The Last Dinosaur

The Last Dinosaur Directed by Tsugunobu Kotani, Alexander Grasshoff Producer Noboru Tsuburaya, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Kazuyoshi Kasai, Benni Korzen, Kinshiro Ohkubo, Masaki Izuka Written by William Overgard Music by Kenjiro Hirose, Maury Laws Distributor TohoJP, American Broadcasting CompanyUS Running time 106 minutesJP (1 hour, 46 minutes) 95 minutesUS 1 hour, 35 minutes) Aspect ratio 1.85:1

The Last Dinosaur (極底探検船: ポーラーボーラ,   Kyokutei Tanken-sen: Pōrā-Bōra, lit. Expedition Under the Pole: Polar-Borer) is a 1977 tokusatsu kaiju film co-produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and Tsuburaya Productions and distributed by Toho. In the United States, it first aired on ABC on February 11, 1977, while the Japanese theatrical release took place in October 1977.

Plot

Wealthy big-game hunter Masten Thrust, using his company's advanced drilling vehicle, the Polar-Borer, leads an expedition to a mysterious underground pocket beneath the North Pole which is inhabited by several dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, including a tribe of primitive humans. The expedition takes a dangerous turn when a Tyrannosaurus rex destroys the Polar-Borer, leaving the crew stranded in a mysterious primitive world, where they are stalked by the T-Rex and various other dangerous creatures.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

• Directed by   Tsugunobu Kotani, Alexander Grasshoff
• Written by   William Overgard
• Produced by   Noboru Tsuburaya, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Kazuyoshi Kasai, Benni Korzen, Kinshiro Ohkubo, Masaki Izuka
• Music by   Kenjiro Hirose, Maury Laws, Nancy Wilson
• Cinematography by   Shoji Ueda
• Edited by   Minoru Kozono, Yoshitami Kuroiwa, Tatsuji Nakashizu
• Production design by   Kazuhiko Fujiwara
• Assistant directing by   Shohei Tojo
• Special effects by   Kazuo Sagawa, Yoshiyuki Yoshimura

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

• Richard Boone   as   Masten Thrust Jr.
• Joan Van Ark   as   Francesca Banks
• Steven Keats   as   Chuck Wade
• Luther Rackley   as   Bunta
• Masumi Sekiya   as   Hazel
• William Ross   as   Hal
• Carl Hansen   as   Barney
• Tetsu Nakamura   as   Dr. Kawamoto
• Don Maloney   as   Captain of Mother 1
• Vanessa Cristina   as   Reporter
• Shunsuke Kariya   as   Primal Man leader
• Toru Kawai   as   Tyrannosaurus rex
• Tatsumi Nikamoto   as   Head of Triceratops

Appearances

Monsters Tyrannosaurus rex Triceratops Pteranodon Ceratopsian Giant Turtle Giant Fish Giant Leeches Boneyard

Weapons, Vehicles, and Races Polar-Borer Mother 1 Primitive Man McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 Bell 205

Gallery

Main article: The Last Dinosaur/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: The Last Dinosaur (Soundtrack).

Alternate Titles

• Expedition Under the Pole: Polar-Borer (Literal Japanese title)
• Last Dinosaur - King of Monsters (Viimeinen Dinosaurus - Hirviöitten Kuningas; Finland)

U.S. Release

American The Last Dinosaur television ad

The Last Dinosaur was scheduled for theatrical releases in both Japan and the United States, however it was decided at the last moment to release the film straight to television in the U.S. The film was aired on television by ABC, and had 11 minutes cut from its run time, while it was later released uncut theatrically in Japan by Toho. Warner Bros. finally released the uncut English version of the film in 2011 on DVD.

Video Releases

Toho DVD (2009)

• Discs: 1
• Region: 2
• Audio: Japanese, English
• Subtitles:
• Special Features: Audio commentary by director Tsugunobu Kotani and actress Masumi Sekitani, message from actress Sekitani, interview with special effects director Kazuo Sagawa (13 minutes), behind-the-scenes footage narrated by Sagawa, production galleries, Japanese trailer

Warner Archives DVD (2011)

• Region: N/A
• Discs: 1
• Audio: English (2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: None
• Special Features: None
• Notes: Made-to-order DVD-R.

Videos

Clips

Warner Bros. The Last Dinosaur promotional clip Warner Bros. The Last Dinosaur promotional clip Warner Bros. The Last Dinosaur promotional clip

Trivia

• This film was a co-production between Tsuburaya Productions and Rankin/Bass, who previously collaborated with Toho to make King Kong Escapes ten years earlier.
• This film is also the second non-Ultra Series film collaboration between Toho and Tsuburaya Productions, the first being Daigoro vs. Goliath.
• After this film, the Tyrannosaurus rex suit was refurbished and reused in two more Tsuburaya Productions projects, both times as recurring, but otherwise unrelated villains: Ururu (alias Emperor Tyrannos) in Dinosaur Great War Izenborg (1977-1978) and Tyrannosaurus Jackie in Dinosaur Squadron Koseidon (1978-1979).
• The Tyrannosaurus rex in this film is portrayed by Toru Kawai, who played Godzilla in Zone Fighter and Terror of Mechagodzilla, while the front end of the Triceratops is portrayed by Tatsumi Nikamoto, who acted opposite Kawai as Zone Fighter and Titanosaurus in the two works, respectively.

References

This is a list of references for The Last Dinosaur. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]