THE LOST FILMS FANZINE PRESENTS MOVIE MILESTONES #2, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) and the looming 50th anniversary of Creatures the World Forgot (1971) with an eye towards the obscure and the unmade. For instance, did you know that When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth began with the title of Curse of the Dinosaurs with the hope that Raquel Welch might return as Loana? Or, that the film was also meant to feature giant ants, eels, and a Tyrannosaurus at one point? Did you know that Creatures the World Forgot has some surprising ties to the late David Allen's still-in-development The Primevals? What about When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth's cancelled sequel, Dinosaur Girl, and a Hammer remake of King Kong? Also aborted was When the Earth Cracked Open, a caveman adventure set to star Caroline Munro with effects by Ray Harryhausen. Explore this exciting, hidden history along with brief coverage of related films like Prehistoric Women (1967), When Women Had Tails (1970), and Caveman (1981).

ジョン・ルメイが紡ぐ本作の本質は、銀幕の裏側に葬られた「可能性の考古学」にあります。特撮黄金時代の熱気と、日の目を見なかった幻の構想が持つ未完の美学を浮き彫りにする筆致は圧巻です。失われた物語への敬愛が滲む論考は、読者の想像力を刺激し、特撮というジャンルが内包する果てしない創造の情熱を鮮やかに描き出しています。 映像化作品が視覚的な迫力で観客を魅了する一方、本書はテキストならではの「論理の深み」でその背景を補完します。脚本の変遷や幻の怪獣が象徴する時代精神を解析するルメイの視点は、映像体験をより重層的なものへと変貌させます。書籍と映像が共鳴することで初めて完成する、映画史の欠片を埋める知的興奮こそが、本作を味わう真の醍醐味です。