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DVD The Valley of Gwangi
The stop-motion magic of legendary special effects creator Ray Harryhausen is the highlight of this sporadically exciting fantasy-adventure, which pits cowboys against dinosaurs in the Mexican desert. James Franciscus and Richard Carlson star as members of a struggling Wild West show who discover their newest attraction in Mexico--a tiny prehistoric horse. Exploration into a nearby valley uncovers living dinosaurs, including the fearsome "Gwangi"-an allosaur that the circus folk capture for exhibition. But as every creature connoisseur knows, monsters in cages always break free, and soon enough, the beast is on a rampage. Originally developed by Harryhausen's mentor Willis O'Brien in 1942, The Valley of Gwangi feels like a retread of his previous titles, especially 20 Million Miles to Earth, but Harryhausen's effects are spectacular as always (especially the miniature horse), and will please monster fans. Warner Bros' widescreen anamorphic DVD includes a short featurette, "Return to the Valley," in which Industrial Light and Magic animators pay tribute to Harryhausen's influence. --Paul Gaita
What a great movie Gwangi was an evil allosaurs who doesnt get along with other dinosaurs buy this movie.
About Gila Golan in VOG
Gila was a knockout! Due to Franciscus's part in both this and Beneath The Planet of The Apes comparisons have been made of Golan to Linda Harrison (Nova in BTPOTA). I read another found Harrison more attractive but I say Golan is Linda Harrison's physical equal. Golan is also a good actress. Her genuine warmth she demonstrates with the hyracotherium (mini ancient horse) is touching and this and in other ways in the film she shows to be a very fine actress.
Mex-zilla Does Mex-villa!
The special effects carry this fun color B-flik from early on (though arguably not early enough) to the end.
I've gotta criticize some things though... The script was only occassionally inspired. The lighting was too often too dark. why do that to our straining eyes, Mr. Director? no need for the dusk scenes! Many potentially interesting personality clashes, but those conflicts never seemed to impress me... ho-hum... and some scenes were just too long, without enough going on.
The late scene clips of all of the sombraro-covered masses fleeing the stadium reminded me of the comic spoof-scene in Monty Python And The Holy Grail where that castle guard sees a guy perpetually running toward him. Gosh, the last of those Mexican locals (and Mexico City it ain't) were forever still cramming into the exit tunnels. unintented laughs!
If you love seeing Marlboro guys whipping around on horses (over and over again), you'll go ga-ga over this late 60s entry.
and, sorry, but I have to critique the ending. Out of the blue, the long last scene seems to be some sort of commentary on Roman Catholicism. We see the protagonist-Rex big-butt his way into a bigger-on-the-inside-than-on-the-outside cathedral (so big and ornate it would make V-City drool). As the masses rush in the front door and all instinctively rush out the back (I kid you not), the evil Rex gets locked in, and then gets burned to death, in a fire that burns the entire cathedral to the ground, though the attached building on either side remain unscathed. and everyone stares in awe and disbelief. um..... ok.... meaning? not sure how to end a cowboy/dinosaur movie? trying to give James Fran a way to not die in the end, as he did in Beneath The Planet Of The Apes? is the "message" that these Catholicized Mexicans would be better off getting out of their church because evil resides in there, and is bound for the fires of hell??? if that isn't close to the message, then what was the point? no point?
maybe our non-eaten couple could have been shown riding off toward the Wyoming sunset. [yawn...]
A matinee programmer with lofty ambitions, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is best appreciated as a vintage showcase for the stop-motion animation of special-effects legend Ray Harryhausen. The hoary plot follows the cold-war formula that dominated science fiction movies of the 1950s: After an atomic bomb test in the northern polar ice cap, a gigantic dinosaur--the fictional "Rhedosaurus"--is awakened from eons of dormancy, plots an undersea course for the Eastern seaboard, and proceeds to wreak havoc on New York City, culminating in a showdown with military marksmen at the Coney Island amusement park. Stock footage and tissue-thin drama make this a by-the-numbers monster flick, further hampered by Eugene Lourie's lackluster direction and a wooden B-movie cast. And yet, Harryhausen's... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Paul Hubschmid - Paula Raymond Director(s): Eugène Lourié DVD Release Date: Released the 21 October 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Raquel Welch in a two-piece fur bikini. That and the title is pretty much all anyone needs to know. If that indeed isn't enough, there are the dinosaurs of technician-artist Ray Harryhausen (along with some superimposed iguanas), and a prologue that tells you all you want to know about this "brutal world." Want more? There are volcanoes, barehanded wrestling with warthogs, and rival, subhuman, cannibalistic tribes--Lord, the list goes on and on! The portrait of humankind isn't the most flattering: we're petty, greedy, we grunt a lot, and we don't play well with others. Welch portrays a cavewoman from the tribe of the Blondes trying to make a life for herself with an outcast from the tribe of the Brunettes, which doesn't sit well with anybody. --Keith SimantonMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Raquel Welch Director(s): Don Chaffey DVD Release Date: Released the 09 March 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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That ol' cinematic devil the A-bomb has spawned a colony of giant murderous ants bent on destroying humanity in this, the seminal big bug movie (an obvious and oft-credited influence for Alien among countless others). The special effects may be dated, but this brilliantly rational-sounding film has held up wonderfully in all other regards, including some starkly effective location work in the high Arizona desert, a genuinely inspired sound design guaranteed to bring on the creepy-crawlies, and an unexpectedly dry sense of humor (mainly personified by Grade-A egghead scientist Edmund Gwenn). This is essential viewing for all those who consider themselves science fiction or horror fans. Heroic hardcase James Arness previously played for the other team as the titular character in... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): James Whitmore - Edmund Gwenn Director(s): Gordon Douglas DVD Release Date: Released the 06 August 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I AM A CLASSIC SCIENCE FICTION FANATIC AND THIS IS ONE OF
THE BEST OF IT'S TIME. BLACK AND WHITE AND I WOULDN'T WANT
TO WATCH IT ANY OTHER WAY. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ray Harryhausen DVD Release Date: Released the 30 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Fans of '50s science fiction should be pleased by this "big bug" chiller, which offers a fine showcase for the talents of special effects master Willis O'Brien (King Kong). The Black Scorpion follows closely in the multiple footsteps of Them!, produced three years earlier by the same company (Warner Bros.)--again, giant insects threaten mankind, though here a volcano is responsible for unleashing them, and the metropolis in peril is Mexico City. Though direction, acting, and scripting aren't on par with Them!, O'Brien's title creatures (which sport implausible yet creepy faces) are memorably monstrous, especially during hero Richard Denning's visit to their nightmarish underground lair. Warner Bros.' DVD features a surprising amount of extras for an older... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Edward Ludwig DVD Release Date: Released the 21 October 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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