, the "Ape Ropeing" from Mighty Joe Young don't count.

[lester1/2jr.]

the little horsey is cute.

[Chris K.]

The idea of THE VALLEY OF GWANGI was originally concieved by none other than Willis O'Brien called GWANGI in 1941. Unfortunately, their were no takers and model maker Marcel Delgado already made a Gwangi dinosaur model for the film. O'Brien later revised the idea in 1949 as THE VALLEY OF THE MIST and still no company would finance the project.

In 1956, O'Brien took his idea of GWANGI to the Nassour Brothers of Mexico and they used the original story treatement for their film THE BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN. But O'Brien did not animate the allosaurus even though Marcel Delgado gave them the original allosaurus model that he made back in 1941 for GWANGI and THE VALLEY OF THE MIST. The dinosaur was annimated by Jack Rabin and Louis DeWitt, and though not better than what O'Brian could do the animation still looks good after all these years (just wish THE BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN would be released in it's original CinemaScope Widescreen since the panned and scanned TV prints are HORRIBLE).

In 1969, O'Brien's apprentice Ray Harryhausen took the original treatement to his longtime producer/friend Charles H. Schneer and struck a deal with Warner Brothers to make THE VALLEY OF GWANGI. Today, THE VALLEY OF GWANGI is a A+ film classic (it's not a B-movie) that is still respected today. The effects from Harryhausen are fantastic as ever. The only reason why the film failed in the box office was it's unimpressive script and low key acting (execpt from Laurence Naismith, who is EXCELENT as the Professor of paleontology). That and it's failure is that THE VALLEY OF GWANGI, a G rated picture, was double billed with an R rated picture (that's Warner Bros. for you)!

And this concludes the history of GWANGI. Any questions or comments.

[Lee]

That's messed up! This movie shoulda made millions. Am I the only one here who was rooting for the dinosaurs?

[Flangepart]

Nah. Harryhausen always wants ya' to root for the monsters. I shows up in 20 million mikes to Earth. The Ymir (The heck do ya' promounce that?) is realy an innocent, as he was "EggNapped", and brought here by earthmen! And as he eats sulfer, he'd be easy to feed....just don't be downwind....inless HIS body chemistry turns Sulfer into Roses! Yeah. Always likes old Ymir...how ever ya' say it.

[Gerry]

Thanks for posting.  THE BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN's now on my must-see list.  I agree that THE VALLEY OF GWANGI is an A+ film.