The Seventh Voyage
A Journey into the imagination and world of Ray Harryhausen.
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More on Gwangi
"We wanted the demise of Gwangi to be a little more spectacular than that in the original 1941 storyline. However, try as we might, we couldn't seem to come up with a solution for an alternative ending. It was whilst I was on recce in Spain that I saw a church (in Cuenca) and suddenly realized that that to end Gwangi's short career in such a building would suit the story far better than anything we had considered so far."
Gwangi
Creator: Ray Harryhausen
Film: The Valley of Gwangi 1969
*Click on the images to see a larger version*
It had a bony red crest above each eye, a strong s-shaped neck. Its teeth were 5-10 cm long and curved backward with serrated front and back edges. Allosaurus' strong back and neck aided its jaws in tearing off chunks of flesh. Gwangi seems to have been based on this smaller Dino, he was not as massive as the T-REX.
As the crew searches for the Eohippus they stumble upon a Ornithomimus
and long thought to be extinct species of Dinosaurs. In true cowboy fashion
they try to capture the creature and use it for the show, but before they
can capture it Gwangi appears out of nowhere and snatches the Ornithimimus
in its jaws and kills it.
Tuck and the rest run for their lives as Gwangi chases after them. They try to escape but a Styrathosaur blocks their way out! soon they find themselves trapped between Gwangi and the Styrathosaur as both of the Dinosaurs fight to the death. Gwangi kills his opponent and continues chase after Tuck and the rest. They finally manage to escape using the cave they entered, Gwangi tries to follow them but the cave entrance is too small for him at it collapses on top of him, temporarily putting him down.
In the end Gwangi is taken to the town as part of the show, but his act is sabotaged by one of Tia Zorina's followers and he escapes his cell and attacks the city and causes complete chaos. When he reaches the town church Gwangi blindly enters the building only to be burn alive by Tuck, saving the town and its people.
Question:
What does Gwangi mean???
Answer: Its an American Indian word meaning "Lizard"
Miniature
As far as I know there isn't a "Gwangi" miniature per say just some miniatures based on the Allosaurs -which Gwangi was based upon. The Dino comes as a kit made out of pure resin and needs some skill to paint and built, recommended for level two sculptors. Price $99.99.
Gwangi Facts
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For the roping scene of Gwangi a jeep was used with a 15-foot pole where the cowboys would lasso the top of the rope giving the impression of straining ropes.
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Gwangi's roar was actually a camel slobbering recorded and slowed and altered electronically. The snapping of the jaw sound was created by the Shepperton sound effects dept, a set of metal teeth on two pieces of wood clashed together like a clapperboard.
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The long shots of Gwangi in the cart were of a full-sized cart with a cut-out of Gwangi inside, the medium shots were of the actual model in a miniature cart.
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"Although Gwangi had been an allosaurus in Obie's version, I decided to make him more of a tyrannosaurus, and so I used elements from both species to make what I suppose could be called a "tyrannosaurus al".
"As I mentioned, the roping sequence was the main reason I wanted to make this picture, and today it is still one of my favorite sequences in this or any other movie I have made."
"I was always intrigued by the idea that he stalks his prey within the confines of the arches of a church."