User Reviews

Shot in Technicolor by Erwin Hillier and in Dynamation, The Valley Of Gwangi sees Tuck Kirby (James Franciscus) and a team of cowboys get more than they bargained for when they enter a hidden valley in Mexico. For here, prehistoric creatures reside and the cowboys come up with the idea of capturing a Tyrannosaurus Rex to become the chief attraction in the circus they work at.

The makers of Gwangi never hid their motivations or homages, from the off they wanted to nod towards King Kong whilst pairing the Western and Fantasy genres in the process. The result of which is an enjoyable if unfulfilled movie that again sees Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion creations save the day. Directed by Jim O'Connolly with a screenplay by William Bast, The Valley Of Gwangi suffers not because of its bonkers plot (this is after all why we watch this type of genre offering), but more because of the slow first half that threatens to put the viewer into torpor. Thankfully the film is saved by the afore mentioned Harryhausen who unleashes prehistoric joys on the B movie cast (tho Laurence Naismith is considerably better than the material given him). While the ending raises the adrenaline sufficiently enough to have made the wait worth while. Jerome Moross lifts from his brilliant score for The Big Country with mixed results; it just feels out of place here, even if it's stirring and pleasing to the ears. And the Almería, Andalucía location work in Spain is at one with the material to hand.

Saturday afternoon monster fun to be enjoyed with either popcorn or something stronger from the drinks cupboard. 6/10

James Franciscus plays Tuck, an amiable hustler who comes back into the life of T.J. (lovely Gila Golan). T.J. is one of the participants in a Wild West show that is not doing so well at the moment. However, one of their people, Carlos (Gustavo Rojo) has ventured into a Mexican location known as the "Forbidden Valley" and come back with a prize: an adorable "Eohippus", or miniature prehistoric horse. Circumstances lead Tuck and others to head into the valley, where they encounter other ancient animals, such as a Styracosaurus and a very aggressive Allosaurus.

In the well loved tradition of "King Kong", T.J. and her friends, including Champ (Richard Carlson), get the bright idea to introduce the Allosaurus - who gets christened Gwangi - to their show. Havoc predictably ensues.

There may be viewers who will grow impatient with the pacing at first. "The Valley of Gwangi" runs longer than previous Ray Harryhausen - Charles H. Schneer productions at 96 minutes, and it's not until the movies' second half that we get to see any dinosaurs. But the little Eohippus is sure to charm people, not just children, and the story is very engaging.

It helps that the actors are so sincere. The handsome Franciscus is good in the starring role, with fine support from Ms. Golan and Mr. Carlson. Young Curtis Arden is appealing in the role of Lope the child, who had to fend for himself from an early age and who is clearly eager to make a buck. Freda Jackson is amusing in the somewhat annoying, clichéd role of the wise old doomsayer who rants about the consequences of individuals going into the valley and bringing back "evil" specimens.

As expected, Harryhausen's special effects are excellent. They're especially impressive in the movies' major set piece, when Tuck, Champ and others work overtime to try to lasso Gwangi. And once the action kicks into gear in this thing, a real fever pitch is reached and then maintained until the absolute end, with an exciting rampage.

Mostly lighthearted entertainment, but G ratings weren't always what they are now: a few people do fall victim to the jaws and teeth of Gwangi.

Very well directed by Jim O'Connolly ("Crooks and Coronets", "Tower of Evil").

Seven out of 10.

What's not to like here-James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Naismeth, the excellent Harryhausen Allosaurus F/X, the dino-elephant battle, the cowboys roping the dino scene, etc. Very nicely done. No great acting, of course, and nothing you haven't seen already in Kong or 100 other places, but its what they do with it here that makes it worth yer while.

Personally I always enjoy it when I see it; I think it's one of the better dino flix you can find pre-Jurassic Park.

*** outta ****, esp if you like Harryhousen's stuff.

I remember seeing this dinosaur movie when I was a kid - as a dino fan, anything dinosaur is movies was intriguing for me.

A dinosaur was captured by cowboy James Franciscus and brought to the Mexican circus. Of course, it's all mayhem while the T-rex escapes and wrecks havoc upon the town and threatening its citizens.

It was neat seeing the T-Rex roaming around and serving up some neat dino action and mayhem. The stop motion special effects weren't bad for its time, but the overall plot was little boring if I recalled and the acting was pretty mediocre.

But, not a bad special effects film - definitely better than some of the black and white B-movies.

Grade C+

Like many of the reviewers, I remember this film from one of the late night "Creature Feature" movie marathons. It left quite a mark on me and I could never forget it. So, as I aged, I bought it on VHS, and will soon get it on DVD.

Just a few couple of points:

1. I love it when "reviewers" slam a classic movie like this. They say intelligent things like "nothing happened the first 50 minutes" or "the special effects don't compare to today" or "it looks corny". I have just one thing to say to these folks: "Please take a film class." Let me back up a bit for them...in the old days, directors recognized the value of "CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT". That's why they introduced characters early in the film, so you could emotionally connect to them. Those same directors also understood the value of "SUSPENSE". They knew that sometimes, it's more tense or scary to NOT see that thing that is after you, especially at the beginning of the movie. Also, since there was no CGI then, they had to get creative when it came to how they finally DID show the monster. They would use lighting, shadows, fog, and other props to slowly reveal the beast. It was truly amazing that they were able do so much with the technology they had. Let me say this about CGI: It is OVERUSED in movies today. I don't want to know it is there. I want more character development. I want more suspense. I don't want unbelievability to the point of ludicrous. The best CGI is unnoticed by the viewer.

2. Dinosaurs in the Wild West. Are you kidding me? What an original concept! It is so unlikely. How could primitive cowboys stand a chance? Well, a) Cowboys are tough and crafty, and b) real dinosaurs aren't like Godzilla. They were simply animals. Though formidable, they could be roped and trapped. Again, part of the genius of the movie. It is strangely believable.

3. To this day I am impressed with how Harryhausen used both Stop Motion Animation and life-size models together. The scene where Lupe is taken by the pterodactyl illustrates this point. When the beast is in the air, it is stop motion (how the heck did they used stop motion suspended in the air?). When it is on the ground, it's a life-size, moving puppet. (BTW: Spielburg wanted pterodactyl's in JP, but could't figure how to pull it off, that is until the very good JP III.) 4. In my book, there are only two great "humans vs. dinosaurs" movies: The Valley of Gwangi and Jurassic Park. They stand alone at the top.

Special effects master Ray Harryhausen is at the top of his game. What sounds corny turns out to be a very interesting cult classic. Jim O'Connolly directs this western meets science fiction thriller about cowboys discovering a lost valley of prehistoric monsters/creatures. These historical finds are then suppose to be the show saving performers in a traveling circus.

This turns out to be one the best dino movies you will ever see. The stop-motion animation is blended so well, it should take top billing. So many other movies are so fake in appearance...this project sticks out like a masterpiece.

The cast includes James Franciscus, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith and the alluring Miss Gila Golan.

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.

The Valley of Gwangi is a good Ray Harryhausen creature feature with an interesting premise: a group of cowboys down in Mexico find a hidden valley full of killer dinosaurs. They bring one, an allosaurus, back to civilization, with predictably destructive results.

The film is above average Saturday matinée fare, with limited bloodshed and extremely good effects, considering the time period, by Harryhausen. The setting and plot set it apart from the typical jungle based lost world thriller. Furthermore, the performances, while not Oscar winning, are decent, with James Franciscus providing a strong lead.

Overall, this is a good film for families with children that are into creature features, but are too young for more violent modern horror movies.

If you are a fan of dinosaur movie,this one won't upset you.I do like a way the screenplay told the story to us.Good for all ages.Wonderfully initiative mixture of cowboy and dinosaur and love story!! ..Good acting and grand western music scores help support the pics very much.Its theme song is as good as a theme for "The Big Country"...I dare say.Also,as for special effects,I can't say anything more to Ray's attempts.

Certainly,this movie isn't the best.But it can entertain you much more than you expect.

Ray Harryhausen Single Handedly was Responsible for the Continuation of the Stop-Motion Animation of 3D Models until the age of CGI.

Willis O'Brien (Harryhausen's mentor) Began it all in the Silent-Era and will Forever be Remembered for one of the Best Movies Ever...King Kong (1933).

Jim Danforth gave it a Noble Try, but it was Harryhausen that Perfected the Craft and for Four-Decades Delighted Kids and Adults Alike with a Special, Unique, Form of Art-Film.

Gwangi is one of His Films that has Gained Reputation with the Passage of Time.

It was the Crazy Blend of Cowboys and Dinosaurs that Caught Audiences and Fans Off-Guard at first.

But in Retrospect and with a Backward Glance, the Film is quite Enjoyable and is an Exciting, Colorful Mix of Horses and Horror.

The Prehistoric Monsters usually Looked more Menacing on the big City Streets Crushing Automobiles and Wrecking Cement Landscapes.

But for a Diversion and a Pleasant Change of Pace this is quite Engaging.

Ray Harryhausen has a unique place in the history of film and it's not the quality of his work. A lot of players are box office names, a few director/producers like Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, and Walt Disney most of all bring people in with having their names on a film. But Ray Harryhausen is the only one in his profession as a special effects man who brings folks to the theater. That's the best tribute of all for him.

Late in the 19th century Gita Golan owner of a small wild west show is playing Mexico and she's got a unique attraction as she has found a small horse, an ancient eohippus which has come out of a valley said to be cursed and inhabited by fierce creatures called the Gwangi. An old flame who works for Buffalo Bill, James Franciscus and some of his wild west show cowboys show up to track down the little horse after some local gypsies under the direction of Freda Jackson set it free.

But what they run into is an ancient tyrannosaurus which is called a Gwangi by the locals. It's like when Carl Dedham spotted King Kong, got to get this guy back to civilization and make a bundle off him.

The plot is outrageous with some great overacting by Freda Jackson as the old gypsy crone and Laurence Naismith as a palaeontologist all in the spirit of fun. I love it when Franciscus and the cowboys discover that the reason their bullets are having no affect on the big guy is they're using blanks from the show. Does it deter them, it does not they set about to lariat T-Rex and play an interesting an deadly game of tag.

When they do capture him and later destroy him, it's with a lot of luck and some natural forces in nature.

Dopey plot, but that's part of the fun. And the work of Ray Harryhausen is the reason to see the film and in that you won't be disappointed.

Okay, so it's the only dinosaur and cowboy movie (that I know of). The acting isn't much, but seeing three cowboys rope a T Rex -- and then seeing the T Rex fight an elephant -- that is cool.

And "El Diablo," the little eohippus, is just too cute.

Harryhausen's stop-motion animation is wonderful. Get the DVD with an interview in which he talks about how he did the cowboy-roping scene, and current animators/fx artists talk about he inspired them -- pretty fun. In a geeky kind of way.

Despite having some bad special effects, The Valley of Gwangi is a very good movie, with captivating bantam scenes, very creative and interesting storyline (they could not make a better match between dinosaurs and cowboys). Highly recommend.

It only takes creativity and imagination to make a film like this work.

The Valley Of Gwangi takes two childhood favorites and mix them together into one. Every child loves Dinosaurs and many love westerns so having a mix of the two actually works out.

For a film in the 1960s it had some very good stop motion work with the Dinosaurs in the film every frame has been timed to make it work where the actors are actually in the same frame.

The setting for the film does feel like a old time western but with Dinosaurs added to the mix how could you go wrong?

The cast and crew does a good job with helping with the story along with some very good music in the film to help express the emotion during the film.

It is a shame that this film is not given much respect for being creative at the time of it release

The Valley of Gwangi is one of the few films that truly original in terms of story mixing dinosaurs with Cowboys.

While it may not get much attention today as it did back in the day it is still a film that worth watching if you love Dinosaurs.

I give The Valley of Gwangi an 7 out of 10

'The Valley Of Gwangi (1969)' focuses on a group of showmen who ride to a forbidden valley in search of their latest attraction, an ought-to-be-extinct horse-like animal, after it's returned to its home by those who believe it carries a curse with it. The valley itself is, essentially, the land that time forgot; fifty million years of evolution have been ignored, leaving dinosaurs alive and kicking in the dusty American desert. The most notable of these is the eponymous Gwangi, a huge Allosaurus who seems to be the apex predator around his parts. After a certain point, it becomes abundantly clear that the picture is basically just 'King Kong (1933)' with a big lizard instead of a big ape. That's not an inherently bad thing, but it does make the final movement a bit more predictable than it might have otherwise been. In general, the movie is an enjoyable blend of cowboys and dinosaurs. Its special effects - most notably Ray Harryhausen's character-filled stop-motion work - are still impressive, too. It can be a little slow at times and it doesn't quite go 'full circle' in terms of its characters or themes, but it's a typically entertaining adventure with a certain rustic charm to it. 6/10

In terms of story and acting, this movie is staunchly mediocre. The plot's essentially a King Kong remake. Gila Golan puts some fire into her role, but James Franciscus is bland throughout. The actress who portrays the fearsome gypsy Tia Zorina is probably the best of the cast, actually. By far the best aspect of this movie, unsurprisingly, is the stunning special effects work of Ray Harryhausen, particularly the Eohippus, the pterosaur, and the Gwangi-Elephant battle (which is, however, not quite as good as the similar Ymir-Elephant fight in Twenty Million Miles to Earth). Harryhausen's best stop-motion creations have a fierce realism which the slick computer-driven effects of today can't quite match, and this movie contains some of his finest work, in my opinion.

This is a damn good movie for a 1969 release! Of course the special effects are what makes it so good. Once again, I represent the one percent of the critics who liked it. I also have an artistic eye though. I see Harryhausen's Allosaurus(not Tyrannosaurus) as a living breathing beast. The only other movies that this happens is, One Million YeARS b.c. and Jurassic Park who's computer animation stands alone compared to the hundreds of other horrible excuses for c.g.i. that exist. With Harryhausen's effects we are talking about one artist who creates all the monsters and scenes, not about a team of people with different ideas who work on computers to make a flat representation of life. If you like movies like Anaconda and Tristar's Godzilla, then this movie is definitely not for you.

1969's "The Valley of Gwangi" was an original idea by stop motion animator Willis O'Brien that finally came to fruition under his former apprentice Ray Harryhausen, envisioned as "Valley of the Mists" with cowboys battling dinosaurs in the Grand Canyon, which never got off the ground at RKO in 1942, later done by the Nassour Brothers in 1956 as "The Beast of Hollow Mountain" Guy Madison luring his predatory beast into a bog. Harryhausen wanted to take a crack at the property himself for his final dinosaur entry before his 1981 retirement (just three more fantasy films ahead, "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad," "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger," and "Clash of the Titans"), and began work after principal photography in Almeria, Spain was finished in Oct. 1967 (home of numerous Spaghetti Westerns), shooting titles including "Gwangi," "The Lost Valley," "The Valley Where Time Stood Still," and "The Valley Time Forgot." The star Allosaurus Gwangi was the actual name from O'Brien's treatment, located in a lost canyon in Mexico at the turn of the century where a band of avaricious circus entertainers had hoped to recapture a miniature horse (Eohippus) set free by a blind gypsy woman (Freda Jackson). The entire first half serves as exposition before reaching said valley, the Eohippus described as a three-toed ancestor of our modern horses, their hooves originally the middle toe. The second half offers superb nonstop action that make the early scenes relatively easy to bear, Leonard Naismith the paleontologist in league with James Franciscus as entrepreneur Tuck Kirby, reliable Richard Carlson ("It Came from Outer Space") on hand as circus owner Champ Connors, safeguarding the interests of his unpaid employees. Harryhausen's other creations include a winged Pteranodon that only gets so far before getting its neck broken (Gwangi devours its corpse), a swift Ornithomimus that runs right into Gwangi by way of introduction, a multi horned Styracosaurus that loses its battle when attacked, and a circus elephant that can only scream in terror when the Allosaurus escapes capture. Its screen image was devised to be 14 feet tall, constantly snapping its jaws to try to prevent being roped from all sides, similar in appearance to the popular Rhedosaurus in "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." At this stage of his career Harryhausen's efforts could be seen at the height of his powers, but by the time he'd finished Warners had changed hands and disavowed the final product, resulting in a box office dud that even producer Charles H. Shneer went on to dismiss: "probably the least of the movies Ray and I did together" (the ads stated: "cowboys battle monsters in the lost world of forbidden valley"). Even director James O'Connolly must have agreed, a protege of Herman Cohen also at the helm for Joan Crawford's "Berserk" and Richard Gordon's "Tower of Evil," though most pundits tend to place the blame on the unlikeable characters as scripted, a bunch of con artists engaged in bringing back a live specimen like King Kong.

I enjoy watching this movie, even though for some, it may be too thought provoking. Well maybe not, but it is original. I have it on VHS and pop it in every once in awhile just to enjoy the special effects. Ray Harryhausen was one of the best in this line of work. So watch the movie and relish in the escapism. Of course I am a sucker for dinosaur movies.

One of Ray Harryhausen's most famous films, The Valley of Gwangi is an all-time dinosaur classic that has inspired future dinosaur films such as "Jurassic Park." It really pushed Ray to make the interactions between the cowboys and the prehistoric beasts convincing, which for the most part he was successful.

Plot: The discovery of a living Eohippus (a three-toed, tiny ancestor of the horse) causes cowboys, circus performers, and scientists alike to visit the land where it came from: a prehistoric valley untouched by time and the modern world until now. The valley's inhabitants, ruled by the fearsome carnosaur Gwangi, don't seem to be pleased to see these outsiders and would like nothing more than to tear them apart.

The story was originally created by Ray's mentor Willis O'Brien (who did the effects for King Kong), who couldn't make it after writing the original script, so it's only fitting that his successor would finish it for him. And boy did he finish it well. This movie has all the spectacle of a true sci-fi action/adventure film. The action scenes are great and the music is wonderful and fits perfectly with the tone of the film. Many creature scenes that were done by Ray are fantastic, such as the roping of Gwangi and Gwangi's battle with a styracosaur, all done seamlessly.

Overall, I consider this movie over "Cowboys and Aliens." Greatly done and definitely one of Ray Harryhausen's best works. Check it out.

A weird 1969 hybrid of genres (years before Cowboys & Aliens) where cowboys meets prehistoric creatures led by the titular Gwangi (a green Tyrannosaurus Rex) when they pass into a valley seemingly stuck in time. When a prodigal cowboy returns to the Wild West show his ex-girlfriend runs south of the border, a discovery is unearthed which can change both their fortunes, a Brit paleontologist & some wronged natives who fear the discovery of these by gone creatures will bring calamity upon all. More a showcase for Ray Harryhausen's creatures & set pieces (a fight between Gwangi & an elephant is a highlight) this film suffers from a B movie ethos it never rises above w/the dubbed over leads (except James Franciscus from Beneath the Planet of the Apes) never making much of a dent. You'll stay for the effects but leave for the story.