Quest for Fire (1981)

This story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

Gérard Brach (screenplay) (as Gerard Brach), J.H. Rosny Sr. (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Kadi

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Everett McGill	...	Naoh
Ron Perlman	...	Amoukar
Nicholas Kadi	...	Gaw (as Nameer El-Kadi)
Rae Dawn Chong	...	Ika
Gary Schwartz	...	Rouka - The Ulam Tribe
Naseer El-Kadi	...	Nam - The Ulam Tribe
Franck-Olivier Bonnet	...	Aghoo - The Ulam Tribe (as Frank Olivier Bonnet)
Jean-Michel Kindt	...	Lakar - The Ulam Tribe
Kurt Schiegl	...	Faum - The Ulam Tribe
Brian Gill	...	Modoc - The Ulam Tribe
Terry Fitt	...	Hourk - The Ulam Tribe
Bibi Caspari	...	Gammla - The Ulam Tribe
Peter Elliott	...	Mikr - The Ulam Tribe
Michelle Leduc	...	Matr - The Ulam Tribe
Robert Lavoie	...	Tsor - The Ulam Tribe

Storyline

Anthony Burgess created the primitive language for the early humans in this prehistoric adventure about a trio of warriors who travel the savanna, encountering sabre-toothed tigers, mammoths and cannibalistic tribes in search of a flame that would replace the fire their tribe has lost.

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Plot Keywords:

prehistory | saber toothed tiger | fire | tribe | travel | 

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Taglines:

The future began 80,000 years ago!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of this movie in French is "La Guerre du feu" and that is translated to "The War of fire", the German title is "Am anfang war das feuer" which means "At the beginning was the fire" and of course the English title is "Quest for fire". A trivial side note to this trivia, the fact that man living in such close proximity as Africa and on to England, France, and Germany yet all speak different languages reinforces the story line of the movie giving examples that early man was tribal and formed closed groups that depended on each other for survival.

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Goofs

There were no saber-toothed cats in Europe at any time. Saber-Toothed cats evolved in North America, then spread to South America during the Great American Interchange (when the Isthmus of Panama rose from the sea and connected North and South America). There *were* very large cave lions (Panthera Spelea) in Europe, but they had the regular dentition of modern African lions (Panthera Leo).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: 80,000 years ago, man's survival in a vast uncharted land depended on the possession of fire. / For those early humans, fire was an object of great mystery, since no one had mastered its creation. Fire had to be stolen from nature, it had to be kept alive - sheltered from wind and rain, guarded from rival tribes. / Fire was a symbol of power and a means of survival. The tribe who possessed fire, possessed life.

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Alternate Versions

All UK versions are cut by 8 secs and are missing a shot of a wolf on fire.

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Connections

Referenced in Robin Williams Live on Broadway (2002)

User Reviews

Unique prehistoric survival adventure.

Ignore the idiotic negative comments of the naysayers. This is a great film. It boldly creates a world unlike any we've seen before, with dedicated actors going well beyond the call of duty in portraying a life and death struggle for survival under the most harrowing conditions imaginable.

Featuring Claude Agostini's splendid wide-screen cinematography of remote, rainswept landscapes and a rich score by Phillipe Sarde, this movie will take you on a compelling journey that, if nothing else, will clarify the routine creature comforts of our civilized world in a manner more direct than anything you might have previously experienced in a theater.

Jean-Jacques Annaud and collaborators tell their tale with dramatic simplicity and virtually no dialogue, but the points made are powerful. Humanity survives, and will prevail despite our weaknesses and faults. Overall, a remarkable, life-affirming work.

Details

Country:

Canada France

Language:

None French

Release Date:

12 February 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quest for Fire

Filming Locations:

Lions Head, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$12,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$20,959,585

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,962,615

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Cinema Corporation (ICC), Ciné Trail, Belstar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1