The Valley of Gwangi

"Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley."

1969 1h 36m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 172

Science FictionWesternAdventure

Synopsis

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A turn of the century wild west show struggling to make a living in Mexico comes into the possession of a tiny prehistoric horse. This leads to an expedition to the Forbidden Valley where they discover living dinosaurs. They capture one and take it back to be put on display, leading to inevitable mayhem.

“Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley.”

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Cast

James Franciscus
Tuck Kirby
Gila Golan
T.J. Breckenridge
Richard Carlson
Champ Connors
Laurence Naismith
Professor Bromley
Freda Jackson
Tia Zorina - the Witch
Gustavo Rojo
Carlos dos Orsos
Dennis Kilbane
Rowdy
Mario De Barros
Bean

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jim O'Connolly
Writers: William Bast
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jim O'Connolly, shot by Erwin Hillier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jerome Moross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Henry Richardson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Franciscus and Gila Golan and Richard Carlson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jim O'Connolly directs. Erwin Hillier behind the camera. Jerome Moross scores. Henry Richardson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

157 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jim O'Connolly, shot by Erwin Hillier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerome Moross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Henry Richardson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7James Franciscus and Gila Golan and Richard Carlson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley.".
9IMDB entry: tt0065163 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10The top-rated still from this film on TMDB has 20 community votes — a signal the frame composition stuck with viewers.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "mexico", "elephant", "gypsy", "circus".

The technical file

Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Original score: Jerome Moross
Editing: Henry Richardson
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

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Jim O'Connolly

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Potential Kermode2017-02-14
★ 10/10
Ray Harryhausen's best work Forget the patches of swinging sixties dialogue and the questionable acting prowess of Gila Golan and let us instead consider Harryhausen's superb animation, the beauty of Erwin Hillier's Technicolor photography and Jerome Moross' unbeatable western musical score - definitely the best soundtrack for a western ever recorded. Yes, indeed, even better than his score for The Big Country. James Franciscus (star of Beneath the Planet of the Apes) is the hero here and although two dimensional - the old Franciscus charm saves the day. Franciscus gives us a likeable hero to root for here. Able support comes in the form of Richard Carlson ( Creature from the Black Lagoon) and Laurence Naismith as a wily professor. A surprisingly violent film with two people ending up screaming and kicking about in the titular Gwangi's jaws - a circus midget and a mouthy Mexican - but both of them had it coming, so that's okay. - Potential Kermode
John Chard2017-05-04
★ 6/10
The Western fantasy film boosted by some Harryhausen genius. 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
Dr Nostromo2026-07-05
★ 6/10
61/100 To summarize, think "King Kong", replace Skull Island with an isolated valley, add some cowboys, and replace the ape with a T. Rex named Gwangi and there you go. Firmly placed in the 60's, this film is exactly what you'd expect on a Saturday matinee ...which at my age is something I'm far more familiar with than most people reading this. The effects were handled masterfully by stop-motion animation genius Ray Harryhausen and it had a rather high production quality for this type of film, back then. Exciting, fun, and a nostalgic joy to watch. Don't forget the popcorn! -- DrNostromo.com