Iceman (1984)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

John Drimmer (screenplay)
John Drimmer (story)

Release Date:

13 April 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

HE'S 40,000 YEARS OLD. Deep within an Arctic glacier they found him, preserved by a miracle of nature, brought back to life by a miracle of science. Now medical science wants to exploit him in the name of research. One man wants to stop them...in the name of humanity. But he'll need more than a miracle to survive...he'll need a friend.

Plot:

An anthropologist who is part of an arctic exploration team discovers the body of a prehistoric man who is still alive...

Plot Keywords:

Prehistoric | Arctic | Language Barrier | Frozen In Ice | Ice

Cast

Timothy Hutton	...	Dr. Stanley Shephard
Lindsay Crouse	...	Dr. Diane Brady
John Lone	...	Charlie, the Iceman
Josef Sommer	...	Whitman
David Strathairn	...	Dr. Singe
Philip Akin	...	Dr. Vermeil
Danny Glover	...	Loomis
Amelia Hall	...	Prof. Mabel Chapman
Richard Monette	...	Hogan
James Tolkan	...	Maynard
Stephen E. Miller	...	Temp Doc
David Petersen	...	Scatem Doc
Judith Berlin	...	E.K.G. Doc
Paul Batten	...	Technician
Lovie Eli	...	Nurse

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-8 | Germany:16 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #27277) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Director Fred Schepisi was fired by the studio and producer Daniel Melnick after Schepisi personally agreed to shoot "the original ending" from the original script as intended. However, Schepisi did not do this and was immediately let go.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Charlie is looking upwards to the helicopter, his open mouth reveals a large number of silver fillings. Such dentistry, obviously, wouldn't have been available during the stone age.

Quotes:

Charlie, the Iceman: [Charlie brings a dark object to Brady]
Dr. Diane Brady: What's that?
Doctor Stanley Shephard: An offering. He wants you to eat it.
Dr. Diane Brady: I was afraid you'd say that.
Dr. Diane Brady: [She eat it and then gags]
Dr. Diane Brady: What was that?
Doctor Stanley Shephard: A beetle. What did it taste like?
Dr. Diane Brady: A beetle. I think I'm going to throw up.
Doctor Stanley Shephard: Don't! He'll take it as a bad omen.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Andromeda Strain" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Heart of Gold

a drastically underrated movie

People think Timothy Hutton didn't do any good movies after winning the Oscar for Ordinary People, but that's not true. Among other really good movies he's done are Q&A, Taps, Falcon & The Snowman, French Kiss, and Iceman, which is way better than you'd think it would be, considering the plot is so much like Encino Man. Scintists dig up a Neanderthal and thaw him out. Some want to study him, and one (Hutton, in a good performance) just wants to communicate with him. Most of the actors are good (Danny Glover has a small role) and the script isn't stupid. The Iceman comes off as a real person, not just a furry guy with a club. Like Quest For Fire, the guy is played as a primitive person, not just an ape.

The Iceman is played by John Lone (the bad guy in Year of the Dragon and the star of The Last Emperor), He almost unrecognizable under all the makeup, but his performance is right on the money, A lot of his acting is through body language, and its really good. He conveys many emotions with subtle and unsubtle movements. Again, this is underrated movie, and Mr. Lone should have gotten an Oscar of his own for his performance.