The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Michael Chapman

Writers:

Jean M. Auel (novel)
John Sayles (writer)

Release Date:

17 January 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

At the dawn of mankind, a woman led the way.

Plot:

A young Cro-Magnons woman is raised by Neanderthals.

Plot Keywords:

Neanderthal | Cave Bear | Survival | Cro Magnon | Spirits

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Daryl Hannah	...	Ayla
Pamela Reed	...	Iza
James Remar	...	Creb
Thomas G. Waites	...	Broud
John Doolittle	...	Brun
Curtis Armstrong	...	Goov
Martin Doyle	...	Grod
Tony Montanaro	...	Zoug
Mike Muscat	...	Dorv
John Wardlow	...	Droog
Keith Wardlow	...	Crug
Barbara Duncan	...	Uka
Gloria Lee	...	Oga
Janne Mortil	...	Ovra
Lycia Naff	...	Uba

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Australia:M | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Decade

Trivia:

A planned back-to-back sequel never made it into production.

Quotes:

Brun: You want to be a leader, Broud, but a man who hits his people can never lead the Clan.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Andromeda Strain" (2008)

Soundtrack:

HEROINE

An intense story of a young woman's survival

If the movie lacks anything it is the beauty of the photography in films like "Quest for Fire" and "Windwalker". Otherwise I can't find any serious flaws. It is rare to find a decent movie about prehistoric peoples. "Quest for Fire" is the best movie of this kind in my opinion but "Clan of the Cave Bear" is a close second.

I am not trying to compare "Cave Bear" to the books by Jean M. Auel. To me the film takes the best part of Auel's story and makes a pretty good movie. The later Auel stories become more romance novel fodder and to some that may be more entertaining. "Clan of the Cave Bear" is not romantic. It captures the brutality of prehistory very well for a fiction film. I've seen documentaries about the Neanderthal and was surprised how accurately "Cave Bear" showed that time. The flaws in human nature are shown in all their rawness in this movie. There is prejudice, oppression and abuse in full force. What makes it bearable for me is how the Darryl Hannah character is able to deal with this and eventually over come it.

"Cave Bear" also shows some of the ritual of stone age culture with the Shaman and the hunting rites of passage. There is some beauty in that culture. But the bottom line for these people is survival and that was a very difficult thing to accomplish. They were scratching and clawing (literally) just to eat and raise children. And sadly we know that they are doomed (except for a few Neanderthals who possibly interbred with Cro-Magnons).

This kind of documentary approach in "Cave Bear" will not thrill those who want a stone age comedy-romance, "Caveman", or a special effects absurdity of prehistoric people fighting lots of dinosaurs, "One Million BC", (which is historically impossible). But if you can appreciate an intense story of a young woman's survival in the wild and her experience with a lost stone age culture, then I recommend "Clan of the Cave Bear". 9/10