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Very few films have the capacity to change the way we think and feel about the world around us. This is one of them.This touching film is about daring caveman Atouk and his brave companion Lar, who are expelled from their tribes, journey through exotic, precambrian lands, learning about the people and world around them. Ultimately they form their own tribe and, more importantly, learn cameraderie, the heart of what it means to be human and to have love. Caught up in the chaos of a savage, ancient world, Atouk and Lar eventually have to struggle just to stay alive.This movie lost the Best Picture Oscar in 1981, but history will likely remember "Caveman" for much longer. And with more fondness. The cinematography is excellent. Alan Hume's prehistoric world is photographed as a mystical paradise. Then, we see the horror of human greed, lust and cruelty, also stunningly photographed. There is also a nice scene with a bunch of people thrashing about in a large pile of dung. It looked so realistic, that for a moment, I felt like it wasn't a movie, but a documentary.The acting is top notch, especially early performances from Dennis Quaid, who exposes his buttocks and Barbara Bach, who should have. In one scene, Dennis Quaid makes impressive use of method acting, urinating against a glacier. And Ringo Starr deserved the Oscar he unfairly lost to Dudley Moore that year.Everyone needs to see this movie at least once. Although it might be a little disturbing, the violence is not gratuitous, the love affairs wistful and heartbreaking. Despite the tragic elements, however, the movie is inspirational. One of the best films to come out of the 80s!It's underrated films like this that don't get any publicity and the over-rated, pointless films do. I guess that's just the way Hollywood operates. This is one of the saddest, most touching, most unsettling, most moving films I've ever seen. It's one of the best. It nakedly shows the rudimentary nature of humanity, by showing our primal origins, when a fire, meat and the warmth of a lover and support of friends was all that kept us from the brink of death. "Caveman" captures and horrifies the viewer. There is something classical about the plot of "Caveman." If Aeschylus was alive today and making films, he would have made "Caveman."The vivid imagery and music is outstanding, but the acting and intensity shown is very realistic. This is one of the most harrowing, gripping films I've ever seen, reminding me of so many other films of the era. "Quest for Fire" being one, but "The Killing Fields" being another. "The Killing Fields" is a movie about people who weren't exactly on the front lines, nor are they exceptional warriors. They're everyday people, like you or me, who do what they can to help one another out. "Caveman" is like this.I can't put my finger on exactly what it is about this film that gets to me so much, but it is THE most haunting, emotional film experience one could hope for.Excellent performances from the cast. A brilliant score by Lalo Schifrin. Scenes of high emotion, tension, drama, horror and even one or two pieces of light relief, usually involving Shelly Long.An excellent film. Certainly one of the best foreign films in recent memory, "Caveman" is ripe for a new Director's Cut edition, or perhaps a modern English-version remake featuring John Malkovich. I have only ever seen the original, undubbed and not-subtitled version (I never figured out what language it was -- probably Swedish) and had difficulty with some of the more elaborate dialogues.
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