Product Details

• Actors: Daryl Hannah, Pamela Reed, James Remar, Thomas G. Waites, John Doolittle
• Directors: Michael Chapman
• Writers: Jean M. Auel, John Sayles
• Producers: Gerald I. Isenberg, John W. Hyde, Jon Peters, Mark Damon, Peter Guber
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0790741989
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,394 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Every statuesque, beautiful blonde woman has spent more time in the company of Neanderthals than she cares to remember. Seems it's always been that way: Clan of the Cave Bear, a 1986 feature scripted by John Sayles and based on Jean Auel's bestselling novel set in prehistoric times, stars former mermaid Daryl Hannah as an intelligent Cro-Magnon woman adopted and raised by lesser-evolved Neanderthals. Berated for her brains, sexually exploited, and generally treated as uppity chattel, Hannah's character sets out for the far country to see who else is there. Eventually, she finds more Baywatch-like gods and goddesses similar to herself, including an Aryan-looking stud with whom she discovers how good sex can feel with a warm, caring, proto-human. Sayles's writing on this project is forceful but cheeky. It's hard not to laugh at a number of scenes that shouldn't, in the strictest sense, be laughed at (the use of subtitles to decipher caveman grunts and clucks may or may not be an intentional running joke), but one gets the feeling Sayles looked upon this challenge as a pop exercise instead of (as many of the book's fans would have preferred) a religious experience. Michael Chapman, ace cinematographer of Mean Streets and The Wanderers, directed with an eye toward primitive exotica and made this a terrific-looking movie. Author Auel was reportedly unhappy with the final results on screen, but the film is well worth a fascinated look. With Pamela Reed and James Remar. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Movie, April 4, 2001

By 

Roy L. Morgan "Morg43" (Dugway, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clan of the Cave Bear (DVD)

I have read all of the books based on Ayla and loved them all, have read them many many times. There is no possible way that you could take the book and make it into a movie without leaving out a lot of details. I feel they did a wonderful job with the movie and I have watched it many times. To be more true and accurate to the book you would have to make a Mini-series and I for one would love to see that!!! It would make for a much more interesting night of television than most of the junk that they have on now. Daryl Hannah was an excellent Ayla but the entire cast had their work cut out for them but I was also very impressed with James Remar as Creb, wow did he bring Creb to life. For those that nit picked this movie apart then I suggest that you don't watch it again, for myself I will watch it again and again. Would really like to see a sequel!!

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest adaptations of a book to film, July 21, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clan of the Cave Bear [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The film captures the essence of the book of the same title by Jean Auel. I liked the book very much, which is what prompted me to buy the movie. In agreement with another reviewer, if you are going to watch it to nit-pick about plot inconsistencies, the film is not for you. But all of the book's characterization and polemical elements are there in flying colors in the movie.

What was most startling for me was the performance given by Daryl Hannah. I am not a frequent movie viewer, so her name immediately brought to mind "Splash" - which this definitely is NOT. Her portrayal of Ayla was one of the finest acting performances I have seen... especially given (or because of) the language / sign language handicap. Auel spent a lot of time in the book describing the modes of non-verbal communication of the Clan, and it is clear that Hannah was up to the challenge of communicating the character of Ayla through action, gesture, expression, and posture. Her subtly was amazing and is appreciated more upon a second or third viewing.

The movie's feel is a little minimalist because of the lack of dialog, especially as compared with the lush descriptive passages of the book. However, the scenery and acting in this big-screen version more than compensate for the lack of the book's strong narrative.

I would also mention that the "over eighteen" rating of this movie seemed a little inappropriate to me. For those familiar with the book, the rape scene is done in the spirit of supporting the story and characterization - emotionally / spiritually anguishing but not overtly violent or sexual.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As an Auel Fan, and a very picky person, I love this movie., July 30, 2000

By 

Sharon Hawkins (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clan of the Cave Bear [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I read the whole series long before I saw the movie, and as a person who frequently reads before she sees any movie editions, I can be disappointed at times, and not for nitpicking reasons.

However, this time I was not only plesantly surprised, I was blessed with this movie. I happen to think that many film adaptations of books are not very well done because of how much has to be cut out, rewritten, etc, for the sake of a movie.

This one, however, was wonderful. Yes, some things were changed, but the book managed to keep Auel's talents alive within the film. I loved the genuine-feeling prehistoric atmosphere the movie portrayed, and the sign language mixed with the type of verbal words that would be typical of the Clan as described by Auel--it's excellent. There was not even a large need for subtitles, the body language says it all. Unlike Splash, Daryl Hannah did a superb job with this movie. I would reccomend it to anyone unless they feel like doing the old nitpick. If you do, this movie's not for you.