I’ve never been a huge fan of caveman movies but I recognize
that they have their place. For me the two best were ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.
because, well, it had Raquel Welch in a skimpy outfit and I had just hit
puberty. The other as CAVEMAN with Ringo Starr, a hilarious movie that should
be sought out. That being said I wasn’t sure what to expect with this movie.
The film opens with a group of lederhosen travelers seeking
shelter in a cave while hiking only to find an archeologist inside checking out
some markings on the wall. To pass the time he begins to interpret them for the
group. Naturally those in his story look like members of this group.
The story is fairly simple yet fills the movie’s time well.
We’re introduced to a tribe of rock dwelling cavemen who have little concern
for one another. It’s a rule by strength caste system. Our hero is Tumak
(Victor Mature), the son of the tribe’s leader. This tribe wanders in search of
food with tree limbs as clubs. When Tumak kills an animal and they go to eat,
he offends his father and is banished from the tribe.
Tumak wanders and fall unconscious into a river which takes
him downstream. There he is discovered by Loana (Carole Landis), a member of
the shell tribe. She calls for help and she and her tribe take him back to
their cave. Once awake Tumak finds this tribe completely different from his
own. They share food, help one another and have fashioned spears from the
branches and stones they’ve found.
Eventually Tumak falls prey to his old way of doing things
and steals a spear from a tribe member. This causes Loana’s father, the head of
the tribe, to cast him out. Tumak takes Loana with him and they are on their
own. They come across two dinosaurs fighting one another and when Tumak sends
Loana for cover, she is found by his old tribe. Tumak comes to her rescue and
begins to teach his old tribe the lessons he has learned from Loana’s. An
eventual unification of the two tribes is in the works and if you didn’t see it
coming right from the start you’ve not seen many movies.
So is the movie any good? Is it entertaining? The easy
answer is yes to both questions. One has to take into consideration that the
movie was made back in 1940 long before CGI created creatures took over movie
screens. A combination of animals and people in costumes as well as rear
projection footage of larger lizards made to appear enormous made this film a
spectacle for audiences of the day. So much so that the film was nominated for
an Oscar for special effects.
The dialogue once we get into the story could be posted on
two pages if that. It is the visual story that is going on here not the words
being spoken. This provides a chance for actors to perform with their body
language and motions rather than their oratory skills. And it works quite well.
The print being offered here is the best available and
probably not seen this way since the film was originally released. Digitally
restored by VCI you won’t find a better presentation. This version also has a
commentary track by film expert Toby Roan as one of the few extras. There is
also a stills gallery with tons of ad artwork and stills from the film.
This might not be the first item you pick up off a shelf to
purchase when you go shopping but for film fans it will be something to
treasure. It’s a piece of film history, more so than the story it tells.
Click here to order.
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