One Million Years B.C.

Hammer Film Productions and Seven Arts Productions
Company type	Film production companies
Industry	Film production
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Films, including One Million Years B.C. (1966)

One Million Years B.C. is a 1966 British adventure film produced collaboratively by Hammer Film Productions and Seven Arts Productions, under the direction of Don Chaffey. This movie serves as a remake of the 1940 American fantasy title One Million B.C., featuring performances by Raquel Welch and John Richardson. The narrative is set in an imagined prehistoric period where cavemen and dinosaurs coexist. Filming occurred on the Canary Islands during late 1965. The version released in the United Kingdom utilized dye transfer Technicolor, whereas the American release, distributed by 20th Century Fox in 1967, was shortened by nine minutes and presented in DeLuxe Color.

The film takes considerable liberties with historical timelines, depicting humans living alongside dinosaurs despite these species having existed millions of years apart. The dinosaur scenes were crafted by acclaimed stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, who prioritized entertainment value over paleontological accuracy.

Plot

The Rock tribe, characterized by dark hair and led by chief Akhoba along with his sons Tumak and Sakana, returns from hunting a warthog to share their catch. A conflict over the meat leads Akhoba to exile Tumak into the desert. Tumak endures encounters with ancient creatures and is eventually found by Loana and the fair-haired Shell tribe, who possess more advanced skills than the Rock tribe.

Meanwhile, Sakana attempts to usurp leadership by attacking Akhoba, who survives but is left incapacitated; Sakana assumes control.

While with the Shell tribe, Tumak rescues a girl from an Allosaurus attack, earning Loana’s admiration. Following a dispute over a spear with Shell member Ahot, Tumak faces banishment; Loana chooses to accompany him. They return to the Rock tribe amid escalating tensions and witness confrontations between dinosaurs. Loana defeats Tumak’s former partner Nupondi in a tribal combat but spares her life. Sakana resents their efforts to blend Shell customs with those of the Rock tribe.

During a swim, Loana is captured by a Pteranodon but is rescued after a struggle involving a Rhamphorhynchus; she falls into the sea and reunites with Tumak.

Sakana leads an uprising against Akhoba. Tumak, Loana, Ahot, and members of the Shell tribe join the ensuing conflict. A volcanic eruption results in numerous casualties; Sakana is killed by a spear while Akhoba is crushed. The survivors unite under Tumak’s leadership to search for a new homeland.

Cast

Raquel Welch as Loana
John Richardson as Tumak
Percy Herbert as Sakana
Robert Brown as Akhoba
Martine Beswick as Nupondi
as Ahot

Development

After experiencing success with remakes, Hammer Films intended to produce a new version of King Kong but were unable to secure the rights. Consequently, Kenneth Hyman of Seven Arts Productions, Hammer’s financial associate, along with producer Michael Carreras, opted to remake One Million B.C. from 1940 instead. Carreras engaged Ray Harryhausen for special effects and appointed Don Chaffey as director.

Initially, Hammer offered the role of Loana to Ursula Andress, who declined due to scheduling conflicts and salary expectations. Raquel Welch, then contracted with Fox—the American distributor—was cast in her place. Although initially hesitant, Welch accepted partly because it allowed her to work in London during its vibrant cultural period. Her co-star John Richardson had recently appeared alongside Andress in She.

Shooting

The outdoor sequences were filmed during winter on the Canary Islands, specifically Lanzarote and Tenerife. To pay tribute to Tenerife’s unique plant life, the film showcased the Echium wildpretii; however, since the actual flowering period and location did not coincide with the shoot, artificial replicas of these plants were used.

As there were no active volcanoes nearby, the production team built a 6–7 ft (2-metre) volcano on the backlot of the Associated British Picture Corporation. The lava effects were crafted using a mixture of wallpaper paste, oatmeal, dry ice, and red dye. Ray Harryhausen produced the dinosaur animations at his London studio.

To blend animation with live-action elements for greater authenticity—a technique favored by Harryhausen—the film included six live animals: a vulture, python, green iguana, warthog, Manx Loaghtan sheep, and tarantula.

A dinosaur skeleton prop measuring only about 12 inches was filmed against a blue backdrop to create an illusion of scale. The attack scene featuring a juvenile Allosaurus incorporated footage from the original movie and involved intricate effects combining actors suspended on wires with animated models to enhance realism.

The Pteranodon sequence demanded creative approaches; instead of using a large crane lift, Raquel Welch’s character appeared to fall behind a rock while a model Pteranodon swooped down carrying a stand-in figure resembling her. The nest was superimposed onto actual rock formations through double printing. During a confrontation involving Pteranodon and Rhamphorhynchus, Welch was released from dummy claws onto a mattress while cuts alternated with wire-supported models.

Robert Brown’s makeup as Akhoba was designed to echo Lon Chaney Jr.’s portrayal in the 1940 original film.

Fur bikini

In the movie, Welch donned a fur and hide bikini described as "mankind's first bikini" and recognized as an iconic 1960s look. A publicity photograph of this costume became a highly popular pinup poster and evolved into a cultural icon.

The theatrical poster was designed by artist Tom Chantrell, who adapted this famous image featuring Welch alongside striking red typography and dinosaurs.

Costume designer Carl Toms crafted three tailored bikinis for Welch, including specialized versions for wet scenes and fight sequences. The well-known pose was captured by the unit still photographer during a 20th Century Fox promotional event in Tenerife.

This poster also makes an appearance as part of the storyline in the film The Shawshank Redemption.

Music

Composer Mario Nascimbene was responsible for scoring the film. In 1985, Intermezzo released a limited edition 7-track vinyl soundtrack in Italy. A later CD compilation featuring this score alongside other Hammer films appeared in 1994 but is now out of print.

The original soundtrack included the following tracks:

Release

The film debuted on 25 October 1966 at London's Warner Theatre and saw general release across the UK on 30 December 1966 through Warner-Pathé. It arrived in the United States on 21 February 1967 via 20th Century Fox. The American cut was shortened by approximately nine minutes to appeal to a wider audience; edits removed scenes such as a dance performed by Martine Beswick, a graphic death involving an ape man, and portions of the young Allosaurus attack. The British Board of Film Classification initially assigned it an A rating on 17 October 1966; for its 1989 video release by Warner Home Video Ltd., it was reclassified as PG.

Home video

The movie was first made available on VHS and laserdisc formats. In 2002, Warner Bros. released a DVD in the UK that included a "Raquel Welch in the Valley of the Dinosaurs" featurette, a 12-minute interview with Ray Harryhausen, and the original theatrical trailer. A Region 1 DVD featuring the U.S. version was subsequently issued in 2004 by 20th Century Fox.

In October 2016, Studio Canal introduced a special two-disc 50th anniversary edition DVD and Blu-ray set in the UK, which featured new interviews with Welch and Beswick, Harryhausen’s storyboard images, and promotional materials. The U.S. Blu-ray edition, released on 14 February 2017 through Kino Lorber Studio Classics, includes both the international and American cuts along with a wealth of bonus content such as earlier interviews with Welch and Harryhausen and an audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas.

Box office

Despite facing censorship in the United States, the film generated $2.5 million from U.S. rentals within its first year. It was among the top twelve box office hits in Britain during 1967. According to Fox’s records, the film required $2.25 million in rentals to break even but ultimately earned $4.425 million, resulting in a profitable outcome.

The film was re-released in the UK in 1968 as part of a double feature alongside Hammer’s She (1965), where it ranked as the ninth most successful theatrical release that year.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 67% approval rating based on 15 critical reviews, with an average score of 5.64 out of 10. Contemporary critiques described it as "lighthearted, action-packed commercial entertainment" tailored to younger viewers while commending Hammer’s production values and Don Chaffey’s direction. More recent assessments emphasize its campy charm and highlight Ray Harryhausen’s pioneering special effects work. TV Guide remarked that although it may not be among Harryhausen’s finest efforts, it contains exceptional effects that enthusiasts will appreciate.

Legacy

All of the dinosaur models used in this film have been preserved; notably, the Ceratosaurus and Triceratops were later adapted for use in The Valley of Gwangi (1969) as Gwangi the Allosaurus and the Styracosaurus. This production launched Hammer’s series of prehistoric-themed films, which continued with titles such as Prehistoric Women (1967), When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), and Creatures the World Forgot (1971). Footage depicting a landslide from this movie was reutilized in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Although not directly connected, a 1970 follow-up film borrowed some terminology from both this movie and its 1940 predecessor, including words like M’Kan (meaning Kill) and Akita (meaning Look/there). The character Akhoba appears in both films; in the 1970 version, this name translates to mercy.

A comic strip adaptation spanning 15 pages appeared in the May 1978 issue of House of Hammer (volume 2 #14, published by Top Sellers Ltd), illustrated by John Bolton with a script by Steve Moore. The cover art for that issue showcased a painting of Welch wearing her iconic fur bikini by Brian Lewis.

In terms of cultural influence within business-related pop culture, Welch’s poster portraying Loana is featured prominently in the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, where it conceals Andy Dufresne’s tunnel excavation. The movie Belfast from 2021 also references this film when characters attend a screening.

The design of Welch’s fur bikini inspired the creation of Ayla, a prehistoric heroine in the 1995 video game Chrono Trigger. Ayla’s deliberately anachronistic appearance draws upon this film’s fusion of prehistoric settings with dinosaur-era fantasy elements, underscoring its enduring impact on how prehistoric stories are depicted across media.

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