In this adaptation of the popular Jean M. Auel book (scripted by none other than John Sayles), Daryl Hannah is well cast as Ayla, a lovely Cro-Magnon in the early years of humankind. As a child, she loses her mother during an earthquake, and she is eventually taken in by a clan of less-developed Neanderthals. Sometimes, she is on shaky ground, as she dares to go against their social mores (such as handling a weapon and hunting, which are forbidden for women), but she is determined, and *has* won the friendship of medicine woman Iza (Pamela Reed) and the deformed, one-eyed Creb (James Remar). She also makes an enemy out of the brutish, rotten Broud (Thomas G. Waites).
Those who have actually read the book tend to consider this a lousy adaptation, but for this viewer, the picture is okay taken on its own terms. It tells a decent enough story in capable enough fashion. The director is Michael Chapman, who may have been in over his head given that he's usually a cinematographer (known for, among other things, shooting "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" for Martin Scorsese). But the performances are adequate to the occasion, with Reed, Remar, and Waites (the last two having co-starred in "The Warriors" together) doing okay in the more fleshed-out roles. The makeup is fine; one of the artists involved was Michele Burke, who'd previously won an Oscar for work on the thematically similar "Quest for Fire". Given that Chapman was a cinematographer, he at least makes sure that this picture LOOKS good; his D. P. here was the equally adept Jan de Bont. ("The Clan of the Cave Bear" was filmed on location in various provincial parks in British Columbia.) It also has a lovely score by Alan Silvestri.
It will likely work better the less people expect to see any sort of history lesson; it's just Hollywood entertainment that fortunately gets some things right, enough to keep it watchable for 99 minutes.
Six out of 10.
Those who have actually read the book tend to consider this a lousy adaptation, but for this viewer, the picture is okay taken on its own terms. It tells a decent enough story in capable enough fashion. The director is Michael Chapman, who may have been in over his head given that he's usually a cinematographer (known for, among other things, shooting "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" for Martin Scorsese). But the performances are adequate to the occasion, with Reed, Remar, and Waites (the last two having co-starred in "The Warriors" together) doing okay in the more fleshed-out roles. The makeup is fine; one of the artists involved was Michele Burke, who'd previously won an Oscar for work on the thematically similar "Quest for Fire". Given that Chapman was a cinematographer, he at least makes sure that this picture LOOKS good; his D. P. here was the equally adept Jan de Bont. ("The Clan of the Cave Bear" was filmed on location in various provincial parks in British Columbia.) It also has a lovely score by Alan Silvestri.
It will likely work better the less people expect to see any sort of history lesson; it's just Hollywood entertainment that fortunately gets some things right, enough to keep it watchable for 99 minutes.
Six out of 10.