One Million Years B.C. is not Raquel Welch's first movie, but it is the one that made her the sexual icon of my generation. This image of the gorgeous Ms. Welch in her patented fur bikini dominating a scene filled with cavemen battling dinosaurs speaks effectively about this Hammer Films remake of the 1940's caveman classic starring Victor Mature. John Richardson is the caveman Tumak who falls out with his father the leader of the Rock Tribe, and must seek his own destiny only to fall into the caring hands of the Shell People and specifically Loana played by the stunning Ms. Welch.
Aside from the very special effects that the lovely Raquel brings to the big screen we also enjoy the work of Ray Harryhausen and his stop-motion magic. Thanks to him we get to enjoy an Allosaurus fight with humans and a battle between a Triceratops and a larger than ought-to-be Ceratosaurus. There's also an enormous turtle and some good old Pteranodons. We see a brontosaurus as well as a few tricked up Iquanas to fill up screentime., Suffice it to say there are lots of dandy creatures to juice up the eyeballs of any monster fan. And still it's hard to take your peepers off of Welch as she prances in the water and across the rocks.
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There is very little dialogue in this movie, and communication is made for the most part by meaningful glances and intense actions. Beside his problems with his father Akhoba, Tumak has issues with his brother Sakana. The Rock Tribe is a violent bunch with a every-man-for-himself approach to living that makes it difficult to create a true tribal cohesion. Threat and intimidation are what make keep the order and no one seems to trust anyone else. Contrasted with that is the Shell Tribe which has found some semblance of civilization such rudimentary farming and even schooling. This group work together and that lesson is the critical one that Tumak tries to bring to his people when he and Loana return to the sharp mountains.
One of the my favorite sections is the lair of the Ape Men who exist inside a vast cave with a tree in the middle. The tree is made possible by a hole in the rock ceiling and the Ape Men seem to worship it. We never get a really good look at them and that makes them all the more mysterious and threatening. The viewer is forced to work hard to piece together the motives of the characters and watching closely is the key.
It's a good movie which uses its time effectively and succinctly, and each time I watch it again I'm reminded of how entertaining it can be on all sorts of levels.
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