reptiles from the water

walking through the village

 I've never seen an elasmosaurus look great in a movie.  it's probably an aesthetic thing, I'll admit.  they just never look like I'd want them to.

but there have been a lot in films, and here's one of the first that I ever saw, the one from

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth

(1970).  I got this as an 11 minute 8mm comp in the early 70s, from K-Mart.  those were the days, when you actually owned film.  this was in glorious b/w and had three or four of the animated scenes in it.  the elasmosaurus attack was the first one.

time for roast beast!

I've still never been quite sure what the animal was doing.  however it's an exciting sequence with the cave people using some grease and fire to defeat the beast.

the stop-motion animation by Jim Danforth is very good, though I feel sorry for the beast as it's burned to death. it sure is an unusual critter, with claws on it's flippers and being able to walk on land.  at the time, I do believe the conventional wisdom thought all plesiosaurs could do that, as they didn't realize they would give birth live in the ocean.  I sure wish I liked the movie itself more than I do, though.