--- title: "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" year: 1970 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth" fi1m_id: "when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth" imdb_id: "tt0066561" tmdb_id: 35002 wikidata_id: "Q2299276" fi1m_score: 63 critics_reviews: 1 published: "2026-09-26T17:09:57.449810+00:00" updated: "2026-09-26T17:10:28.073164+00:00" region: "IL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) Directed by Val Guest · 1h 40m · Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction ## Identity When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth - **IMDb ID:** tt0066561 - **TMDB ID:** 35002 - **Wikidata ID:** Q2299276 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066561/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/35002, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2299276 **Fi1m score: 63** · Critics: 1 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Pagan worship, virgin sacrifice and a language that makes small talk rather a challenge > Val Guest’s prehistoric fantasy finds a workable balance of danger and gentle send-up, but its invented language keeps the people at a distance. There is modest fun here, provided character is not the main attraction. ## Synopsis Pagan worship and the threat of virgin sacrifice shape the prehistoric setting of *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth*. Sanna (Victoria Vetri), Tara (Robin Hawdon) and Kingsor (Patrick Allen) are among its human inhabitants, alongside Ayak (Imogen Hassall). They speak an invented prehistoric language, making familiar conversation unavailable as a guide to this imagined past. The film brings adventure, fantasy and science fiction together in an age of dinosaurs, with religious ritual among the dangers facing the people who live there. ## Review Val Guest’s *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth* is a modest diversion, hampered by its invented language. It wants the danger to count without making the entire enterprise solemn, and the balance of seriousness and send-up is its most useful quality. Pagan worship and virgin sacrifice are stern subjects for a fantasy adventure, but the film allows room for amusement. We can accept an impossible prehistory readily enough when it is offered in that spirit. The difficulty is finding much interest in the people who inhabit it. The invented prehistoric speech is the chief obstacle. We found it frustrating, because it makes the actors work harder to suggest differences between people while depriving them of words that might make those differences interesting. The notion has an obvious appeal: familiar conversation might puncture the prehistoric setting. But accepting the choice does not make the exchanges more rewarding, and the effort to maintain an unfamiliar language draws attention away from whatever the characters are trying to communicate. Victoria Vetri plays Sanna, Robin Hawdon plays Tara and Patrick Allen plays Kingsor, with Imogen Hassall as Ayak. There is a limit to how much a cast can achieve when the dialogue itself draws so much attention. We hesitate to blame the performers for failing to leave a stronger impression when the governing choice has made that task unnecessarily difficult. It also makes the film less inviting: there is only so much interest to be had in watching actors negotiate the same restriction. Dick Bush handles the cinematography, Peter Curran the editing and Mario Nascimbene the music. With dialogue operating this way, their work must carry an unusually heavy share of the explanation: pictures, rhythm and sound have to sustain our interest without the usual help from conversation. The language consequently affects how the whole adventure works. Its shortcomings cannot be treated as a minor eccentricity when they make it harder to become involved with the cast throughout a feature. Val Guest and J.G. Ballard have the writing credits, but those names should not encourage us to demand a different kind of film. A prehistoric fantasy deserves some freedom to be improbable, and taking its premise apart would be an easy way of avoiding the question of whether it entertains. The humour helps because it does not seem to come from contempt for the material. Nor does the seriousness become an instruction to admire everything. That is a sensible approach to this sort of adventure, even if the characters remain thin. At 100 minutes, the language is a substantial condition of entry, and our tolerance for it does not grow. The film earns some goodwill by knowing how lightly to take itself, then spends too much of that goodwill on a choice that limits its performers. We would not dismiss the pleasure available to an enthusiast of prehistoric fantasy. Approach it for that pleasure, with modest expectations of the people. *Fi1m score 63, published 26 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth worth watching?** *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth* is worth considering for enthusiasts of prehistoric fantasy, with modest expectations; we score it 63 out of 100. Its balance of danger and gentle send-up provides some amusement, but we find the invented language frustrating because it keeps the characters distant and limits what the performers can convey. **How long is When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, and what is it rated?** *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth* runs 1h 40m. It is an adventure and fantasy film. **Where can I watch When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth in Israel?** *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth* is not on any streaming or rental service in Israel at the moment. It is available in 1 other country; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth compare to The Red Turtle?** *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth* offers lightly comic prehistoric adventure, but we recommend [*The Red Turtle*](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle) as the more moving fantasy and the better use of limited conversation. The former’s invented speech keeps its characters distant; the latter makes its quiet rewarding, provided a patient island fable suits the evening. **What should I watch after When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth?** After *When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth*, try [*Fantastic Planet*](https://film.one/film/fantastic-planet) (1973, Fi1m 80): An animated fantasy where small humans have ample reason to fear their surroundings. Then [*The Red Turtle*](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle) (2016, Fi1m 84): For an island fantasy that makes a virtue of doing without conversation. ### Reviews we read (1) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the film harmless and says it deftly balances seriousness with send-up. They single out its invented prehistoric language as a drawback that leaves the actors struggling to make an impression. [Read](https://variety.com/1969/film/reviews/when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth-1200422044/) ## Details - **Director:** Val Guest - **Director:** Val Guest - **Writer:** Val Guest, J.G. Ballard - **Cinematography:** Dick Bush - **Editor:** Peter Curran - **Music:** Mario Nascimbene - **Producer:** Aida Young - **Cast:** Victoria Vetri as Sanna; Robin Hawdon as Tara; Patrick Allen as Kingsor; Drewe Henley as Khaku; Sean Caffrey as Kane; Magda Konopka as Ulido; Imogen Hassall as Ayak; Patrick Holt as Ammon - **Runtime:** 1h 40m - **First release (the UK):** 25 October 1970 - **Genres:** Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHaClZaXoJk ## Where to watch in Israel Not streaming, renting or buying in Israel at the last check. Also available in: IT. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1972: Best Visual Effects (nominated) ## If you liked this - *One Million Years B.C.* (1966): Another prehistoric fantasy for anyone happy to let the creatures lead. - *The Lost World* (1925): For dinosaur adventure from an earlier age of screen illusion. - *Quest for Fire* (1981): A more demanding imagined prehistory, with invented speech serving stronger human drama. - *Fantastic Planet* (1973), Fi1m 80: An animated fantasy where small humans have ample reason to fear their surroundings. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-planet.md) - *The Red Turtle* (2016), Fi1m 84: For an island fantasy that makes a virtue of doing without conversation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth