MovieChat Forums > When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1971) Discussion > The DVD has been withdrawn -- anyone kno...

The DVD has been withdrawn -- anyone know why?

posted 15 years ago by hobnob53
20 replies | jump to latest

Confirming rumors that spread last summer (see the "DVD 'Unavailability'" thread here), Warner has indeed now withdrawn their Sci-Fi Double Feature DVD with When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth and Moon Zero Two. I'm not sure how long ago this happened, but the film was still around in late fall '08.

The other two discs in the series released at the same time (World Without End/Satellite in the Sky and Battle Beneath the Earth/The Ultimate Warrior) are still for sale as usual.

Anybody know what happened? I can only assume it's a legal issue of some kind. The rumors that this disc was about to be, or even had been, withdrawn began right after the films appeared in the summer of 2008. Obviously some people had heard something very early on, and Warner must have known there might be a problem.

I guess most of us on this site have already gotten our copies, so we're fine, but this is a bit of a mystery. Information welcome. Plus, it goes without saying, rumors. Good ones, preferably.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Hi wendybrad,

Interesting. The old US VHS of WDRTE had all the nudity cut. I knew nude scenes existed and had seen stills but never saw the actual footage until getting this DVD. The restoration of the film to its proper form on this disc was welcome...for the cause of film preservation, of course. (Well, for that too...!)

You're absolutely right, if this disc was withdrawn because of its rating that was ridiculous. I looked it up and apparently the movie was indeed rated G when it was released in the US in 1971, so it must have been shown here even theatrically without the nudity (I never saw it in theaters/cinemas), which also explains the old VHS release. After reading your post I checked my DVD and it is in fact rated G (one rating covering both films: who looks at a DVD's rating anyway?). Carelessness on the part of WHV, but why make the consumer suffer? As you say, just re-rate the movie. Maybe if pressed they'll re-release it as a single, or with a PG or R film, or they'll just re-rate the disc they withdrew. But the whole situation is pretty ridiculous. Considering everything in movies today, this is pretty tame.

But if you're in NZ you may be in luck anyway. This is a British film and I presume they had no trouble releasing it intact there in 1970, and I've heard that the UK video versions are complete. I assume the Commonwealth is much more progressive than we here in the States on such matters, so you may get the uncut version no matter what the fate of this disc in America. Let us know if anything turns up.

I actually enjoy this film much more than One Million Years B.C., so, selfishly, I'm glad to have been able to grab this intact version before its unwarranted withdrawal. Thanks for the information, and see you around.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

w/b!

No spoilers -- none included, but this leads me to believe that you've never seen WDRTE...true?

Anyway, I prefer this to One Million because it's got an overarching factor, or perhaps I should say development, that runs through the picture from the beginning and results in -- causes, actually -- the climax of the movie.

Now, the basic kind of story is very similar to OMYBC -- two tribes, two ways of life, etc. But from the standpoint of drama, it's actually done much more believably, less cartoonishly, more three-dimensionally, than the 1966 film. This film takes itself more seriously, and there is much less on the monster front than in OMYBC. This may make it sound less interesting or good, but unless you're concerned primarliy with dinosaurs (and it sounds like you're not), in fact the human drama is far more involving and realistic in WDRTE than in the earlier movie. There actually is a degree of complexity and emotion present that's just absent from the first movie. I know it may sound a bit funny talking this way about a movie about cave people and prehistoric monsters, but that really is how it is. And the climax is far more interesting and dramatically involving than anything in OMYBC. Let's just say the usual denoument of such films is absent from WDRTE, which is pretty unique in its particulars and (mostly) its execution.

I wouldn't call either film a masterpiece, dark or otherwise, but tell me that I could have only one and it's no choice: When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. If you haven't seen it, it is a "must", and by the way, although it's preferable to see it intact (including nude scenes), the latter aren't absolutely crucial to anything in the plot (though they really do entail much character development), so if you see it without, you'll get a pretty good idea of the film. Those scenes encompass about four minutes total.

Incidentally, have you ever seen the original, black and white, 1940 One Million B.C.? (No "Years".) It's the movie that made a star out of Victor Mature and starlet of Carol Landis (who tragically killed herself in 1948 after that louse Rex Harrison ended their affair), and also co-stars Lon Chaney, Jr. It's quite interesting and while the effects are only so-so several scenes from the film became standard stock-shots re-used in dozens of movies and even TV shows in the 1950s. It's never been on home video, for some reason. Basically the same plot as the 1966 remake.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Hello back, wendybrad,

I've been thinking of getting a Region 0 DVD player. There are a lot of great British films (and even a few American ones) available on R2 DVD in England but never on the US R1 that I'd like to have. However, being able to actually watch them would be an advantage!

(I do have a number of Japanese films that are R0 -- mainly Japanese sci-fi that aren't available in their original forms in the US, although Gojira -- the original and excellent Godzilla -- along with a number of other Godzilla movies, have recently been released here in dual sets with both the Japanese and American versions. I got these R0s from a company in the state of New Jersey, actually not far from where I live in New York; they get them direct from Toho. Their latest acquisitions are the Toho War films, including wartime films, though unfortunately they haven't subtitled these yet. Still, I got three such films I knew about and it's interesting to watch them, even if I don't get the finer points.)

In terms of the plot, about a member of one tribe encountering nicer members of another, WDRTE is similar to OMYBC, but again with much more nuance, complexity and subtlety than in the earlier film. One Million B.C. isn't too different from its 1966 remake, really. Oh, you're correct, its dinosaurs are lizards with fins, but in that era that was to be expected...and anyway, the notion of dinosaurs co-habiting with men doesn't exist anywhere outside of caveman movies and creationist museums (something I hope you've escaped in New Zealand!) so using lizards doesn't add all that much more to the unreality of the situation! On the other hand, in WDRTE, the blond makes friends with a "baby" dinosaur, which detracts a bit from things. But the animation is nearly as good as Harryhausen's.

If I get a line on its availability or anything useful I'll pass it on. But your best option may be to plunk down the money for a copy from Amazon Marketplace if we don't hear anything about a re-release anytime soon. Might as well get the complete show. As for the R0 DVD player, I'm told these are pretty inexpensive (and that even regular, preset players can be modified to accept 0s or other regions, though I wouldn't fool around with that myself). But hold on for a while and see what might turn up.

It's really great talking with you, informative and enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to continuing to do so, here and elsewhere. I wish they had a little dinosaur character I could post onto this message: but they're not that progressive, I guess.

So, I'll simply say !

Oh, a P.S. if I may: may I ask where in NZ you live? Just this evening I saw a tape of a weather report from NZ television, where the woman reading the weather was confronted by a board that had editing instructions for the tech people instead of the locations and rain amounts she was plainly expecting! This also seems to be my night for speaking with folks down under; I've been having a great discourse on the board for Lost Horizon (1937) with an Australian. I think you're so lucky to live where you do. Neat thing, the web. See you!

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Hey, good for you! As a not-very-technical person myself I'd be too intimidated to try that unless someone clever (i.e., you) showed me it could be done. I may try it sometime.

So now all that remains is to purchase WDRTE, which can be found new on line, as you know. A bit pricey, perhaps, but I suspect you'll think it worth it! (Keep away from used discs, even if some are cheaper.)

Blenheim -- near Picton and Seddon and Cloudy Bay? That really must be beautiful. NZ (which, of course, I incorrectly [!] pronounce "en-zee") really is a sort of undiscovered country (not in the Shakespearean or Star Trekkian sense), and its remoteness from the rest of the world has been in many ways a blessing.

Not long ago I saw a movie called Her Majesty, a rather sweet film about a young girl preparing for Queen Elizabeth's visit to NZ in 1953. You're probably familiar with it even if you've not seen it. Although a period piece -- no, actually, because it's a period piece -- I found it rather charming and likable. No When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, of course, but then, what is?

The late, great Paul Newman once made a film that took place (and was largely filmed) in New Zealand, Until They Sail (1957), one of his earliest pictures. A wartime soap opera, but pretty entertaining, with a good cast...not one of whom was a genuine Enzedder! (Surprise.) Brits, Yanks, but no New Zealanders, save those on the streets.

No, American TV doesn't broadcast anyone else's Dancing With the Stars, and our own is so bad I couldn't watch it, despite the various stages of undress that most of the female contestants appear in. All for the art of the dance, of course. The celebs seem mostly to be of second rank status. The TV weather person I saw on the clip from NZTV was a blond woman about mid-to-late 30s, I'd say, but I don't know her name. Apparently there were severe gales blowing on the northern end of North Island, something she was trying to describe when the computer stats got screwed up. She seemed non-plussed.

Well, order the WDRTE DVD, pop it into your player, sit back with some of that great native wine, and enjoy. Perfect warm-weather viewing as fall descends upon the Southern Hemisphere!

Thank you for the DVD player link, and let me know your review after you hold your Victoria Vetri film festival! But I hope we talk again, here and elsewhere, before then.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Okay, where is Nidea Bay? Sounds like a place to skip on a tour. But while we're on NZ geography...what are Cape Farewell and Golden Bay like -- past Pakawa? Looks like it might be a beautiful spot and as it's not too far from your digs I assume you'd know. (Your description is probably as close as I'll ever get to it!)

Anyway, so...you've joined the ranks of Whendinosaursruledtheearthers I see. Fantastic. And I did think you'd like the film very much, and glad you did. Tell me, was the DVD new or used? (And I assume it was a Region 1...not that that means anything anymore!)

I definitely would like to continue discussions about WDRTE, but give me a few days...it's actually been quite some time since I've watched it all through. When I bought the DVD last July I popped it in quickly just to make sure the nudity was there, and only watched sporadic other portions at the time. (I watched the nude parts about four times, and took notes.) Unforgivably, I guess, I was more interested then in watching one of my very favorite 50s sci-fi films that came out as part of the same batch of sci-fi double-features from Warners, World Without End, which I'd never seen completely in widescreen; along with its co-feature, the British Satellite in the Sky, which I'd also never seen in either widescreen or color (US prints were in black and white as well as pan and scan), and which has almost never been shown anyway. (Both 1956.) So those two discoveries preoccupied my wee mind for a while.

Interesting point about Tara and the woman's possible relationship -- I recall the scene, but not specifically enough to comment now. Will check it out.

But do you really think WDRTE is a sequel to One Million Years B.C.? There really is no formal connection between the two. "Follow-up" might be a more accurate term, or "rip-off" if one is feeling uncharitable. Obviously, the core plots are virtually identical. But now that you've seen it, I can openly talk about the overarching menace throughout the film I'd mentioned earlier, by which I meant that solar crisis that explodes at the end. That's a major aspect, and asset, about WDRTE that OMYBC basically lacks. Not the usual, cliched volcanic eruption at the climax, but a planet-wide astronomical convulsion -- much cooler and more imaginative. Plus I like the idea of four survivors inheriting the world...with or without dinosaurs, I wonder? Somehow I just like the characters better. And maybe the fact that WDRTE was much less publicized, less of an event, than OMYBC had been, largely because of Raquel Welch's involvement in that film, makes me partial to it. If she had to do a caveman-and-dinosaur movie, maybe When Dinosaurs... would have better "suited" her, if you get my sophomoric drift...I mean, a nude Raquel Welch?!

Kind of enrichening, y'know? Anyway, I'll be back.......

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

999,970 B.C.? Now, how did you figure that one out??!

But actually, you make an interesting point about the connection between the tsunami at the end of WDRTE and the lack of monsters in Creatures the World Forgot. I have never seen that film either, but I do know it contains no dinos and derives its plot from interpersonal relationships...oh, for God's sake, what am I saying?! Okay, actually it does, the leader of one tribe giving away the latest blond to the head of another tribe, and subsequent rivalries proceeding therefrom. I've seen some stills from the film and Julie Ege was a knock-out (hard to choose between her and VV), but I gather the film is the weakest of the trio. But, my use of the phrase "follow-up" is pretty much the same as your word "continuation". OMYBC leads to WDRTE leads to CTWF. They're separate films, not sequels, but each in a way picks up from where the previous film left off. I'd like to know how deliberate (or not) this was.

As far as I know, Creatures isn't available on DVD, at least not in the States. I may poke around, though. I'd certainly like to see it. By the way, it was directed by none other than Don Chaffey, who most famously directed -- Jason and the Argonauts!

We more or less agree on our views of criminals, which to me is not an illiberal position, but speaking of the fate of Hammer cavewomen, poor Julie Ege (of CTWF), after her movie career petered out, went back to Norway, became a nurse, and had a quite good and productive life...unfortunately marred by bouts with cancer, which finally took her life just last year, 2008. She was 64, I believe. Very sad.

Hard to realize that these beautiful, sexy women are now in their 60s...or beyond! Look at some of the '60's Bond girls, for instance. Even Raquel, still gorgeous in a different way, will turn 69 this September. When she hits 70 next year, I'll know I'm really old myself!

Yeah, I don't get the prejudice against Victoria Vetri. Even the director Val Guest later called her "a bimbo" and blamed the film's failure on her. I think that was unfair and ridiculous, and let's be honest, people didn't go to see WDRTE to enjoy Ms. Vetri's acting. But I agree with you, she did a perfectly good job in what's really a very difficult kind of role, though people routinely look down their noses at that sort of thing from an acting standpoint. Still, her body was the main attraction, plus maybe the dinos. Her cave-bikini was much smaller even that Raquel's in OMYBC and, of course, she had her non-G-rated nude scenes. But Raquel was something of a phenomenon and associated with a major Hollywood studio, while VV was sort of on her own amid the Hammer factory. Quite unfair.

By the way, do you know the spy spoof Our Man Flint (1966), with James Coburn? The leading lady in that was a petite, gorgeous girl named Gila Golan, a former Miss Israel and runner-up in the 1961 Miss World contest, who did a few films in the US. She was a war foundling, probably Polish, who does not know her real name or date or place of birth, probably born in Poland about 1940, who somehow survived the war as an infant and small child and was taken to Palestine after the war. Anyway, she only made a few films and was more decorative than thespian, and Flint is her greatest claim to fame. But, she almost lost the role to none other than Raquel Welch, who was passed over at the last minute (she was not yet a star), and so went to Europe to do OMYBC. On the other hand, what I believe was Ms. Golan's last film had a genuine Ray Harryhausen dinosaur in it -- The Valley of Gwangi (1969). Symmetry, my friend, symmetry.

I'll get back to you in a few after re-perusing WDRTE.

Glad you got a new disc. Definitely worth any additional cost.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Okay, 999,970 B.C. What date? If you figure that one out, you're good.

I didn't know CTWF had been out on VHS (never looked for it), but I too would want a DVD.

Right, Don Chaffey helmed OMYBC too, but as we'd had our first exchanges over on JATA, I thought that was the significant film to point out, though OMYBC is more topical here. But JATA's his best and most famous film.

And of course I knew you liked JATA! That was always clear, and that you preferred COTT. To me, it's no contest the other way around, but no dissing either film.

Sorry, this has turned out to be a hellish week and it'll probably be a few days more before I get a chance to run WDRTE, but when I do I'll alert you. (What I'm doing up at 4:30 AM Thursday morning in New York answering your post is another story!) Really interesting theory about Sanna being pregnant. I didn't get that impression, but I'll keep it in mind when I watch again and see if anything strikes me along those lines.

Of course, walking around in that cavekini, I'm sure that she was eventually pregnant!

(Re-reading this post, maybe we should start an Acronym Society...although "AS" is hardly a worthy example of the art.)

[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Hi w/b:

I re-watched WDRTE last night, so am now prepared to sally forth with all manner of discourse about it. I'll leave it to you whether to start a new thread or continue on this one, which may be getting away from the original topic.

I've already started a new thread about the monsters.

However, about your question concerning Tara and the woman whom he encounters in Sanna's old tribe -- no, I don't think there's been any prior relation between them at all.

Although both tribes clearly have an acquaintance with one another, this seems to be somewhat limited -- the leaders know one another, and the hunters have a limited acquaintance. But the social intermingling between the two groups appears very limited, as is the similarity of their customs. (Hence, the chief of the seaside tribe allows Sanna to stay even though they learn she'd been intended as a sacrifice to the sun by the other bunch.) Tara is obviously shocked at the segregation of the blonds from the remainder of the tribe, and understands that they have been set aside as potential sacrifices, as at the film's beginning: the brunettes rule here. In his tribe, blonds appear to be unknown, judging by the reaction of the sea people to Sanna's appearance and the utter lack of blonds among them: another indication of the evidently extremely limited intercourse, you should pardon the expression, between the tribes. (Yes, okay, which Tara does his best to remedy).

When Tara finds the woman, she isn't merely stroking the little girl's head, she's lathering on tar or some substance designed to disguise the girl as a brunette, so she won't be sacrificed to the sun later on. A futile effort, of course, but Tara plainly understands what she's attempting and is clearly sympathetic -- as is made clear when he steers Kane (or whoever) away from the woman, who had panicked when she thought Kane would discover them as he came around looking for Tara. Tara keeps Kane away from seeing them and guides him along a path out of sight of the mother and child, and as he does so he gives them a reassuring look: he realizes what she's attempting, and sympathizes. But no indication of any prior relationship at all. What happens is a sign of his inner humanity, which also puts him ahead even of his own tribe, which while basically much more peaceful and civilized than the rock tribe, are nonetheless easily prey to superstition, as the movie's events make plain.

I don't get the idea that Sanna is pregnant, but it's clear Tara wants her for his WDRTE equivalent of a wife and mother to his children.

A few musings and questions: what happened to the third blond sacrifice (the one on the middle)? The first one tried to escape before being killed, but ended up dying after falling off the cliff; the other girl got left behind after Sanna herself escaped (and landed in the ocean conveniently near Tara's raft -- all three could have been rescued had the girls jumped in a timely and proper fashion). I assume they went ahead and sacrificed her but there was no positive indication.

Next, I thought Tara's ex-girlfriend was extremely good-looking: cute face, gorgeous bod. A bit petty, wanting Sanna killed out of jealousy and all, but still, was this girl worth throwing over for Sanna?

And finally, even given the tribes' understandably limited vocabulary, if I heard the word Akita once more I'd kick a dino in the shins! It appears to be the all-purpose word for both tribes -- everything is "Akita!" One caveman: "Akita?" Second caveman: "Akita!" You get the key words in their language, but this one is just too common and all-annoying for meaning. (I'd love to read a copy of the script!)

If you want to transfer this discussion to a new, more suitable board, please do so. Just give me a brief heads-up here.

Akita!

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] shandy8 15 years ago

I just saw this movie for the first time, and I really liked it. You seem to know a lot about it, so I'm asking an obvious question. (spoilers)

What is it that is supposed to have happened to the sun? It seems as if some sort of natural phenomenon has occurred, but I just didn't understand what is was supposed to be (from a natural science standpoint) I figured it was , as Hitchcock would call it, a 'Maguffin', that didn't need explanation. I was just curious.

"I love corn!"

[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Hi shandy8 -- Gee, I was hoping you could explain it to me! Seriously, I've seen this movie several times over the years and have never quite figured out what, precisely, was supposed to be going on with the sun.

More than a Maguffin, I think; after all, this ongoing catacylsm saves the heroine at the start and results in the climax of the movie. To me, it seemed some invented but spectacular natural solar phenomenon that obviously held deadly portents for the Earth, but was most useful as a plot device, to forestall the sacrifice at the beginning and deliver the planet-wide convulsions at the end. All to save the life of Victoria Vetri, it seems.

Maybe it had something to do with the impending rebirth or realignment of the solar system and Earth. Nothing real, though. I mean, let's face it, to expect any genuine references to "natural science" in a film that depicts dinosaurs and cave people living side by side is stretching things quite a lot!

The most important thing -- other than its key role in the plot -- was that it looked really cool.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Shandy -- I just re-watched this movie all the way through for the first time in a while and I should have given you the obvious answer, which had completely slipped my mind...the cosmic/solar cataclysm that occurred is (apparently) the creation of the moon, evidently born out of the sun. Remember (as I didn't) that at the very beginning the narrator emphasized that there was no moon, then this weird solar event occurs; and at the end, there is the moon, to which the survivors of the four world-changing tsunami pay obeisance. That mass of matter visible at night throughout the movie is the unformed moon, spun out of the sun but not yet coalesced into its present solid mass. But as I said this development has about as much scientific validity as the notion of dinosaurs co-existing with people. Still, it's a cool plot device, even if it basically makes no sense. Its sole purpose is to set up the salvation of the intended blond sacrifice (Sanna) at the start and the delayed catastrophe at the end, which brings about a new world.