Le clan de la caverne des ours

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!

I am not going to say it sucked because it was nothing like the book. I am merely going to say that if you have read the book, don't bother because it will only tick you off. And What ticks me off is not that it didn't follow the book closely enough, it didn't follow the book AT ALL. There are scenes that should have happened well after they did, and scenes that happened that would have explained other scenes that were in the movie that aren't. To the above commenter who said that the subsequent books were all romance fodder, first Valley was not, it wasn't until the end that most of the pleasures were added, with small intermittent scenes throughout. Yes, there are a lot of Pleasures scenes in the books, Yes, they could have been done without, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the story is not worth reading. That is not what I am writing a review on, however. I was more upset that the movie didn't even maintain a SEMBLANCE to the book, other than the character's name, almost as if the director skimmed the book, and took pieces from sections without thinking about how they would go together.

The popularity of DVD has exploded the past couple of years like no new entertainment technology before. We are seeing more and more older films released on DVD for a pittance, like this one, "Clan of the Cave Bear", which I purchased for under $6US. There isn't much sound in this film, but the images, all shot in British Columbia, come through really well.

The setting in time is prehistoric, during the brief overlap of the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon humans. Ayla (Daryl Hannah), a very blonde Cro-Magnon, was orphaned as a small girl, wounded, and found by the dark-haired Cave Bear Clan of Neanderthals. Against the wishes of the leader, she is taken in and nursed back to health by the medicine woman. As she grows up we see that she is innately smarter than her adopted family, learns things quickly, begins to innovate. The Neanderthals are portrayed as if they had perhaps an IQ of 80, while Ayla certainly has an IQ of 120 to 140.

This causes difficulties for her, because the women are totally subserviant, and one of them showing smarts or initiative is punished. A woman who even touches a hunting weapon is sentenced to die. But when Ayla does to defend a tribesman, she is only exiled in the winter and, if she survives, allowed to come back. She does, but finally realizes her "spirit" is different, and leaves to look for her own kind. After she fights and defeats the young "alpha male", who earlier had raped her thus giving her a child.

Some critics scoff at the primative community portrayed here, but it in fact is very accurate. In the DVD commentary we learn that much of the design for this film came from watching a few crude videotapes that were actually made by the Cro-Magnons during that prehistoric period and were discovered, well-preserved, in far northern sub-freezing caves in the 1960s. Not surprisingly, they were in the Beta format.

The whole film is about acceptance of someone different and of change. This is a common theme in many many films over the years, and is closely related to the popular "Pleasantville" of 1998. What makes this one different and enjoyable is the setting in time, the depiction of community values of these prehistoric peoples. I rate it highly overall.

This is one of the films that I grew up watching, and even now, I love it and admire its beauty as much as I ever did.

First of all, comparing movies to their books isn't something we should do, because they are two different forms of entertainment, and can take different liabilities. What is important is if the movie still tells the basic story, and in the case of the Clan of the Cave Bear, it stuck to the original story in a very suitable fashion. I must admit that when I first saw this movie, I did not know that this was from a book. It wasn't until 15 years later that I read the book, and it confirmed my statement that the movie kept the story intact.

As far as the acting was concerned, I have to admire a cast that had to convey throughout an entire script in a totally different language, and manage to keep it consistent. Watching the film, you can see that certain gestures always mean the same thing, as well as certain grunts and sounds. Folks, that is the result of a lot of hard work, and to put down that part of the film is like looking at the Empire State Building as just the result of an erector set.

The basic story of the movie is to show prejudice against what is new and not understood. Ayla's presence is meant to show the Clan what the future holds, which is the underlying reason why they fear and hate her, though they are unaware of the reasons. Ayla endures many trials throughout the movie in order to gain their trust and approval, which ultimately prepare her for a journey into the world without the Clan.

A movie worth watching again and again. The book is great also, by the way, so I recommend them both.

I saw this little unknown gem two days ago, and I was just blown away by all the horrible reviews for it back in 1986. I just don't understand why people didn't want to see a healthy Darryl Hannah as the cave girl, Ayla. Maybe it's because, Darryl Hannah didn't appear nude, even though the costumes are scantily. All in all, It is a nice movie to watch. It tugs at your heartstings seeing all of the brutal honesty presented on screen. And that music! Oh, I was the Niagra Falls from the beautiful music. The most heart-breaking scene of this movie is when Ayla is separated from her mother at 2, from a vicious earthquake. The ghastly "R" rating is unecessary, altough the rape scene is horrible and graphic, they could have sacrificed for a PG or PG13.Watch this one if get the chance. You won't be disappointed!

1986 98 minutes Rated: R CC.