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Summary: Raquel Welsh and Ray Harryhausen in Prehistoric Drama
Review: One Million Years BC is one of the most unusual films evermade. The film contains almost no dialogue and calls for its cast -primary performers are John Richardson, Raquel Welsh, Martine Bestwick, and Percy Herbert - to "act" as cavepeople, a task that can test even the hardiest of performers. At times, the human performers seem ill at ease in their roles as humans within the film's titular period of time.Nonetheless they succeed in pulling it off, aided by the film's intimidating scenery (shot in the volcanic Canary Islands), the chilling minimalist music, and Ray Harryhausen's superb stop-motion dinosaurs. There has been a long-running debate over who is responsible for the film's success - Raquel Welsh or Harryhausen's dinosaurs. Certainly the presence of Welsh gives the film sex appeal (aimed for by the endless promotion of her role) but Harryhausen's dinosaurs give the film a substance and longevity it otherwise might not have. The "story," such as it is, involves two tribes, the gentle Shell Tribe of Luana (Welsh) and the harsher Rock People of Tumak (Richardson). Tumak is exiled from his tribe and is discovered by the Shell Tribe on a lonely beach. A bond soon develops between Tumak and Luana, and both soon find themselves encountering a variety of Harryhausen-created dinosaurs. The film doesn't strive to do anything other than tell its story. This is both a weakness and a strength, and makes for an interesting and unusual film.
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Summary: What do you expect from a Raquel Welch film?
Review: Only devout fans of Raquel Welch might like watching this film. It's typical low-budget Saturday afternoon matinee material that persons with above-average intelligence would find nauseating. Anyone who learned about dinosaurs in school knows that the giant reptiles were all extinct by the start of the Cretaceous Period (about 65 million years ago) which was long before Homo sapiens ever appeared on this planet. The dialogue is nothing but a bunch of weird sounds and grunts; why couldn't the film's producers provide subtitles? If you really like Raquel Welch, watch "100 Rifles" or even "Kansas City Bomber"; those films aren't the greatest, but they're much better than this one.
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Summary: First-rate dinosaur movie
Review: Overlook the fact that this film contains human beings and dinosaurs sharing the same era, and this is a first-rate piece of cinema from start to finish. A caveman is thrown out of his tribe and ventures into the vast unknown. These scenes, with their haunting music, atmospheric settings and sense of wonder, are worth getting this video just to see. Also memorable is the portrayal of the developing coastal society, and of course the prehistoric animals. Despite the brief appearance of photographically-enlarged iguna and tarantula, the film is mainly top-notch stop-motion. Some classic sequences involve an Allosaur attacking a village, a Triceratops and Ceratosaurus wrestling and a Pterodactyl carrying off Tumak's loved one. A classic.
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Summary: Of Monsters and Fur Bikinis.
Review: Raquel Welch was a familiar pop-culture, poster icon in the '60s because her astonishing super structure clad in a fur bikini is the stuff of dreams. The story of Loana (Welch) of the peaceful Shell people and Tumak (John Richardson) of the warlike Rock people fails to engage the viewer completely. The stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen covers a multitude of sins, however. The special effects carry the movie. Although the first "dinosaur" we see is merely an iquana with rubber fins, blown up to fantastic proportions. This ersatz monster may be typical of Irwin Allen or Bert I. Gordon, but not the superior Ray Harryhausen. A cost conscious producer must have overruled RH on this one. The grim story of stone-age survival and primitive struggle lumbers along until the volcanic conclusion. One problem is the lack of intelligible dialogue and the bewildering use of gestures and grunts that serve as communication. Character development is minimal. The color photography is crisp and clear in the VHS transfer. A distinctive music score adds to the primeval atmosphere. The individual parts of this movie are better than its whole. Oddly, this is a Hammer Films production. It is a definite change of pace from Dracula style horror flicks. Determined sci-fi fans should be pleased. Others should tread carefully. ;-)
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Summary: Fox should have let Warner's release their Edition .....
Review: REGION FREE. The version on this DVD has been UNrestored back to the American release print. If you don't have a way to play the Region 2 Warner's release (Available from Amazon U.K) be on the look out for the CryptFlicks bootleg. The picture quality may not be as good but at least it's the uncut version. Not suprisingly the "restoration featurette" doesn't include them cutting out the restored footage.
Rating: 
Summary: Raquel Welch was not designed by Ray HarryHausen?
Review: Remember "The Ten Commandments" and think of Charlton Heston. There were others before him and others after him. Think of [Forbidden Planet (1956) ASIN: 079074404X] and you think of Anne Francis. There were space ships before this and after this. The definitive girl meets Dino is Raquel. It is not all just a fury story there is a script and love involved. Then there are the haps and mishaps of the Shell people Vs the Stone people. This movie is a classic on many levels and should be in your collection. If you are only interested in fur bikini's, then your next picture should be [Caveman (1981) ASIN: 6302658489] With Barbara Bach protruding...oops! I mean filling out a fur bikini.
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Summary: A Science Fiction Classic of sorts
Review: Story of two lovers (Raquel Welch and John Richardson) who live in a brutal world where man and dinosaurs live an uneasy existence side by side. Great effects work courtesy of Ray HarryHausen and a strong musical score that highlights the world that these characters live in. Those who like dinosaurs in sciene fiction films will enjoy this movie. I did.
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Summary: THIS DVD IS THE SHORTER VERSION OF THE FILM!!!
Review: The 100 minute version previously released by Fox on video and laser disc is nowhere to be found. Instead, this version is the inferior 91 minute cut. Harryhausen, Welch and Hammer fans should avoid this DVD at all costs!
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Summary: Just look at the cover.
Review: The cover will tell you if you are interested in this movie or not. Raquel Welch in 1967 (it could be 1997 for all I care) running around in a fur bikini in cavemen times. Except for the grunting and screaming there is no dialog, but if you see the cover and want the movie, than dialog doesn't concern you anyway. Yes it is scientifically inaccurate. Preschoolers know that mankind didn't exist during the dinosaur age. Grade schoolers know that pteradachdils weren't as big as a house. High schoolers should know that there were no set 'stone tribes' and 'shell tribes'. But at this point, after another look at the cover, you don't care. You want this movie for Raquel obviously. You will not be disappointed. I can't believe they were actually able to develop the celluloid. She's so hot I'm surprised it didn't melt in the process. Her sexuallity is so obvious that any man would love to live in a cave for awhile and eat raw boar with her. Of course her tribe lived at the beach and except for giant turtles, they really had no problems. So be a man and be not ashamed to run right out and order or buy this flick. She made it for you, so by all means enjoy it! After seeing this, you'll wonder why Bo Derek made the movie '10'. The answer is that Raquel rates an 11 and maybe the world isn't ready for that movie yet. Raquel Welch? Hubba hubba.
Rating:
Summary: Believe you me?
Review: This is the most diligently researched, most acurate representation of early hominid life ever captured on film. A must for all phyisical anthropoligy professors and students.
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