Cinematography:
Norbert BrodineComposer:
Werner R. HeymannCast:
Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Lon Chaney Jr., Conrad Nagel, John Hubbard, Nigel De Brulier, Mamo Clark, Edgar Edwards, Jacqueline Dalya, Creighton Hale (more)Plots(1)
Producer Hal Roach ventures into dinosaur country--with the help of spectacle expert D.W. Griffith--to create this ambitious prehistoric adventure. It's a sweeping saga of inter-evolutionary romance as Tumac (Victor Mature), of the Neanderthal-like Rock People, falls for beautiful Loana (Carole Landis) of the more advanced Shell People. In addition to their disapproving tribes--and the problem of Tumac's bad table manners--the young lovers must contend with erupting volcanoes, earthquakes, prehistoric monsters, and other hazards of life on a still-forming planet, including Tumac's angry father (Lon Chaney, Jr.). A modern professor (Conrad Nagel) patiently explains their trials and tribulations in a clever framing device. The dinosaur scenes (using actual lizards filmed in miniature backdrops) were recycled in numerous cheap monster films in the 1940s and 1950s. The story was remade in 1967 with Raquel Welch in the skimpy fur bikini that helped establish her as one of the moment's top sex symbols. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
At first, there was absolutely nothing because I dislike prehistoric films. But once the special effects came into play, my heart danced with joy. It's clear that animatronics weren't popular yet, and everything was done either with immobile models, costumes, or real animals. Here, I don't know whether to admire or lament how the animals were treated. For its age, the film looks quite good in terms of special effects. However, in terms of storytelling, it fails to captivate in the present day.
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