Valley of the Dragons (film)

Last updated
Valley of the Dragons
Valley of the dragons poster.jpg
Theatrical poster.
Directed by Edward Bernds
Written byEdward Bernds
Story byDonald Zimbalist
Based onthe novel Career of a Comet by Jules Verne
Produced by Byron Roberts
executive
Al Zimbalist
Starring Cesare Danova, Sean McClory, Joan Staley and Danielle De Metz
Cinematography Brydon Baker
Edited byEdwin H. Bryant
Music byRuby Raksin
Production
company
Zimbalist-Roberts-Bernds Productions [1]
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • November 1961 (1961-11)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$125,000 [2]

Valley of the Dragons (UK title: Prehistoric Valley) is a black and white 1961 American science fiction film loosely based on Jules Verne's Off on a Comet and heavily dependent on stock footage from the movies One Million B.C. , King Dinosaur , Cat-Women of the Moon and Rodan . [3] Director Edward Bernds says the film was built around stock footage from One Million B.C. [2]

Contents

Plot

Two men preparing for a duel in 1881 Algiers, Irishman Michael Denning and Frenchman Hector Servadac, are swept from the face of the Earth by a passing comet and find themselves on another world with cavemen and prehistoric animals. They try to find a way back to Earth. (Servadac is the only one of 36 characters retained from the original novel.)

The men have encounters with giant reptiles and spiders before being separated after an attack from an angry mammoth. Servadac finds refuge with the River People and falls for a beautiful blonde, Deena. Denning falls in with the Cave People, where he falls in love with brunette Nateeta.

The two men are reunited rescuing the Cave People from attacking dinosaurs (this earth's dragons) with an avalanche. They persuade the River People and Cave People to stop fighting and settle down with their respective women. They vow to try and get on the Earth the next time the comet approaches in seven years.

Cast

Production

The film was produced by Al Zimbalist who says he was given a copy of the Verne novel that his 16 year old son Don had found in a London bookshop. [4] Director Edward Bernds says the novel had not been published in the US due to its antisemitism. [2]

Jules Verne adaptations were in vogue at the time ever since the success of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days. Zimbalist had the rights to footage for One Million B.C. (1940). Zimbalist and his partner Bryan Roberts formed a company to adapt the novel. [2]

"Jules Verne is a bigger name than Marlon Brando," said Zimbalist. "Maybe bigger. Verne has never had a flop. And there is no limit to how much money you can make with Verne. Look at Around the World in 80 Days . Fantastic. Verne is for any size budget. If you want to spend millions, like Mike Todd, you can spend. If you want to spend less than a million, like me, that's okay, too. With Verne you don't have to have a Marilyn Monroe." [5]

"Verne is the purest kind of escapist," said Zimbalist, adding that "whatever you say about his imagination and his genius, he just did not have a good storyline." [4]

Bernds wrote a ten-page treatment, which Zimbalist took to Columbia Pictures to obtain finance. Bernds then wrote the script. He said the only contribution Al Zimbalist's son Don made to the film was finding the original novel in the bookshop; Don Zimbalist gets a "story by" credit but Bernds says this was only because his father asked for it. [2]

It was shot in "Living Monstascope" on the Columbia backlot. [6] Bernds says making the film at Columbia was inefficient because the movie had to absorb studio overhead and he would have gotten greater production value for the budget if the film had been made outside. He says Columbia executives had a clause where if the film went over budget, Zimbalist and Roberts would forfeit their fees. However he says he was saved by the fact that Zimbalist ensured the amount of company overhead was fixed, and that the filmmakers could use a left over jungle set from Columbia's The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) that cost half a million to make; the entire film was shot on that set. The movie was completed on budget. [2]

Bernds re-used a spider from his earlier film World Without End (1956). [2]

Reception

Bernds says the film was financially successful and had a long run on television. Bernds believed that, in residual cheques for television showings over the years, Valley of the Dragons gave him more income than his script work on the Elvis Presley picture Tickle Me . [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodan</span> Godzilla kaiju

Rodan is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film Rodan, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous entries in the Godzilla franchise, including Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), as well as in the Legendary Pictures-produced film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

American International Pictures LLC is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing films from 1955 until 1980, a year after its acquisition by Filmways in 1979.

<i>From the Earth to the Moon</i> 1865 novel by Jules Verne

From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, and their attempts to build an enormous Columbiad space gun and launch three people – the Gun Club's president, his Philadelphian armor-making rival, and a French poet – in a projectile with the goal of a Moon landing. Five years later, Verne wrote a sequel called Around the Moon.

<i>Journey to the Center of the Earth</i> (1959 film) 1959 film by Henry Levin

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 American science fiction adventure film in color by De Luxe, distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film, produced by Charles Brackett and directed by Henry Levin, stars James Mason, Pat Boone, and Arlene Dahl. Bernard Herrmann wrote the film score, and the film's storyline was adapted by Charles Brackett from the 1864 novel of the same name by Jules Verne.

<i>Voyages extraordinaires</i> Collection of works by Jules Verne

The Voyages extraordinaires is a collection or sequence of novels and short stories by the French writer Jules Verne.

<i>The Fantastic Four</i> (unreleased film) Unreleased superhero film completed in 1994 directed by Oley Sassone

The Fantastic Four is an unreleased 1994 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The film features the team's origin and first battle with Doctor Doom. Executive-produced by low-budget specialists Roger Corman and Bernd Eichinger, it was made to allow Eichinger to keep the Fantastic Four film rights. It was not officially released, although pirated copies have circulated since 1994 as well as various clips being available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karel Zeman</span> Czech Filmmaker

Karel Zeman was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator, best known for directing fantasy films combining live-action footage with animation. Because of his creative use of special effects and animation in his films, he has often been called the "Czech Méliès".

<i>Off on a Comet</i> 1877 novel by Jules Verne

Off on a Comet is an 1877 science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne. It recounts the journey of several people carried away by a comet contacting the Earth. The comet passes by various bodies in the Solar System before returning the travelers to the Earth.

<i>In the Year 2889</i> (film) 1969 television film by Larry Buchanan

In the Year 2889 is a 1967 American made-for-television horror science fiction film from American International Pictures about the aftermath of a future nuclear war. The film stars Paul Petersen, Quinn O'Hara, Charla Doherty, Neil Fletcher and Hugh Feagin. AIP commissioned low-budget cult film auteur Larry Buchanan to produce and direct this film as a color remake of Roger Corman's 1956 film Day the World Ended.

<i>Mysterious Island</i> (1961 film) 1961 film by Ray Harryhausen, Cy Endfield

Mysterious Island is a 1961 science fiction adventure film about prisoners in the American Civil War who escape in a balloon and then find themselves stranded on a remote island populated by giant and tiny animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Juran</span> American film director (1907–2002)

Naftuli Hertz "Nathan" Juran was an Austro-Hungarian-born film art director, and later film and television director. As an art director, he won the Oscar for Best Art Direction in 1942 for How Green Was My Valley, along with Richard Day and Thomas Little. His work on The Razor's Edge in 1946 also received an Academy nomination. In the 1950s, he began to direct, and was known for science fiction and fantasy films such as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. He was also the brother of quality guru Joseph M. Juran.

<i>Jules Vernes Rocket to the Moon</i> 1967 British film by Don Sharp

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon is a 1967 British science fiction comedy film directed by Don Sharp and starring Burl Ives, Troy Donahue, Gert Fröbe and Terry-Thomas.

<i>Master of the World</i> (1961 film) 1961 film by William Witney

Master of the World is a 1961 colour science fiction film based on the 1886 Jules Verne novel Robur the Conqueror and its 1904 sequel Master of the World, with a screenplay written by Richard Matheson. The film stars Vincent Price, Charles Bronson and Henry Hull and was directed by William Witney and produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Anthony Carras and James H. Nicholson. American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with a gorilla movie titled Konga.

<i>Invention for Destruction</i> 1958 film by Karel Zeman

Invention for Destruction is a 1958 Czechoslovak black-and-white science fiction adventure film, directed by Karel Zeman, produced by Zdeněk Novák, and starring Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, and Miloslav Holub. Based on several works by Jules Verne, primarily his 1896 novel Facing the Flag, the film evokes the original illustrations for Verne's works by combining live actors with various forms of animation.

<i>Mysterious Island</i> (serial) 1951 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

Mysterious Island is a 1951 American 15-chapter movie serial from Columbia Pictures, the studio's 46th, that stars Richard Crane, Marshall Reed, Karen Randle, and Ralph Hodges. It is an adaptation of Jules Verne's 1874 novel, The Mysterious Island. As in the original story, which was Verne's follow-up to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, this serial is set in 1865. However, Columbia's screenwriters added alien Mercurians as an additional set of villains. The serial has been labeled a space opera version of Verne's novel.

<i>Journey to the Center of the Earth</i> (2008 direct-to-video film) 2008 American film

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 2008 American science fiction action adventure film created by The Asylum and directed by David Jones and Scott Wheeler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Zimbalist</span> American film producer (1910–1975)

Alfred N. Zimbalist was a producer of low-budget films such as Robot Monster, Monster from Green Hell, Cat-Women of the Moon, Watusi and Baby Face Nelson.

<i>Five Weeks in a Balloon</i> (film) 1962 film by Irwin Allen

Five Weeks in a Balloon is a 1962 American adventure film loosely based on the 1863 novel of the same name by Jules Verne filmed in CinemaScope. It was produced and directed by Irwin Allen; his last feature film in the 1960s before moving to producing several science fiction television series. Although set in Africa, it was filmed in California. Balloonist Don Piccard acted as the film's technical advisor. For visual effects, a model of the balloon was used as well as a full-sized unicorn gondola hung from a crane. A novelisation of the screenplay was written by Gardner Fox.

<i>Young Dillinger</i> 1965 film by Terry O. Morse

Young Dillinger is a 1965 gangster film directed by Terry O. Morse. It stars Nick Adams as the notorious criminal John Dillinger, and co-stars Robert Conrad, John Ashley and Mary Ann Mobley.

<i>On the Comet</i> 1970 [[Czechoslovakia]] film

Na kometě is a 1970 Czech film directed by Karel Zeman, based on Jules Verne's 1877 novel Off on a Comet.

References

  1. ↑ "'Sardonicus' will arrive" (1961, Dec 02). Los Angeles Times
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Weaver, Tom (2006). Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers: Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors, Moguls and Makeup. McFarland. pp. 62–64. ISBN   9780786428588.
  3. ↑ Scheuer, P. K. (1961, Jan 26). "'A fever in blood' ingenious in plot" Los Angeles Times
  4. 1 2 By MURRAY SCHUMACH Special to The New York Times. (1961, Feb 03). "HOLLYWOOD MINES THE GOLD IN VERNE" New York Times
  5. ↑ "THE KID'S A COMER" (1961, Feb 08). Chicago Daily Tribune
  6. ↑ Scheuer, P. K. (1961, Jan 23). "Marshall reported a 'miracle' find" Los Angeles Times
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.