When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth

As a portion of the Sun breaks away to form the Moon, creating a fiery ball which causes violent upheavals on earth, Sanna, a beautiful young maiden of the primitive Rock Tribe, escapes the sacrifice for which she has been prepared and is swept out to sea by tremendous winds. She is eventually rescued by Tara, a fisherman of the Sand tribe, but her troubles are only just beginning. For Tara’s woman, Ayak, jealously provokes her people against Sanna, who flees into the wilderness and finds shelter in the egg of a dinosaur…..

Original trailer

Production Details

A Hammer Film production released by Warner Brothers
Copyright MCMLXIX Hammer Film Productions ltd. – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate

The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional

RCA Sound Recording
Technicolor 100 mins

Filming dates: 14th October – January 1969
UK Release: 25th October 1970

Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire – Special effects
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey

Location:
Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain
Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Fortaleza de Ansite, Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Caldera de Tejeda, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Amurga, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Stills from film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew – Verified Complete

CREW	NAME	CREDITED	AGE AT RELEASE	BIRTH	Hidden	DEATH	AGE	CREDITS	UNCREDITED	TOTAL HAMMER
2nd Unit Cameraman	Johnny Cabrera	Yes	45	14 Jan 1925		18 Apr 2014	89	1		1
2nd Unit Continuity	Susanna Merry	Yes						1		1
Art Director	John Blezard	Yes	43	1927		2018	91	1		1
Assistant Director	John Stoneman	Yes	31	1939	01/01/1939		86	1		1
Boon Operator	Bob Foley	No							1	1
Camera Operator	Ronnie Fox-Rogers	No	38	1932		30 Jan 2008	76		2	2
Clapper / Loader	Jerry Sandler	No	23	1 Dec 1946			78		3	3
Co-First Assistant Director: Spain	Miguel Gil	No							1	1
Construction Manager	Albert Blackshaw	Yes	44	5 Oct 1926		13 Jul 2016	89	1		1
Continuity	Josephine Knowles	Yes	39	1931		7 Apr 1989	58	1		1
Costume Designer	Carl Toms	Yes	43	29 May 1927		4 Aug 1999	72	7		7
Director	Val Guest	Yes	58	11 Dec 1911		10 May 2006	94	30		30
Director of Photography	Dick Bush BSc	Yes	38	2 Dec 1931		4 Aug 1997	65	3		3
Dubbing Editor	Frank Goulding	Yes				1991		4		4
Editor	Peter Curran	Yes	46	29 Sep 1924		Jun 1999	74	1		1
Effects Camerman	Jim Danforth	No	30	13 Jul 1940			85	1	1	2
First Assistant Director: Second Unit	Carlos Gil	No	22	12 May 1948			77		1	1
Focus Puller	Ray Andrew	No	30	1940	01/01/1940		85		3	3
Hairdressing Supervisor	Joyce James	Yes						2		2
Location Manager	Ariel Levy	No	26	12 Mar 1944			81	2	2	4
Make-up Supervisor	Richard Mills	Yes						3	4	7
Matte Artist	Peter Melrose	No	40	1930	01/01/1930		95	1	4	5
Matte Artist	Doug Ferris	No	39	1931	01/01/1931		94		2	2
Matte Artist	Les Bowie	No	56	10 Nov 1913		27 Jan 1979	65	30	13	43
Matte Artist	Ray Caple	No	32	5 Jan 1938		1993	54		7	7
Music and Special Musical Effects Composer	Mario Nascimbene	Yes	56	28 Nov 1913		6 Jan 2002	88	4		4
Musical Supervisor	Philip Martell	Yes	63	6 Oct 1907		11 Aug 1993	85	104	1	105
Plasterer	Ken Barley	No	25	1945	01/01/1945		80		1	1
Plasterer	Ken Powell	No							1	1
Producer	Aida Young	Yes	50	11 Aug 1920		12 Aug 2007	87	8	6	14
Production Manager	Christopher Sutton	Yes	39	1 Sep 1931			94	7		7
Sound Camera Operator	Patrick Heigham	No	27	7 Dec 1942			82		1	1
Sound Re-Recordist	Ted Karnon	No	58	23 Jan 1912		1991	78		1	1
Sound Recordist	Kevin Sutton	Yes						3		3
Sound Supervisor	A.W. Watkins	No	74	1 Dec 1895		Feb 1970	74		1	1
Special Effects	Brian Johnson	Yes	31	29 Jun 1939			86	3	7	10
Special Effects	Roger Dicken	Yes	31	15 Apr 1939		18 Feb 2024	84	2		2
Special Effects	Alan Bryce	Yes	42	21 Dec 1927		24 Dec 2000	73	2		2
Special Effects	Martin Gutteridge	No	31	1 Apr 1939			86		1	1
Special Effects	Garth Inns	No	27	12 Apr 1943		30 Jan 2021	82		2	2
Special Effects	Brian Humphrey	No							1	1
Special Visual Effects	Jim Danforth	Yes	30	13 Jul 1940			85	1	1	2
Stand-in: Sean Caffrey	Alan Harris	No	32	28 May 1938		25 Jan 2020	81		2	2
Stunts	Steve Emerson	No	35	31 Oct 1934			90		2	2
Stunts	Peter Pocock	No	36	1934		5 May 2007	73		2	2
Treatment by	J.B. Ballard	Yes	39	15 Nov 1930		19 Apr 2009	78	1		1
Visual Effects Assistant	David Allen	No	26	22 Oct 1944		16 Aug 1999	54		1	1
Wardrobe Master	Brian Owen-Smith	Yes						4		4
Writer	Val Guest	Yes	58	11 Dec 1911		10 May 2006	94	30		30
CAST
Ammon	Patrick Holt	Yes	58	31 Jan 1912		12 Oct 1993	81	3	1	4
Ayak	Imogen Hassall	Yes	28	25 Aug 1942		16 Nov 1980	38	1		1
Caveman	Dido Plumb	Yes	65	23 Jun 1905		4 Mar 1991	85		10	10
Caveman	Charles Price	No				9 May 2004			2	2
Cavewoman	Ann Barrass	No	40	9 Jul 1930		Nov 2017	87		2	2
Fisherman	Jimmy Lodge	Yes	46	1924		2009	85	1		1
Hunter	Billy Cornelius	Yes	36	18 Aug 1934			91	1		1
Hunter	Ray Ford	Yes						1		1
Kano	Sean Caffrey	Yes	30	15 Apr 1940		25 Apr 2013	73	2		2
Khaku	Drewe Henley	Yes	30	1940		14 Feb 2016	76	1		1
Kingsor	Patrick Allen	Yes	43	17 Mar 1927		28 Jul 2006	79	4	2	6
Minor Role	Polly Dillon	No							1	1
Omah	Maria OBrien	Yes	22	11 Apr 1948		13 Jan 2017	68	1		1
Rock Girl	Jan Rossini	Yes						1		1
Rock Mother	Maggie Lynton	Yes						1		1
Sand Mother	Connie Tilton	Yes	42	1928		27 Mar 2017	89	1		1
Sanna	Victoria Vetri	Yes	26	26 Sep 1944			80	1		1
Tara	Robin Hawdon	Yes	31	28 Mar 1939			86	1		1
Ulido	Magda Konopka	Yes	27	15 Mar 1943			82	1		1
With	John Levene	No	28	24 Dec 1941			83		1	1
With	Jacqueline Pullen	No							1	1
Yani	Carol-Anne Hawkins	Yes	21	31 Jan 1949			76	1		1
Young boy	Bruce Moore	No							1	1

Original Poster

Click to enlarge

Footnotes

The special effects for this film earned Hammer their one and only Academy Award nomination.

Victoria Vetri was another of those curvaceous young beauties whom Hammer appeared to be grooming for stardom. Again, though, like so many others she seems to have disappeared without trace after this film.

Actor Patrick Allen was well known to TV audiences for his role in the ITV drama series Crane. His films include the Planet Films sci-fi thriller Night of the Big Heat (1967, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee).

Actress Imogen Hassall was known for playing sexy, scantily clad characters in film and on TV. She committed suicide in 1980 at the age of 38.

1970 BBFC Cert. “X”

Production Details

Stills from film

Cast & Crew

Original Poster

Footnotes

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