When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)

Set in a non-existant past when humans and dinosaurs lived together, a small tribe is struggling to survive by giving a sacrifice of a blond woman to their gods in return for protection ... See full summary »

Director:

Val Guest

Writers:

J.G. Ballard (treatment), Val Guest (screenplay)

Stars:

Victoria Vetri, Robin Hawdon, Patrick Allen

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victoria Vetri	...	Sanna
Robin Hawdon	...	Tara
Patrick Allen	...	Kingsor
Drewe Henley	...	Khaku
Sean Caffrey	...	Kane
Magda Konopka	...	Ulido
Imogen Hassall	...	Ayak
Patrick Holt	...	Ammon
Jan Rossini	...	Rock Girl
Carol Hawkins	...	Yani (as Carol-Anne Hawkins)
Maria O'Brien	...	Omah
Connie Tilton	...	Sand Mother
Maggie Lynton	...	Rock Mother
Jimmy Lodge	...	Fisherman
Billy Cornelius	...	Hunter

Storyline

Set in a non-existant past when humans and dinosaurs lived together, a small tribe is struggling to survive by giving a sacrifice of a blond woman to their gods in return for protection from the giant lizards looking to snack on them. Sanna, one of the sacrificial offerings, finds herself on her own when a freak storm interrupts the ceremony. As she searches for a safe haven she encounters hostility from rival tribes and lots of huge and very hungry dinos.

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Plot Keywords:

dinosaur | giant crab | eye candy | bare butt | stop motion animation | 

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Taglines:

Enter an age of unknown terrors, pagan worship and virgin sacrifice...

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

Aboriginal English

Release Date:

17 March 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuando los dinosaurios dominaban la tierra

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£566,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Double-billed for its British release with Moon Zero Two.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Dinosaurs (1996)

User Reviews

babes & beaches

I saw this film when it was first released. I must've been 10--and I was a real dino freak. I was totally jazzed when I found it on video many years later.

Someone else mentioned getting a translation book at the theatre...I never got one. The magazine Castle of Frankenstein (real mag title, folks!) ran a translation guide that month. I still have that mag somewhere--they also ran a pin-up of Victoria Vetri in the movie bikini, wielding a spear (I had that page on my wall for months).

As I recall (and is pretty evident from the 1,004 times it's used in the film) "neecro" means evil. So "Sanna neecro" means the blonde chick is evil. Of course, she's not really evil. "Neecro" should mean totally hot, but these were cave days. And they had only 26 words. I'm pretty sure Superfragilisticexpialidotious wasn't one of them

The effects by Jim Danforth (not David Allen) are excellent--right up there with Harryhausen. They still hold up against 3D computer effects.

While the story has genuine dramatic underpinnings, the cave-language kinda gets in the way of clarity. Too often the viewer has no idea what's being said. That aside, it's a fun movie with great effects and british babes in skimpy outfits sharing a beach with dinosaurs.

Oddly, for a dino pic, there's a LOT of stage sets, and I don't mean the dino FX shots. They had a bit of trouble matching shots between set and location work. And it shows.

That aside, it's a fun movie with great effects. Any dino fan should check it out. It's not Jurassic Park, but then again Laura Dern didn't show cleavage.