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{{Short description|1981 film by Carl Gottlieb}}
{{Short description|1981 film by Carl Gottlieb}}
{{About||the 2013 film|Cavemen (film)}}
{{About||the 2013 film|Cavemen (film)}}
{{Lead too short|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Caveman
| name = Caveman
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| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Carl Gottlieb]]
| director = [[Carl Gottlieb]]
| producer = [[David Foster (film producer)|David Foster]] <br />[[Lawrence Turman]]
| producer = [[David Foster (film producer)|David Foster]]<br />[[Lawrence Turman]]
| writer = [[Rudy De Luca]] <br />[[Carl Gottlieb]]
| writer = [[Rudy De Luca]]<br />Carl Gottlieb
| starring = {{Plain list |
| starring = {{Plain list |
* [[Ringo Starr]]
* [[Ringo Starr]]
Line 36: Line 35:
}}
}}
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = $4-5 million<ref name="afi" />
| budget = $6.5 million<ref name="afi" />
| gross = $16 million<ref>{{Mojo title|caveman}}</ref>
| gross = $16 million<ref>{{Mojo title|caveman}}</ref>
}}
}}
⚫
'''''Caveman''''' is a 1981 [[Slapstick film|slapstick]] [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Carl Gottlieb]] and starring [[Ringo Starr]], [[Dennis Quaid]], [[Shelley Long]] and [[Barbara Bach]]. The film is set in prehistoric times and revolves around the rivalries between cavemen.

⚫
'''''Caveman''''' is a 1981 [[Slapstick film|slapstick]] [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Carl Gottlieb]] and starring [[Ringo Starr]], [[Dennis Quaid]], [[Shelley Long]] and [[Barbara Bach]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Atouk ([[Ringo Starr]]) is a bullied and scrawny [[caveman]] living in "One Zillion BC &ndash; October 9th".<ref>Done in memory of the birth of [[John Lennon]] who was killed 5 months before the film's release, was Ringo Starr's friend and bandmate with [[The Beatles]], and whose birthday was October 9.</ref> He lusts after the beautiful but shallow Lana ([[Barbara Bach]]), who is the mate of Tonda ([[John Matuszak]]), their [[tribe]]'s physically imposing bullying leader and brutish instigator. After being banished along with his friend Lar ([[Dennis Quaid]]), Atouk falls in with a band of assorted misfits, among them the comely Tala ([[Shelley Long]]) and the elderly blind man Gog ([[Jack Gilford]]). The group has ongoing encounters with hungry [[dinosaur]]s, and rescues Lar from a "nearby [[ice age]]", where they encounter an [[Yeti|abominable snowman]]. In the course of these adventures, they discover sedative drugs and fire, invent cooking, music, and weapons, and learn how to walk fully upright. Atouk uses these advances to lead an attack on Tonda, overthrowing him and becoming the tribe's new leader. He rejects Lana and takes Tala as his mate, and they live happily ever after.
Atouk is a bullied and scrawny [[caveman]] living in "One Zillion BC &ndash; October 9th".<ref>Done in memory of the birth of [[John Lennon]] who was killed 5 months before the film's release, was Ringo Starr's friend and bandmate with [[The Beatles]], and whose birthday was October 9.</ref> He lusts after the beautiful but shallow Lana, who is the mate of Tonda, their [[tribe]]'s physically imposing bullying leader and brutish instigator. After being banished along with his friend Lar, Atouk falls in with a band of assorted misfits, among them the comely Tala and the elderly blind man Gog. The group has ongoing encounters with hungry [[dinosaur]]s, and rescues Lar from a "nearby [[ice age]]", where they encounter an [[Yeti|abominable snowman]]. In the course of these adventures, they discover sedative drugs and fire, invent cooking, music, and weapons, and learn how to walk fully upright. Atouk uses these advances to lead an attack on Tonda, overthrowing him and becoming the tribe's new leader. He rejects Lana and takes Tala as his mate, and they live happily ever after.


==Cast==
==Cast==
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* [[Dennis Quaid]] as Lar
* [[Dennis Quaid]] as Lar
* [[Shelley Long]] as Tala
* [[Shelley Long]] as Tala
⚫
* [[John Matuszak]] as Tonda
⚫
* [[Avery Schreiber]] as Ock
* [[Jack Gilford]] as Gog
* [[Jack Gilford]] as Gog
⚫
* Ed Greenberg as Kalta
* [[Cork Hubbert]] as Ta
* [[Cork Hubbert]] as Ta
* Mark King as Ruck
* Mark King as Ruck
⚫
* Paco Morayta as Flok
* [[Evan C. Kim]] as Nook
* [[Evan C. Kim]] as Nook
⚫
* Ed Greenberg as Kalta
* [[Carl Lumbly]] as Bork
* [[Carl Lumbly]] as Bork
⚫
* [[Gigi Vorgan]] as Folg's Daughter
⚫
* Paco Morayta as Flok
* Jack Scalici as Folg
* Jack Scalici as Folg
⚫
* Miguel Ángel Fuentes as Grot
* Erika Carlsson as Folg's Mate
* Erika Carlsson as Folg's Mate
⚫
* [[Gigi Vorgan]] as Folg's Daughter
* Sara López Sierra as Folg's Younger Daughter
* Sara López Sierra as Folg's Younger Daughter
* Esteban Valdez as Folg's Son
* Esteban Valdez as Folg's Son
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* Juan Omar Ortiz as Folg's Youngest Son
* Juan Omar Ortiz as Folg's Youngest Son
* Anaís de Melo as Meeka
* Anaís de Melo as Meeka
⚫
* [[John Matuszak]] as Tonda
⚫
* [[Avery Schreiber]] as Ock
* Tere Álvarez as Ock's Mate
* Tere Álvarez as Ock's Mate
⚫
* Miguel Ángel Fuentes as Grot
* Ana De Sade as Grot's Mate
* Ana De Sade as Grot's Mate
* Gerardo Zepeda as Boola
* Gerardo Zepeda as Boola
Line 76: Line 74:


==Production==
==Production==
An international co-production between The United States and Mexico. Filming was mostly done in the [[Sierra de Órganos National Park]] in the town of [[Sombrerete]] in the state of [[Zacatecas]], [[Mexico]]. The river and fishing lake scene was shot in the Mexican state of [[Durango]], and some scenes were filmed at the [[Estudios Churubusco|Churubusco Studios]] in [[Mexico City]]. The film features [[stop motion]] animated [[dinosaur]]s constructed by [[Jim Danforth]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Pettigrew |first=Neil |title=The Stop-Motion Filmography |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland & Company, Inc.]] |year=1999 |page=111 |isbn=0786404469}}</ref> including a ''[[Tyrannosaurus|Tyrannosaurus Rex]]'' which in one scene becomes intoxicated by a [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]]-type drug, animated by [[Randall W. Cook]].<ref>Pettigrew, p. 114.</ref> Danforth was a major participant in the [[special effects]] sequences, but left the film "about two-thirds of the way" (his words) through the work because the [[Directors Guild of America]] prohibited his contracted on-screen credit, co-direction with Carl Gottlieb. Consequently, Danforth's name does not appear on the film.<ref>Pettigrew, p. 109.</ref>
Filming was mostly done in the [[Sierra de Órganos National Park]] in the town of [[Sombrerete]] in the state of [[Zacatecas]], [[Mexico]]. The river and fishing lake scene was shot in the Mexican state of [[Durango]], and some scenes were filmed at the [[Estudios Churubusco|Churubusco Studios]] in [[Mexico City]]. The film features [[stop motion]] animated [[dinosaur]]s constructed by [[Jim Danforth]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Pettigrew |first=Neil |title=The Stop-Motion Filmography |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland & Company, Inc.]] |year=1999 |page=111 |isbn=0786404469}}</ref> including a ''[[Tyrannosaurus|Tyrannosaurus Rex]]'' which in one scene becomes intoxicated by a [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]]-type drug, animated by [[Randall W. Cook]].<ref>Pettigrew, p. 114.</ref> Danforth was a major participant in the [[special effects]] sequences, but left the film "about two-thirds of the way" (his words) through the work because the [[Directors Guild of America]] prohibited his contracted on-screen credit, co-direction with Carl Gottlieb. Consequently, Danforth's name does not appear on the film.<ref>Pettigrew, p. 109.</ref>


The film's dialog is almost entirely in "caveman" language, such as:
The film's dialog is almost entirely in "caveman" language, such as:
Line 116: Line 114:
Janet Maslin of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the film was "dopey, but it's also lots of fun", and that the real star was the special-effects dinosaur.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/17/movies/caveman-with-ringo-starr.html |title='Caveman' with Ringo Starr |first=Janet |last=Maslin |date=April 17, 1981 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> [[Pauline Kael]] of [[The New Yorker]] gave it a positive review, calling it "a funky, buoyant farce."<ref><!-- archive copy: https://www.geocities.ws/paulinekaelreviews/c2.html --> [[Taking It All In]]'' (1984) {{ISBN|0-03-069362-4}}</ref>
Janet Maslin of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the film was "dopey, but it's also lots of fun", and that the real star was the special-effects dinosaur.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/17/movies/caveman-with-ringo-starr.html |title='Caveman' with Ringo Starr |first=Janet |last=Maslin |date=April 17, 1981 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> [[Pauline Kael]] of [[The New Yorker]] gave it a positive review, calling it "a funky, buoyant farce."<ref><!-- archive copy: https://www.geocities.ws/paulinekaelreviews/c2.html --> [[Taking It All In]]'' (1984) {{ISBN|0-03-069362-4}}</ref>


Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' gave it a mixed review. He was critical with the lack of originality but suggests younger audiences who have not seen it before may enjoy it. Arnold compares the film unfavorably to ''[[The Three Ages]]'', where [[Buster Keaton]] was able to bring his genius, ''Caveman'' struggles to overcome Starr's limits and director Gottlieb fails to make use of other talented actors such as Quaid, Schreiber, or Gilford.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 April 1981 |last=Arnold |first=Gary |title=Neanderthal Nonsense |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/04/18/neanderthal-nonsense/c6a55075-adda-4d0d-bc14-f5f073bad99e/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>
Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' gave it a mixed review. He was critical with the lack of originality but suggests younger audiences who have not seen it before may enjoy it. Arnold compares the film unfavorably to ''[[Three Ages]]'': where [[Buster Keaton]] was able to bring his genius to that picture, ''Caveman'' struggles to overcome Starr's limits, and director Gottlieb fails to make use of other talented actors such as Quaid, Schreiber, or Gilford.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 April 1981 |last=Arnold |first=Gary |title=Neanderthal Nonsense |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/04/18/neanderthal-nonsense/c6a55075-adda-4d0d-bc14-f5f073bad99e/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Internet Archive film|id=cavemancavernicola1981|title=Caveman}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0082146|title=Caveman}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0082146|title=Caveman}}
* {{Amg movie|8693|Caveman}}
* {{AllMovie title|8693|Caveman}}
* [http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/cavespeak.html Cavespeak: A Dictionary Of Cavese]
* [http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/cavespeak.html Cavespeak: A Dictionary Of Cavese]


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[[Category:United Artists films]]
[[Category:United Artists films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Carl Gottlieb]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Carl Gottlieb]]
[[Category:Films produced by Lawrence Turman]]
[[Category:Films directed by Carl Gottlieb]]
[[Category:Films directed by Carl Gottlieb]]
[[Category:Films scored by Lalo Schifrin]]
[[Category:Films scored by Lalo Schifrin]]
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[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s Mexican films]]
[[Category:1980s Mexican films]]
[[Category:1981 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Stinkers Bad Movie Award winning films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]

Revision as of 22:48, 28 October 2024

For the 2013 film, see Cavemen (film).
Caveman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCarl Gottlieb
Written byRudy De Luca
Carl Gottlieb
Produced byDavid Foster
Lawrence Turman
Starring
CinematographyAlan Hume
Edited byGene Fowler Jr.
Music byLalo Schifrin
Production
companies
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • April 17, 1981 (1981-04-17)
(United States)
  • December 25, 1981 (1981-12-25)
(Mexico)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Mexico[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6.5 million[1]
Box office$16 million[3]

Caveman is a 1981 slapstick comedy film written and directed by Carl Gottlieb and starring Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long and Barbara Bach. The film is set in prehistoric times and revolves around the rivalries between cavemen.

Plot

Atouk is a bullied and scrawny caveman living in "One Zillion BC – October 9th".[4] He lusts after the beautiful but shallow Lana, who is the mate of Tonda, their tribe's physically imposing bullying leader and brutish instigator. After being banished along with his friend Lar, Atouk falls in with a band of assorted misfits, among them the comely Tala and the elderly blind man Gog. The group has ongoing encounters with hungry dinosaurs, and rescues Lar from a "nearby ice age", where they encounter an abominable snowman. In the course of these adventures, they discover sedative drugs and fire, invent cooking, music, and weapons, and learn how to walk fully upright. Atouk uses these advances to lead an attack on Tonda, overthrowing him and becoming the tribe's new leader. He rejects Lana and takes Tala as his mate, and they live happily ever after.

Cast

Production

Filming was mostly done in the Sierra de Órganos National Park in the town of Sombrerete in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. The river and fishing lake scene was shot in the Mexican state of Durango, and some scenes were filmed at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. The film features stop motion animated dinosaurs constructed by Jim Danforth,[5] including a Tyrannosaurus Rex which in one scene becomes intoxicated by a cannabis-type drug, animated by Randall W. Cook.[6] Danforth was a major participant in the special effects sequences, but left the film "about two-thirds of the way" (his words) through the work because the Directors Guild of America prohibited his contracted on-screen credit, co-direction with Carl Gottlieb. Consequently, Danforth's name does not appear on the film.[7]

The film's dialog is almost entirely in "caveman" language, such as:

  • "aiyee" – help
  • "alunda" – love
  • "bobo" – friend
  • "caca" – shit
  • "gluglug" – drowned
  • "guwi" – out to get
  • "haraka" – fire
  • "kuda" – come
  • "macha" – monster
  • "nya" – no/not
  • "ool" – food
  • "pooka" – broken/pain
  • "ugh" – like
  • "ya" – yes
  • "zug zug" – sex/mate

At some showings audiences were issued a translation pamphlet for 30 "caveman words."[8] The only English dialog present is used for comedic effect, when it is spoken by a caveman played by Evan Kim who speaks modern English but is understood by none of the other characters. Being a Korean caveman, by speaking English, he appears to be more advanced than the rest. At her audition, Long said she did not speak any English, but responded to everything with grunts.[8]

Barbara Bach and Ringo Starr first met on the set of Caveman, and they married just over a year later.[9]

Home media

The film was released on Region 1 DVD by MGM Home Entertainment on June 4, 2002. It was then released on February 17, 2015 on Blu-ray Disc by Olive Films.[10]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 33% based on reviews from 21 critics, with an average rating of 4.7/10.[11] On Metacritic the film has a score of 55% based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 stars out of a possible 4. The cast was "interesting", he wrote, but the main failing of Caveman was it being a spoof with "no popular original material for it to satirize. There has never been a really successful movie set in prehistoric times."[13] Ebert and Gene Siskel both gave the film a negative "don't see it" review on their TV show but softened their criticism somewhat by noting that its dinosaur-related sequences were amusing.[14]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the film was "dopey, but it's also lots of fun", and that the real star was the special-effects dinosaur.[15] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker gave it a positive review, calling it "a funky, buoyant farce."[16]

Gary Arnold of The Washington Post gave it a mixed review. He was critical with the lack of originality but suggests younger audiences who have not seen it before may enjoy it. Arnold compares the film unfavorably to Three Ages: where Buster Keaton was able to bring his genius to that picture, Caveman struggles to overcome Starr's limits, and director Gottlieb fails to make use of other talented actors such as Quaid, Schreiber, or Gilford.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Caveman". AFI Catalog.
  2. ^ "Caveman (1981)". AFI Catalog. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Caveman at Box Office Mojo
  4. ^ Done in memory of the birth of John Lennon who was killed 5 months before the film's release, was Ringo Starr's friend and bandmate with The Beatles, and whose birthday was October 9.
  5. ^ Pettigrew, Neil (1999). The Stop-Motion Filmography. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 111. ISBN 0786404469.
  6. ^ Pettigrew, p. 114.
  7. ^ Pettigrew, p. 109.
  8. ^ a b "Caveman (1981) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  9. ^ "Barbara Bach - Biography -". www.barbara-bach.com.
  10. ^ "Caveman Roars onto Blu-ray from Olive Films". Dread Central. December 19, 2014.
  11. ^ "Caveman (1981)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  12. ^ "Caveman". Metacritic.
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1981). "Caveman". Chicago Sun-Times.
  14. ^ Siskel and Ebert. Sneak Previews (Television).
  15. ^ Maslin, Janet (April 17, 1981). "'Caveman' with Ringo Starr". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Taking It All In (1984) ISBN 0-03-069362-4
  17. ^ Arnold, Gary (18 April 1981). "Neanderthal Nonsense". The Washington Post.
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