Re: Gwangi

[Steve Walsh <steve.w@c-point.com>]

It's true Gwangi is often labeled an _Allosaurus_. However while 
Harryhausen intended it to be so he actually modelled it on Charles 
Knight's _Tyrannosaurus_ 
(http://www.charlesrknight.com/Enlarge.htm?109), a painting already 
more than a quarter century old when Gwangi was made. This is evident 
even in poster art (http://www.cinemaretro.com/uploads/ray4.jpg) for 
the film (It has segmented tail because Ray liked the tail of the 
alligator). Though a fan of dinosaurs, Harryhausen was rather 
ambivalent about specifics and in their design entertainment was 
secondary to accuracy. In the documentary The Harryhausen Chronicles 
he compared _Allosaurus_ and _Tyrannosaurus_: "They're both meat 
eaters, they're both Tyrants... one was just a bit larger than the 
other." As a consequence of all this some fans have labeled Gwangi an 
"Allosaurus rex".

On 12/05/2008 6:40:02 AM, hammeris1@bellsouth.net wrote:
> Actually, Gwangi was an allosaurid.
>
> Excellent film.