Quest for Fire (1981)

What I love about this film is the very plausible portrayal of the development of human traits in prehistoric man. The story centers around a tribe that has not yet learned to start a fire. They have to steal fire from other tribes, or find it in nature. So much of their efforts are centered on keeping a fire constantly nurtured, and if their fire goes out, the entire tribe suffers the elements. However, this is not a simple caveman flick. The filmmakers portray the development of human attributes such as humor and laughing, connection between males and females beyond the pure sexual, language development, story telling, cross-pollination of ideas between tribes of different levels of advancement, and at the end, the awakening of a sense of the transcendent. I find the film to be a compelling drama even after 25 years, and it does not seem at all dated. If you have even the slightest interest in early man, this film is a must-see.

Fmovies: I saw this film on the big screen when I was a pre-teen. I recently saw it again and was reminded what a great movie this is.

You don't need to know the languages to understand what is going on. (The characters from different tribes don't know the other languages and they often act out what they need.) This is a movie about the primal fight to survive and how even though they are forced to travel to find a new fire, their experiences expand their horizons in ways they could never have anticipated. If their own fire hadn't gone out they would never have met the cannibals or the clay people, who ultimately hold the key to their survival.

At its core, this is a movie about how although we may look different and have different customs we are all human and what we can learn from each other is irreplaceable.

Raw and at times brutal, this story follows three primitive warriors who make a cross-country journey in search of that most precious of natural elements ... fire. In prehistoric times, having fire meant survival from the cold and protection from predators.

In this film, facial gestures, hand movements, general body language and mannerisms of the characters are all consistent with conclusions about early man, as a result of thorough anthropological research. In lieu of modern language the film's dialogue consists of some 350 invented words and sounds, also based on research. In addition, an important part of the film is attention to detail in costumes and makeup, for which the film won several awards. All of these technical cinematic elements combine to create a reasonably accurate visual and audio impression of mankind as it existed some 80,000 years ago.

As you would expect, the film is shot entirely in rugged, remote locations, resulting in landscapes that are stunningly beautiful. Background music is generally low-key and ethereal, like what you might hear in a sci-fi film. There's lots of flute sounds, which reinforce the simplicity of the time period.

For all its technical achievements, this film's main weakness may be the screenplay. When you take away the artifacts of modern life, you're very limited in the kind of story you can tell. And that clearly is the case here, with a plot that drones on with a monotony and repetition that can be tedious, and at times difficult for some viewers.

Although the story's entertainment value may be marginal, "Quest For Fire", with its low tech cinematic style, is interesting not only for its technical elements but also for its over arching theme of modern human's continuity with prehistoric man, based on the element of fire.

Quest for Fire fmovies. Okay, there haven't been many cave man flicks and they were all bad except for Quest For Fire. Yes, the mammoths looked a bit like Mr. Snuffolopogus and some of the makeup jobs could've been done better but it's still a great movie.

The story line was captivating and the characters were well-developed. Even though there were no subtitles, I could still understand everything that was being said because of the way the movie was put together.

This flick has it all: Action, adventure, comedy, and romance. I loved it.

One of the elements of this film I liked the most was the realistic depiction of the diversity of anthropoid types that existed in those times. This was executed beautifully and skillfully in the depiction of several diverse tribal groups, explaining the well deserved Oscar for makeup.

When Naoh finds the love of his life in one of these other tribes, it is because there is an element of compatibility both between the cultures and the two individuals supporting the attraction they share. Some of the other groups depicted don't do as well in the tribal intercourse and cultural sharing department, as they tend to eat the individuals from other tribes that they encounter.

Another elements of realism that scores big with me was that there are attacks by wild animals as well as by anthropoids. I also liked the language used by the main tribe, there was a suggestion that the language was evolving right before us as the travelers, having been sent on a quest for fire, returned with quite a bit more to talk about.

This is one of my favorite movies, possibly the most favorite.

I saw this film (on VHS rental) so long ago I might have been in it. My (ex) wife & friends thought it was stupid - "What's going on? Nobody's saying anything". I found it mesmerising and have been looking for it ever since (car boot sales, Ebay etc).

OK, if you've two adjacent brain cells, you'll spot the anachronisms and the cheap effects, but credit where it's due for originality and balls - to the director and the backers.

If you're sick of hype and tripe, find it. If you're hooked intravenously to Hollywood pap (as 99.999% of the world's population seem to be) then give it a miss.

Just my 2p.