A Serious Challenge of Definition, or Just Silly Malarky?

[klondike]

It's all up to you Folks:

Is The Valley of Gwangi a "Western" or not?

I mean, it is chock-a-block with ropin', ridin' & roughhousin', all done by a big cast of cowboys, vaqueroes and Wild West performers, it does feature hidden desert canyons, gun-toting rivals, a romantic love-hate reunion, Catholic friars, an engaging street waif and a Gypsy curse, and takes place entirely in and around a remote Mexican town.
Of course, there is that little plot device thing with those stop-motion dinosaurs, but no reason to get picayune, right?

What's your opinion?

[nightwalker]

Klondike:

TVOG may contain all of the elements you mention, but IMHO these are only attempts to camouflage the fact that this is a sub-standard remake of KING KONG, with a less appealing cast, plotline and special effects (sorry, RH!) In fact, although Gwangi may be a less appealing character than Kong, his scenes are the only reason to watch this movie!

However, I will say that this movie beats THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN!

[moira finnie]

The Valley of Gwangi was pretty scary from the kid POV in the sequences with the big ol' dinosaur, (An Allosaurus, not a T Rex, I'm told by a vehement friend), but then we have that script cluttered up with the humans...

Ray Harryhausen did his always entertaining best to bring the critter to life, and I've always had a big weakness for James Franciscus and his irritable blonde presence in everything from Mr. Novak to those Planet of the Apes flick(s), but TVOG just wasn't involving enough. Not like when that p.o. ed Reptilian guy from Mars scampered up on top of the Coliseum or when Jason and the Argonauts had to fight all those skeletal swordsmen. It lacked the elusive element of FUN!

But ya know, if I could hop in a time machine it might be fun to go see this one at a drive-in back then.

[jdb1]

I always ejoy this movie because of the presence of the co-star, Gustavo Rojo. Rojo made a few Hollywood films in the late 40s-early 50s -- I think he was in a Tarzan movie, and he was in a few others where it looked like his studio was trying to groom him to be another Montalban/Lamas.

In the 1970s, he was the star of a telenovela, a Spanish-language soap opera, that I used to watch which was broadcast in NYC. It was called "Natacha;" I think this one came from Peru, but I don't know that Rojo himself was Peruvian. He played a rich man who fell in love with his country-girl maid, Natacha. In one sequence Rojo's character went to New York, and it gave him an opportunity to show off his English skills. I can still hear him saying to a waitress "A cup of coffee please, Judy."