Product Details

• Actors: Clash of Cavemen
• Directors: not available
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0016OKR2U
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,019 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
It was an epic battle of brains versus brawn that determined the course of human history. In this scenario, based on scientific theories, witness our prehistoric ancestors as they clash with a completely different species of humans, the Neanderthals, some 30,000 years ago in Ice Age Europe.

In CLASH OF THE CAVEMEN, cinematic re-creations and state-of-the-art CGI bring to life the Neanderthals--stocky, powerful and able to tolerate intense pain--and their foes, the Cro-Magnons--weaker and more fragile but with a superior brain capable of complex thought. This cinema-quality documentary from HISTORY uses the latest science to re-create the surroundings and dangers they endured: massive four-legged predators, punishing temperatures, and the unrelenting threat of starvation.

Cutting-edge archaeological and anthropological research, including data from the ongoing Neanderthal genome mapping project at Germany s Max Planck Institute, lends up-to-the- minute realism and accuracy to this cataclysmic fight to the finish.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars B Grade, but worth the viewing., September 30, 2008

By	Houston Mark William "Babua know what be true." (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Clash of the Caveman was a B Grade Documentary, with a credible narrative that gives a simple case story of 65kya to 30kya when Neanderthals engaged with the new kids on the block, Homo sapiens. The producers could have done a better job with Neanderthal morphology, especially leg length, and facial features, especially the females (I am very sure both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens females would have been much hairier than the silk skin beauties presented). Overall I think the description of tool technology was well done, but no unique features of modern art was introduced, especially the possibility of the Neanderthal flute. Also, language was without doubt the defining skill which produced us (modern humans), but the subject is just skimmed over with little explanation of the relationship between the basal ganglia and hand use in technology construct, art, or even sign language. Also, use of fire is only touched on, and this would have been an interesting discussion, as there is no proof that Neanderthals actually cooked food. Overall the documentary is pleasant, but I am still waiting for a producer that can give a complete narrative with Neanderthals properly introduced as possibly the most successful hominids of all time.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Once upon a time, there was more than one type of human., August 27, 2008

By	Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Anthropologists have found two types of skeletons in Europe, cro-magnons and neanderthals. For five thousand years, they seemed to have both lived on that continent and probably interacted with each other. This documentary tries to speculate on why one group died out and why one survived.

Viewers who love this documentary should also see "Ice Age Columbus." National Geographic has a boring DVD on civilization, but it has an exciting special feature on "hobbits" that were found in Southeast Asia. When I think of various types of primates co-existing with each other, I think of fiction like "Lord of the Rings." However, these works are showing that other types of humans did live in the past.

One doesn't have to be into anthropology to appreciate this work. The work speaks of how scientists can pull DNA from these ancient bones. They can tell if a being was carnivorous or not. They said the location of one's larnyx dictates whether a being could make certain sounds.
Some of the interviewees here pronounce Cro-Magnon as if the "gn" were like in "lasagna." This is plausible in that "Cro-Magnon" is probably a French-derived word. Still, it may shock many to hear that pronunciation. I've seen documentaries where you can tell living American actors loved pretending to be Civil War soldiers or living British actors loved looking like Braveheart. I wonder if the actors here just loved pretending to be neanderthals with their thick eyebrows and stiff movements.

It's one thing to dress up a human, but it's another thing to fake animals and their actions. This work uses cartoonagraphy for hunting scenes. I don't know the term for it, but do you remember in "Kill Bill 1" when we see the murder of Lucy Liu's character's parents? That type of cartooning that's part moving and part immobile is what is used here.

The documentary repeats that these two types of humans were found in Europe. To me, this begged the question, "What about other continents?" Did the neanderthals not travel as extensively? Could they not have survived in warmer climates?

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading, October 14, 2008

By	Rokit - See all my reviews

Well, I saw this DVD at Best Buy and decided to get it because of the exciting title, "Clash of the Cavemen", and the fact that it used quote, "state-of-the-art CGI" or Computer Generated Images. I was all pumped up for this documentary thinking there were going to be some cool battle scenes and special effects. Turns out there's no battle scenes whatsoever. In fact, they make the Neanderthals look like a bunch of sissies. They're either running away from the Cro-Magnons, getting captured by the Cro-Magnons, or hiding from the Cro-Magnons. Compare that to what it says on the back of the DVD: "In Clash of the Cavemen, cinematic re-creations and state-of-the-art CGI bring to life the Neanderthals--stocky, powerful and able to tolerate intense pain--and their foes, the Cro-Magnons--weaker and more fragile but with a superior brain capable of complex thought." Clearly, the person who directed the film and the person who wrote the back of the DVD were two different people. Also, there's a scene where the smart Cro-Magnons are teaching the dumb Neanderthals how to fish. So, not only do we not have any clashes going on, but now the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons are actually fishing buddies. The "state-of-the-art" CGI is all but a few cartoon stills with motion graphics. If you ever saw the cartoon on MTV called the Max, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Considering that cartoon came out 13 years ago, the CGI in Clash of the Cavemen is hardly state-of-the-art. Listening to the different scientist's take on the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons was interesting, but the bottom line is that this documentary didn't live up to its title or its description on the back. I was very disappointed. Hopefully one day a film maker out there will actually do the Neanderthals some justice.