The Clan of the Cave Bear ( The Clan of the Cave Bear ) is an American film directed by Michael Chapman , released in 1986 and based on the novel The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel . Daryl Hannah plays the lead role. In Auel’s novel, the characters spoke in sign language (transcribed in English in the book). In the movie, they use their own language and the dialogue is translated into subtitles.
The film is considered a commercial failure, having cost fifteen million US dollars to bring back only 1.9 million in the country. The cinematographic adaptation of J. Auel’s other novels, originally planned, was abandoned following this failure.
Synopsis
The story takes place in Europe about 35,000 years ago; modern human groups ( Cro-Magnon ) begin to populate the continent previously occupied by Neanderthals . Ayla, a girl who lost her parents during an earthquake, is attacked by a cave lion . Although she is hiding in a crevasse of rock, the girl is wounded by one of the powerful claws of the animal. Almost dead from hunger and badly wounded, she was discovered by a group of Neanderthals passing by. She is cared for by Iza, the doctor-woman, and Creb, the wizard or Mog-Ur. Both are very attached to Ayla, even if for the rest of the clan she remains a stranger we do not want. Broud, the son of the chieftain, hates her particularly. To protect her, the day Broud becomes clan leader in turn, Iza introduces Ayla to the secrets of her healing skills so that she can take an honorable place in the clan. In addition, Iza and Creb teach him the language and customs of the clan, which are quite different from his own, which is not without causing problems quite frequently.
Technical sheet
- Title: The Cave of the Bear Cave
- Original title: The Clan of the Cave Bear
- Director: Michael Chapman
- Scenario: John Sayles , based on the novel The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
- Production: Gerald I. Isenberg , Stan Rogow , Richard Briggs , Damon Mark , Peter Guber , John W. Hyde and Jon Peters
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Budget: $ 15 million
- Music: Alan Silvestri
- Photography: Jan de Bont
- Editing: Wendy Greene Bricmont
- Sets: Anthony Masters
- Country of origin: United States
- Format: Colors – 2.35: 1 – Dolby – 35 mm
- Genre: Adventure
- Duration: 98 minutes
- Release dates: (United States), (La France)
Distribution
- Daryl Hannah : Ayla (also played by Nicole Eggert in younger and by Emme Floria as a child)
- Pamela Reed : Iza
- James Remar : Creb
- Thomas G. Waites : Broud
- John Doolittle : Brown
- Curtis Armstrong : Goov
- Martin Doyle : Grod
- Tony Montanaro : Zug
- Mike Muscat : Dorv
- John Wardlow : Droog
- Keith Wardlow : Crug
- Karen Austin : Aba
- Barbara Duncan : Uka
- Gloria Lee : Oga
- Janne Mortil : Ovra
- Joey Cramer : Broud, young
- Bart the bear : a bear
Around the film
- Filming took place in Okanagan , Canada .
- This is the same bear, Bart, as that of the movie The Bear , directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud in 1988. It was also seen in Croc-Blanc (1991), Légendes d’automne , Terrain miné (1994) ), or Knocking Down (1997). Born in 1977, he died of natural causes on May 10, 2000 in Park City , Utah .
- The song of the credits, Heroine , is interpreted by Sinéad O’Connor .
Awards
- Appointment to the Oscar for best makeup for Michael Westmore and Michele Burke in 1987.