Claudio Carvalho "The Valley of Gwangi" is one of those poorly developed silly films that become dated, boring and forgettable. The combination of cowboy and sci-fi in the turn of the Twentieth Century does not work and the terrible special effects seems to be from the 50's or an Ed Wood production. The conclusion is awful, with non-stop people running in repeated scenes and the fate of the nasty gypsy old woman that caused the whole trouble is not shown. My vote is four.Title (Brazil) "O Vale Proibido" ("The Forbidden Valley")

LeonLouisRicci 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 made (of any kind) 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 change of pace this is quite engaging.

bkoganbing Ray Harryhausen has a unique place in the history of film and it's not the quality of his work. A lot of players are box office names, a few director/producers like Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, and Walt Disney most of all bring people in with having their names on a film. But Ray Harryhausen is the only one in his profession as a special effects man who brings folks to the theater. That's the best tribute of all for him.Late in the 19th century Gita Golan owner of a small wild west show is playing Mexico and she's got a unique attraction as she has found a small horse, an ancient eohippus which has come out of a valley said to be cursed and inhabited by fierce creatures called the Gwangi. An old flame who works for Buffalo Bill, James Franciscus and some of his wild west show cowboys show up to track down the little horse after some local gypsies under the direction of Freda Jackson set it free.But what they run into is an ancient tyrannosaurus which is called a Gwangi by the locals. It's like when Carl Dedham spotted King Kong, got to get this guy back to civilization and make a bundle off him.The plot is outrageous with some great overacting by Freda Jackson as the old gypsy crone and Laurence Naismith as a palaeontologist all in the spirit of fun. I love it when Franciscus and the cowboys discover that the reason their bullets are having no affect on the big guy is they're using blanks from the show. Does it deter them, it does not they set about to lariat T-Rex and play an interesting an deadly game of tag.When they do capture him and later destroy him, it's with a lot of luck and some natural forces in nature.Dopey plot, but that's part of the fun. And the work of Ray Harryhausen is the reason to see the film and in that you won't be disappointed.

poj-man I always wanted to see Valley of The Gwangi. I mean, it has dinosaurs in it so what is there not to like? The story, plot and acting are all just terrible. This is a MST 3000 flashing blue light special. The Harryhausen F\X are the last that he did and it is obvious that time had passed his style by.There is base B grade movie charm as well as a babe and comedic sidekick action. There are gypsies. There is also an absolutely hilarious ending fight sequence where James Franciscus acts out for the first time scenes he will replay a couple years later in Beneath The Planet of the Apes...complete with organ blast! If you like B grade cheesy dinosaur movies then you will enjoy Gwangi. otherwise...stay away!