Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs. Effects and animation by Ray Harryhausen. Obviously and inarguably the greatest film ever made.
A turn of the century wild west show struggling to make a living in Mexico comes into the possession of a tiny prehistoric horse. This leads to an expedition to the Forbidden Valley where they discover living dinosaurs. They capture one and take it back to be put on display, leading to inevitable mayhem.
The Valley of Gwangi is showing in 1 cinema in London - next screening Wednesday 4 November at 19:45 at Lumiere Cinema, Romford.
Next screenings: Wednesday 4 November.
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Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs. Effects and animation by Ray Harryhausen. Obviously and inarguably the greatest film ever made.
I looked in the dictionary for the definition of “charming”, and there was The Valley of Gwangi. The whole movie projected right off the page, so I watched it.It’s the unusual sci-fi/western and the even more rare cowboys-and-dinosaurs variety. Almost unique, but this concept had been done before in The Beast of Hollow Mountain in 1956. Gwangi is the better movie in every way though, and is decidedly more “charming”.The western side of this hybrid includes many a trope, including a wise “seer” Gypsy, horse-drawn covered wagons, the line “What in the name of Sam Hill brings you around here?”, lots of bolo ties, and Native American Indians with those extra long war-bonnet headdresses. Yeehaw!Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion effects are expectedly the highlight and feature a tiny horse, a pterodactyl, a styracosaurus, a massive elephant, and an allosaurus (the Gwangi) but the film is competent all around. Actor James Franciscus is a solid lead and the obviously dubbed Gila Golan is not only a beautiful love interest but she’s the brains of the operation, too.It takes awhile to get rolling but once the dinosaurs show up, it’s tons of “charming” fun.
If you replaced sailors with cowboys, Skull Island with a forbidden valley, New York with Mexico, and a giant ape with a T-Rex, this is basically King Kong. Except for the fact that it's nowhere near as good and beauty doesn't kill the beast in this one. Just fire...lots and lots of fire.
A turn-of-the-century wild west show troupe travels to a hidden Mexican region and discovers living prehistoric dinosaurs, capturing one to exhibit in civilization.
The film was directed by Jim O'Connolly in 1969, blending traditional western tropes with fantastic creature features.
The Valley of Gwangi did not win major international film prizes upon its original release, instead gaining recognition later as a cult classic of stop-motion animation.
