The Valley of Gwangi

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.

Highly entertaining film about a wild west show that comes into possession of a prehistoric horse so small they hope to bill as the world's smallest. When a band of gypsies return the horse to the Forbidden Valley in which it was stolen, members of the wild west show go in search of the horse and come across a Lost World of prehistoric creatures.

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.

The Valley of Gwangi is a lot better than the earlier dinosaur/cowboy movie, The Beast of Hollow Mountain. It contains a lot more dinosaurs and better special effects. These were created by the great Ray Harryhausen.

The film itself is very enjoyable with good performances from the cast including Richard Carlson (It Came From Outer Space, The Creature From the Black Lagoon). The music score is excellent. The ending was rather sad though.

This is a must if you like dinosaur films like me.

Rating: 4 and a half stars out of 5.

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.