• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Blu-ray Review – Quest for Fire (1981)

August 5, 2013 by admin

Quest for Fire, 1981.

Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.
Starring Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Kadi, Rae Dawn Chong and Gary Schwartz.

SYNOPSIS:

This story takes place in prehistoric time when three prehistoric tribesmen search for a new fire source.

In the cinematic universe there exists a galaxy. This (cinematic) galaxy is populated with daring films which never quite find a mass audience. In part down to their sheer audacity to break convention, and also down to many other reasons, be it financial trouble, lack of marketing etc. Quest for Fire is such a film and only the most intrepid of cinema universe explorers tend to find such films.

Playing out in part like a David Attenborough documentary, and a pre-historic quest movie, this is a fascinating film that has been under the radar since its inception. This isn’t a low budget piece either. The budget at the time was fairly moderate. By no means a blockbuster, but at the same time, far from being one of many cheap quickies that would become all the more regularly churned out in the rise of the video market. A great deal of time and no small amount of money was spent on bringing this to life, though getting the funding in the first place was apparently a quest in itself.

The film is a simple tale of a tribe of cavemen who have the ‘gift’ of fire. Fire keeps them alive. It keeps them warm, it wards of predators and rival tribes. They don’t know where it’s come from. They don’t know how to create it, nor to a great degree control it, they simply keep their embers burning in any way they possibly can. Following an attack by a less evolved tribe of Neanderthals, they lose the fire. Three of the tribe must then travel across the lands in search of fire, battling other tribes, sabre-tooth tigers and mammoths along the way. The film is a slow burner but nicely realised, and great care has gone into making the look, mannerisms and ‘language’ of these pre-historic men and women seem plausible.

Quest for Fire is a difficult film to judge in some ways. The story is very simple, but in many regards, it has to be that way. These are simple creatures on a simple quest of survival. There’s no dialogue in the film just a basic caveman language (though some versions do actually feature, pointlessly I should add, subtitles). That said you become drawn into the world, sucked along into their plight. The cast is headed up by Everett McGill, the fire handler. He’s supported by the legend that is Ron Perlman. This is Perlman’s first major role and he performs it steadfastly showing the sort of reliability and presence he would thus be known for (and still is) throughout his career. To McGill and Perlman’s credit they take these characters and find a perfect balance. Some actors could just grunt their way through and do gorilla impersonations. Some may inject too much consciousness and humanity into the roles, but they strike that perfect chord to make these Neolithic men believable. Rae Dawn Chong (Commando) also performs very well, and very naked, in one of her earliest roles.

On a technical standpoint the film is nicely realised. It looks fantastic. The desolate locales wonderfully shot in scope under the gaze of director Jean-Jacques Annuad and cinematographer Claude Agostini. The music by Philippe Sarde is atmospheric and evocative as well. The way in which characters interact and communicate is good, thanks to the input from novelist Antony Burgess who creating the language for the film.

Overall this is a film that should be watched. Though it’s a little slow moving and could do with an injection of pace every now and again, it’s unique, surprisingly funny and unexpectedly endearing. 

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Tom Jolliffe

Filed Under: Uncategorized

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

7 Kick-Ass Female-Led Action Movies

PM Entertainment and the Art of Rip-offs With Razzmatazz

10 Essential Films From 1975

The Essential Action Movies of 1985

Cannon’s Avengers: What If… Cannon Films Did the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

10 Modern Horror Classics You Have To See

10 Great Val Kilmer Performances

Takashi Miike: The Modern Godfather of Horror

Johnnie To, Hong Kong Cinema’s Modern Master

Lock, Stock and The Essential Guy Ritchie Movies

Top Stories:

Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones set for MCU return in Daredevil: Born Again season 2

4K Ultra HD Review – Dune: Prophecy – The Complete First Season

Movie Review – Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

Alien: Earth images offer first look at long-awaited FX series

10 Great Forgotten Erotic Thrillers You Need To See

Friday the 13th at 45: The Story Behind the Classic Slasher

Movie Review – Sister Midnight (2025)

7 Forgotten 2000s Comedy Movies That Are Worth Revisiting

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

Die Hard on a Shoestring: The Low Budget Die Hard Clones

7 Underappreciated Final Girls in Horror

The 10 Best Villains in Sylvester Stallone Movies

American Psycho at 25: The Story Behind the Satirical Horror Classic

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket