The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

Directed by: Jim O’Connolly | 96 minutes | animation, western, adventure, romance, fantasy | Actors: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo, Dennis Kilbane, Mario De Barros, Curtis Arden, Jose Burgos

The films in which the legendary Ray Harryhausen shows his stop-motion animation skills usually concern mythological or legendary adventure stories. Stories in which Gods and monsters figure and which often take place very clearly in a fantastic or fictional context. Films about Sindbad the Sailor is an example, and of course about the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts, Ray Harryhausen’s biggest hit. ‘The Valley of Gwangi’ is a somewhat strange and interesting duck in this respect. The first half of the film feels more like a Western with a tough hero and a beautiful lady than a fanciful film populated by monsters and magicians. This, and of course Harryhausen’s always skilful and impressive animations make ‘The Valley of Gwangi’, which takes on a standard, King Kong-esque form over the course of the film, a fascinating film for both the genre fan and general film buff.

The Western form and the entanglements of the characters make the viewer become involved with these people and the story in which they appear in an unconventional way for this genre. That is, the viewer simply follows the entanglements that take place directly on screen – ie, the romantic story and drama between Tuck (James Franciscus) and TJ (Gila Golan) – without having different expectations. And then suddenly a miniature horse appears, beautifully fluidly animated by Harryhausen, letting the viewer know that something more is going on.

There is still a western atmosphere, with the typical images of galloping cowboys and accompanying rousing, upbeat music, but once the valley is entered, it is time for the master animator to show his skills. That means flying Pterodactyls, battles between a Tyrannosaurus and a Triceratops, and confrontations with the Tyrannosaurus Gwangi itself. These primal beasts move fairly “realistically” with smooth animations of, for example, the swishing tails and snapping jaws, but due to the varying use of color, the contrast with the environment is sometimes a bit striking. When the critters have a purple color and shiny skin, they are a bit more “fanciful” and rubbery than if they are an earthy color that makes them more suited to the environment and really looks like they belong here. But their looks and movements are always fascinating.

Once Gwangi is captured, the film turns into a predictable ‘King Kong’ clone, but ‘The Valley of Gwangi’ will always remain an entertaining film, given the somewhat more realistic context of the Western film, including atmospheric images of the mountains. and rocks, offers something extra compared to the average monster movie.