On Q List of Movie Reviews
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Quest for Fire (1981)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
11/25
11/25:
I finally found an excellent movie by Jean-Jacques Annaud: Quest for Fire.
While watching it, I thought of The Bear and how both were similar in many
ways. But this one is much better because we simply don't know how human beings were 80,000 years ago. Viewers
may make fun of the characters because they're so simple and mentally retarded. Let's not forget they're
their ancestors and this is probably what happened.
Survival is the primary concern. That's why there are a lot of foraging for food, running away from threats, and
sexual activity in the name of reproduction. Nobody understands what he or she is doing, but it's done primarily
by instinct. I like how the director made sure of them struggling to stand upright, speaking an invented
language, not having finely tuned motor functions, and resembling apes in appearance and behavior.
The funniest moment of the film is when a caveman, played by Everett McGill, suddenly realized how stupid he
was after discovering pottery. It'll occur again when he watched his girlfriend starting a fire. Nonetheless,
the performances are exemplary. I would've given an Academy Award nomination to Everett McGill and Rae Dawn
Chong, but only one went for Best Makeup which it deservingly won.
All in all, Quest for Fire is 100% fascinating and should be seen by everybody.