The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

Director:

Jim O'Connolly

Writers:

William Bast (screenplay)
Julian More (additional material)
(more)

Release Date:

25 July 1969 (West Germany)

Genre:

Western | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley.

Plot:

Cowboy James Franciscus seeks fame and fortune by capturing a Tyrannosaurus Rex living in the Forbidden Valley and putting it in a Mexican circus...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Wild West Show | Allosaurus | Tyrannosaurus | Paleontologist

Cast

James Franciscus	...	Tuck
Gila Golan	...	T.J.
Richard Carlson	...	Champ
Laurence Naismith	...	Professor Bromley
Freda Jackson	...	Tia Zorina
Gustavo Rojo	...	Carlos
Dennis Kilbane	...	Rowdy
Mario De Barros	...	Bean (as Mario de Barros also)
Curtis Arden	...	Lope
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jose Burgos	...	The Dwarf (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim O'Connolly		(as James O'Connolly)

Writing credits
William Bast		(screenplay) (as William E. Bast)
Julian More		(additional material)
Willis H. O'Brien		(earlier film project "Gwangi") uncredited

Produced by
Ray Harryhausen	....	associate producer
Charles H. Schneer	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerome Moross

Cinematography by
Erwin Hillier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Henry Richardson

Art Direction by
Gil Parrondo

Production Management
Miguel Gil	....	production manager
Luis Roberts	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pedro Vidal	....	assistant director
Carlos Gil	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Philip Bottomley	....	dubbing editor
Selwyn Petterson	....	dubbing editor
Malcolm Stewart	....	sound (as Malcolm Steward)
Bill Creed	....	sound (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Ray Harryhausen	....	creator of visual effects
Gerald Larn	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alec Mills	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Furniss	....	wardrobe designer
Tony Pueo	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Antonio Pueo)

Music Department
Jerome Moross	....	conductor
Gary Hughes	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Gladys Goldsmith	....	continuity
Juan Maján	....	horse master (as Juan Majan)
Antonio Saura	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (as Warner Bros.-Seven Arts)
• Morningside Productions (uncredited)

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1969) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. - Seven Arts)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (1995) | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | Australia:PG | USA:G | UK:U (video re-rating) (2003)

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Trivia:

The roping of Gwangi was achieved by having the actors hold on to ropes tied to a "Monster stick" that was in the back of a Jeep. The jeep and stick when filmed with Gwangi are on a back rear projection plate and hidden by his body and the portions of rope attached to his body are painted wires that are matched with the real ropes.

Goofs:

Continuity: The pterodactyl picks Lope up by his shoulders but when T.J. is cleaning his wounds there are several claw marks down his right side and none on his shoulders.

Quotes:

Professor Bromley:This circle of mountains, jagged peaks, steep cliffs, could be the perfect barrier against man and the elements.
Tuck:No wonder they call it the forbidden valley.
Professor Bromley:Yes, it might be the answer to many things. We shall soon see, Mr Kirby.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies (1990) (V)

Engaging Cowboys Vs. Dinosaurs Story

The Valley of Gwangi is a film that, through cult enjoyment of its quality, has managed to overcome the problems that made it "forgotten" in motion pictures to enjoy its present status as a fantasy classic.

Originally written by King Kong's Willis O'Brien, Gwangi's script was never filmed, but a copy owned by Ray Harryhausen stored in his garage was resurrected in 1966. With additional work by writer William Bast, The Valley Of Gwangi was approved by Kenneth Hyman of Seven Arts Inc, which had financed Harryhausen's film with Raquel Welsh, One Million Years B.C. and who had purchased into the Warner Brothers studio.

Filming took place in Spain and lasted two years, mostly due to the time needed by Harryhausen to animate the dinosaurs. Given that the film employed over 300 animation shots (the most of any Harryhausen film), it was expected that release would not come until two years after principal photography had been completed.

The extra time paid off in Harryhausen's best animation. Adding enormously were the superior sound FX employed by Warner Brothers, giving dinosaur voices far more menacing and believeable than those used by Columbia or Hammer; attention to peripheral sound FX is also striking, notably in the finale within the enormous cathedral, where the echo of Gwangi's breathing and footsteps adds greatly to the drama.

The human cast also works well, notably star James Franciscus. The story involves the efforts of a struggling wild west show in circa-1900 Mexico. To boost attendance, owner T.J. Breckenridge (Gila Golan, cast in the film as a favor to Ken Hyman) has found a tiny horse - which turns out to be a prehistoric Eohippus, and which comes from a Forbidden Valley filled with dinosaurs. One is known as Gwangi, a belligerent allosaur that, after an extremely long chase that sidetracks to a bloody battle with a styracosaur, is captured and put on display in T.J.'s show, only to be set free and rampage through the nearby town.

Harryhausen's animation is the film's highlight, but the performances, Erwin Hillier's cinematography, and Jerome Moross' superb score all add up to an immensely enjoyable film. It suffered, though, as Kenneth Hyman was let go during filming and new Warners management released the film without publicity and as part of a double-bill with a biker film, thus missing the youthful audience that was the film's target. The film was largely forgotten until cult attention in the 1980s and '90s elevated general interest and has made it a favorite of fantasy film buffs.