This story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.This story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.This story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 11 wins & 8 nominations total
Nicholas Kadi
- Gaw
- (as Nameer El-Kadi)
Franck-Olivier Bonnet
- Aghoo - The Ulam Tribe
- (as Frank Olivier Bonnet)
Joy Boushel
- The Ulam Tribe
- (as Joy Boushell)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBoth Ron Perlman and Everett McGill suffered frostbite; luckily they were able to heal completely. Despite the working conditions, they both enjoyed making the film.
- GoofsThere were no saber-toothed cats in Europe at any time. Saber-Toothed cats evolved in North America, then spread to South America during the Great American Interchange (when the Isthmus of Panama rose from the sea and connected North and South America). There *were* very large cave lions (Panthera Spelea) in Europe, but they had the regular dentition of modern African lions (Panthera Leo).
- Quotes
[first lines]
Title Card: 80,000 years ago, man's survival in a vast uncharted land depended on the possession of fire. / For those early humans, fire was an object of great mystery, since no one had mastered its creation. Fire had to be stolen from nature, it had to be kept alive - sheltered from wind and rain, guarded from rival tribes. / Fire was a symbol of power and a means of survival. The tribe who possessed fire, possessed life.
- Alternate versionsAll UK versions are cut by 8 secs and are missing a shot of a wolf on fire.
- ConnectionsFeatured in À propos de 'La guerre du feu' (1981)
Featured review
I caught this in Boston back in 1981. They played it in the biggest cinema they had in 70mm and in stereo sound. I had only the slightest idea of what it was about but it sounded interesting. When I realized it was a caveman movie I almost left, but the beautiful wide screen cinematography kept me in my seat. Slowly it worked on me and by the end I was mesmerized.
There's not really much of a plot--the caveman discover fire and different sexual positions--and there's no dialogue that we could understand but it didn't matter. The whole cast was excellent--especially Ron Perelman and Rae Dawn Chong (who had guts to do this). Their whole performances had to be done using some foreign language and body movement but they pulled it off. I heard Anthony Burgess was called in to develop the language used and coach the cast in how to use it. The cinematography is just breath-taking and the prehistoric animals look realistic all the way. I can't exactly say why I loved this movie but I did.
20th Century Fox deserves credit for actually acquiring the film and releasing it. Naturally it bombed badly here in the US but it seems I'm not the only one who likes it--when I mention it to friends I just get a blank look back. I haven't seen it since 1981 but it's never left me. Try to see it on a big screen TV. I give it an 8.
There's not really much of a plot--the caveman discover fire and different sexual positions--and there's no dialogue that we could understand but it didn't matter. The whole cast was excellent--especially Ron Perelman and Rae Dawn Chong (who had guts to do this). Their whole performances had to be done using some foreign language and body movement but they pulled it off. I heard Anthony Burgess was called in to develop the language used and coach the cast in how to use it. The cinematography is just breath-taking and the prehistoric animals look realistic all the way. I can't exactly say why I loved this movie but I did.
20th Century Fox deserves credit for actually acquiring the film and releasing it. Naturally it bombed badly here in the US but it seems I'm not the only one who likes it--when I mention it to friends I just get a blank look back. I haven't seen it since 1981 but it's never left me. Try to see it on a big screen TV. I give it an 8.
- How long is Quest for Fire?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The War of Fire
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $12,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $20,959,585
- Gross worldwide
- $20,962,615
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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