The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Say, have you noticed this? In practically every dinosaur movie I've ever seen, there's always a point where a Tyrannosaurus-like dino, in this case an allosaurus, matches up against a Triceratops-like animal. In this picture it was a Styracosaurus. It's probably because they were the largest of their kind and seemed like natural enemies, although I don't even know if they lived during the same paleontological age. Is that even a word? Well this flick is entertaining enough on a number of levels. For one, I don't think I've seen dinosaurs as colorful as this before. Usually they're a dark, grayish color but someone, maybe Harryhausen himself, felt they should be various shades of purple and blue. Or was that a function of the Technicolor format? If you noticed Professor Bromley (Laurence Naismith) running around out in the desert, his face and hands were red as a lobster; I've never seen a sunburn that bright.While watching, I was reminded of the 1949 movie "Mighty Joe Young" when the Mexican cowboys brought out their lassos and tried to hogtie the allosaurus. I'm sitting there thinking, what would possess someone to believe they could actually do that with a real live dinosaur? Sure it looks cool, but what self respecting dinosaur wouldn't just bite through the ropes and knock the pesky cowboys off of him, just like Gwangi did here.Say, here's another thought. I've probably seen and reviewed close to a thousand Westerns by now, and you might loosely call this a Western, but I've never seen a horse dive into an oversized pool before. So there's another reason to catch this flick. Seeing Gina Golan all wet is a bonus.So all in all, this is a fun movie if you're up for it. James Franciscus and Ms. Golan make for an attractive on screen couple, and the dynamation styled monsters looked and moved fairly realistically given the limitations of the technology back then. And who wouldn't love to see some dinosaurs at a Wild West Show?

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.

Certainly and probably not Ray Harryhausen's greatest film, but for me one of his most enjoyable. Why? It probably was the first of his films that I saw and have the earliest recollections. From the wondrous eohippus parading around a miniature pen to the forbidden valley and the secret cave entrance to the dottering professor lost in thought amidst the prospect of becoming a dinosaur lunch to the huge dinosaur being destroyed in a massive church. I remember all of this the first time I saw The Valley of the Gwangi. It had that kind of effect on me. I have seen it several times since and have always enjoyed each subsequent viewing. The film is, as you undoubtedly know, about a hidden lost, forbidden valley somewhere in Mexico where a group of gringo side-show types pierce its sacredness in search of a tiny prehistoric horse. Once in the valley they decide to capture a giant dinosaur(responsible for having one death on its conscience), subduing it, and, what else, bringing it back to the city for entertainment, gawking, and death to many poor people that had nothing to do with the crazy venture in the first place. More than anything else, The Valley of the Gwangi is fun. It is one of the most fun Harryhausen films. Lots of absurdist action as cowboys battle prehistoric critters. Harryhausen's magic in undeniable and in fine form here. Every creature is exquisitely brought to life. The cast is good with James Franciscus playing the anti-hero type lead and lovely, beautiful Gila Golan as the owner of the sideshow. She may not be much of an actress(and she is not) but she is, to repeat a phrase, "mighty fine." Richard Carlson, about a decade removed from traveling down the Amazon to the Black Lagoon is here too. My favorite actor is Laurence Naismith, who also appeared in Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts. He is droll and very well-cast as the beleaguered professor in search of scientific fame. All in all, The Valley of the Gwangi is top-notch and FUN entertainment: good, solid action, outstanding stop-motion special effects, a great musical score by Jerome Moross, solid acting, and, even though I have a general indifference to it, the obligatory poor Mexican child that helps the Gringos get into trouble. Most of all it has the work of one Ray Harryhausen. Does it need any other reason really?

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.