The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

A young Cro-Magnons woman is raised by Neanderthals.

Director:

Michael Chapman

Writers:

Jean M. Auel (novel), John Sayles (screenplay)

Stars:

Daryl Hannah, Pamela Reed, James Remar

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daryl Hannah	...	Ayla
Pamela Reed	...	Iza
James Remar	...	Creb
Thomas G. Waites	...	Broud
John Doolittle	...	Brun
Curtis Armstrong	...	Goov
Martin Doyle	...	Grod
Adel Hammoud	...	Vorn (as Adel C. Hammoud)
Tony Montanaro	...	Zoug
Mike Muscat	...	Dorv
John Wardlow	...	Droog
Keith Wardlow	...	Crug
Karen Elizabeth Austin	...	Aba (as Karen Austin)
Barbara Duncan	...	Uka
Gloria Lee	...	Oga

Storyline

At a time in prehistory when Neanderthals shared the Earth with early Homo sapiens, a band of cave-dwellers adopt blond and blue-eyed Ayla, a child of the "Others". As Ayla matures into a young woman of spirit and courage (unlike other women of the clan), she must fight for survival against the jealous bigotry of Broud, who will one day be clan leader. Based on Jean M. Auel's popular book, there is minimal narration; subtitles translate the Neanderthal gestures and primitive spoken language.

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Plot Keywords:

neanderthal | prehistory | cave bear | tradition | cro magnon | 

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Taglines:

At The Dawn Of Mankind, A Woman Led The Way.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ayla und der Clan des Bären

Filming Locations:

Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,953,732 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Producers Sales Organization (PSO), Guber-Peters Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Cinema Snob Atop the Fourth Wall: Bimbos B.C. (2011)

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Soundtracks

"HEROINE"
Written by Michael Brook
Performed by Sinéad O'Connor
Courtesy of Virgin Records

User Reviews

I watch it again - and again!

When I saw it was on the TV I got up at 2 in the morning to watch this film! I just couldn't wait until the morning! I thought it was really good but advice to anyone is READ THE BOOK! The story is absolutely captivating and involving from the start. Darryl Hannah is a good Ayla (if not a little old

• she is supposed to be 12!) and the film does well with the language

problem. The hand signals are good and there aren't too many sub-titles. I really like the music as well. I think this is a good attempt at summarising Jean Auel's work (which is really very difficult to film successfully) - But summary is the right word so you are really missing out until you read the novel - there is so much more to it- I think the film could be a little longer - it is a 800 page book! Even though it doesn't live up to the book it's still really good fun to see. I also think that a film of her later books would be a success - especially as the language isn't a problem then. My sister watched it before reading the book and she was hooked, so it's definitely a success whether you are familiar or otherwise with this compelling story. I think it's a real shame that it's deleted in the UK! It should be on TV more often so people have a chance to watch it.

On the whole I would advise any fan who is prepared to be open-minded to watch it - you are in for a treat. If you are just going to nit-pick about the plot - Forget It!