Review: Rachel Gough - From Horror to Harbinger: The Evolution of Dinosaurs in Film

**Fig. 1 - Rachel Gough - From Horror to Harbinger: The Evolution of Dinosaurs in Film.**

With the celebration this month of the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993), the exploration of dinosaurs in popular culture takes centre stage, as this film and its franchise has achieved a vast global impact. But whilst dinosaurs appear at the forefront of popular culture (do they ever really leave?), we are currently considering the possibility of our own extinction event with the increasingly alarming climate news from North America. At the time of writing, New York finds itself enveloped in an eerie yellow haze caused by the Canadian wildfires, which have unleashed a wave of environmental concern. The skies, tinged with an unsettling hue, serve as a visible reminder of the far-reaching impact of climate change. This alarming development underscores the urgent need for collective action to address the root causes of climate change and its consequences on our ecosystems and communities – and this current cultural crisis is the heart of what Gough’s lecture on the evolving representation of dinosaurs in film is about.

The online event “From Horror to Harbinger: The Evolution of Dinosaurs in Film” (Fig. 1) held on the 8th June by The Open University Film and Media Research Group, hosted by Dr Mark Fryers (Open University) featuring a lecture from PhD researcher Rachel Gough (University College Cork), offered a platform for meaningful dialogue and reflection on the pressing challenges we face by critically analysing these representations and drawing parallels to our contemporary society. Whilst the lecture only lasted 30 minutes followed by a Q&A session, the number of ideas and history that was covered by Gough was impressive. Her presentation commenced with a concise historical account of how dinosaurs have been represented and integrated into popular culture. She offered an overarching examination of Richard Owens' influential classification of dinosaurs in 1842 and shed light on the possible perceptions of dinosaurs during the Victorian era. Describing dinosaurs as creatures bordering on the mythical, Victorians believed to be so lacking in intelligence that the dinosaurs’ own extinction became an inevitability, Gough proceeded to showcase examples of paleontological art preceding and succeeding Owens’ work (Figs. 2 and 3). The featured images existed in a realm that merged formative and fantastical elements, providing support for Gough's contention that uncertainty lingers as to whether these depictions serve aesthetic or narrative functions. This ambiguity surrounding the perception of dinosaurs as either mythical beasts or extinct species carried over into the realm of cinema. Transitioning to the domain of film, Gough discussed the earliest references to dinosaurs, notably highlighting D.W. Griffith's Brute Force and Winsor McKay's Gertie the Dinosaur, both from 1914. Although these works presented diverse representations of dinosaurs and existed in different mediums, Gough contended that these representational frameworks remained unchallenged for nearly eight decades. Subsequently, she delved into her primary argument, exploring three distinct representational tendencies of dinosaurs: terror, anthropomorphism, and scientific depiction.

Embarking on an analysis of terror, Gough drew a comparison between two notable texts: The Rite of Spring (Bill Roberts Paul Satterfield, 1940) and The Pastoral Symphony (Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley and Ford Beebe, 1940) from Disney's Fantasia (Ben Sharpsteen et al., 1940) (Fig. 4). She examined how both narratives involve unfamiliar creatures in nature, yet The Rite of Spring evokes a more disconcerting and uncomfortable response compared to the serene and beautiful depiction in The Pastoral Symphony. Gough proposed that our ability to identify more with the centaurs than the dinosaurs in The Pastoral Symphony stems from a deliberate dissuasion from associating with the "other," driven by a rejection of the terror associated with absolute extinction. Shifting focus to anthropomorphism, Gough showcased a poignant scene from The Land Before Time (Don Bluth, 1988) in which the demise of Littlefoot's mother is depicted. In contrast to the dying dinosaur sequences in The Rite of Spring, Gough emphasized how the mise-en-scène of this scene transformed the dinosaurs into characters capable of experiencing complex emotions, highlighting the fact that such emotional depth is not exclusive to humans.

**Fig. 4 – *The Rite of Spring* and *The Pastoral Symphony*.**

Next, Gough examined the scientific approach to dinosaur representation, centring her analysis on the highly successful television show Walking with Dinosaurs (Tim Haines and Jasper James, 1999). Placing the release date of the show in 1999 within the context of contemporaneous environmental news encompassing climate change and the biodiversity crisis, Gough argued that the television programme presented dinosaurs as highly intelligent, sophisticated creatures that ultimately became extinct due to their inability to avert a global climate catastrophe. By exploring mass extinction through this scientific lens, Gough asserted that viewers can confront the concept removed from moralistic or political contexts.

Concluding the presentation, Gough shifted her focus to the latest instalment of the Jurassic franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion (Colin Trevorrow, 2022). She contended that the film draws parallels between its fictional world and our own, emphasizing the delicate interconnectedness of our global ecosystem. While the dinosaurs exist within the diegesis of the film, Gough asserted that they also remain an integral part of our reality. In her closing statement, she says it best as she ends her talk by stating, “whether it’s in their descendants the birds, or in the fuel that we use to power our cars, meaningful cultural engagement with these creatures may serve as the antidote to the very real climate threats we face.” An insightful Q&A session followed the lecture in which Gough examined thoughts on different animation techniques and how this affects representation, anti-capitalist ideologies, and moral and socio-cultural imperatives onto dinosaurs.

Whilst this was only a short event, the detailed exploration of its topic and its current cultural relevance was significant. Through her meticulous analysis of dinosaur representation throughout history, Gough highlighted the deep-rooted connections between popular media, human perception, and environmental consciousness. By exploring the multifaceted aspects of terror, anthropomorphism, and scientific depictions, the lecture illuminated the complex interplay between aesthetics, narratives, and our collective understanding of the natural world. Moreover, Gough's insightful examination of the latest Jurassic instalment (read our review here) underscored the relevance of dinosaurs as symbols of our interconnectedness with the fragile ecosystem we inhabit. Against the backdrop of the ongoing Canadian wildfires that have reached the vicinity of New York City, the discussion around dinosaurs gains added significance, highlighting our interconnectedness with the natural world and the urgent need for environmental awareness. This thought-provoking lecture ultimately emphasized the profound cultural impact of dinosaur representations, fostering an appreciation for their continued significance in shaping our perspectives on nature, climate change, and our responsibility towards environmental stewardship.

**Article published: June 23, 2023**

References

Milman, Oliver. 2023. “Air pollution in US from wildfire smoke is worst in recent recorded history” The Guardian, June 8, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/08/air-quality-record-smoke-hazard-wildfire-worst-day-ever-canada-new-york

Owen, Richard. 1842. "Report on British Fossil Reptiles: Part II". Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 11: 60–204.

Biography

Fern Parsons is an MA Film Studies graduate from the University of Southampton, having previously obtained a Film Studies degree from the University of Winchester. During her studies her research interests varied from Jim Henson’s Labyrinth to Bong Joon-ho’s Okja. Her MA dissertation was a star study on Jeff Goldblum entitled “The Blumaissance: Jeff Goldblum’s career renaissance” in which she sought to explore how internet culture has transformed Goldblum’s star status. When she is not searching for the latest Goldblum memes she can be found re-watching her favourite Studio Ghibli movies, her love of them even extends to a tattoo of Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service.