by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: Discs: 1, The Film: 4/5, The Extras: 4/5, Overall: 8/10
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nameer El-Kadi, Rae Dawn Chong
Intro:
Insightful, thrilling, epic and so very human, Quest for Fire is a thought-provoking glimpse back at humanity’s possible origins and a bloody entertaining little film to boot.
The Film:
We don’t get many caveman movies anymore. We’re talking about films set in a prehistory era, in a time before formalised language, centralised civilisation and Chicken Crimpy flavoured Shapes. It’s weird too, because back in the day these flicks were all the rage. The best example of the genre is, undoubtedly, Quest for Fire (1981) from French director Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Name of the Rose), which offers a thoughtful, epic, moving and occasionally quite funny journey through humankind’s early era.
You might think lobbing about in caveman times would be idyllic. No phones, no social media, no cost of living crisis – bloody lovely! However, Quest for Fire paints a very different picture. It’s the story of the Ulam tribe, a more developed group of proto-humans who have managed to harness the cutting edge technology of “fire”; although they have zero means of recreating it and guard it jealously in their caves. After a vicious assault from the ape-like Wagabu (who look like they spend Friday nights in the carpark behind Cessnock Macca’s, just quietly) the group is forced to abandon their home. Even worse, they lose their access to fire and nominate three of the tribe: Naoh (Everett McGill), Amoukar (Ron Perlman) and Gaw (Nameer El-Kadi) to head off into the wilderness to retrieve some. So begins an epic journey into the unknown where they’ll face narky animals, hirsute cannibals and one of their number may even find love along the way.
Quest for Fire is a fascinating film. It’s the kind of movie that expects the audience to keep up, giving the cast a made up language (crafted by Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess, no less) and featuring zero subtitles. The viewer, therefore, has to pay attention to the movements, grunts and furrowed brows of the cast, giving a sense of immersion unmatched in the genre. It’s funny, the first ten minutes of the film are quite daunting, as you think “wait, is the whole bloody film like this?” and then, somehow, it becomes this gripping, engaging and profoundly human adventure that is at once thoughtful, hopeful and bittersweet.
Shot beautifully on Scottish highlands, Kenyan plains and Canadian forests, the film is gorgeous to behold, and the blu-ray print nice and crisp (although it would have been grand to get it in 4K). The audio remains very strong with a superb score and the made up language becoming oddly musical as the film rolls on. Performances are also excellent with Perlman and McGill doing fine work as always and a star turn from Rae Dawn Chong who spends the film stark naked except for body paint (which must have been fun in Scotland!), yet becomes the catalyst for our heroes’ slight but important evolution.
Quest for Fire, despite its relative modern obscurity, was a big hit both critically and commercially. It even led to a number of Italian knock offs (with added nudity and graphic violence, naturally) like Master of the World (1983) and Umberto Lenzi’s Ironmaster (1983). You always knew you’d made it big in the ‘80s when the Italians ripped you off!
Unfortunately, the prehistorical run seemed to end in 1986 with the disastrous The Clan of the Cave Bear adaptation (based on the uber popular series of books from Jean M. Auel), which was a catastrophic flop and liked by few. Still and all, just because the subgenre is (mostly) extinct doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy its best offering; and Quest for Fire is an absolute gem ardently grunting for rediscovery.
The Extras:
A solid stack of extras here. There’s an audio commentary with Director Jean-Jacques Annaud, another with actors Rae Dawn Chong, Ron Perlman and producer Michael Gruskoff and a third with film historian and podcaster Rob Kelly. There’s a behind-the-scenes video narrated by, and this is not a joke, Orson-flippin’-Welles (!), a brand new interview with director Jean-Jacques Annaud, a narrated photo gallery and a trailer.
However, best in show is the video essay from Aussie critic Bryn Tilly entitled Quest for Fire and the Flame of Knowledge, which is a superb dissection of the themes and subtext of the film. Full of perceptive observations, it’s the kind of extra that gives you an added appreciation for the film you just watched, which is always a treat.
It’s not an exhaustive stack of add-ons, to be sure, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality and will be a delight for longtime fans of this unique vision.
Also, if you spring for the Collector’s Edition, you’ll also get a 48-page booklet featuring newly translated production notes and new essays from David Michael Brown and Phillipa Berry, a fancy rigid case, custom designed book using original artwork, 8 artcards and an A3 reversible poster.
The Verdict:
Quest for Fire is a great film that seemed doomed to be lost to time. However, it now has a new life in this handsome blu-ray edition. Insightful, thrilling, epic and so very human, Quest for Fire is a thought-provoking glimpse back at humanity’s possible origins and a bloody entertaining little film to boot.
Frankly, you’d have to be a neanderthal to miss this one.
