Quest For Fire (1981)

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.

The next movie in our spotlight series is the 1981 film 'Quest For Fire', directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nameer El-Kadi, and Rae Dawn Chong.  This movie is our second recommendation, this one specifically referred to us by our contributor Albion Sabani. It is set in Paleolithic Europe, 80,000 years ago, its plot surrounding the struggle for control of fire by early humans. The movie was filmed on location in Iceland, Cairngorms National Park in Scotland and Tsavo National Park and Lake Magadi in Africa. The opening sequence was filmed at Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, BC.

Here are some accolades the film received:

• Won Academy Award for Best Makeup

• Nominated for 6 Cesar Awards

• Won 5 awards at the Genie Awards

I am really looking forward to this movie.  There is little dialogue, so the acting will have to be spot on to deliver this 'search for fire' theme.  I will be posting my synopsis Sunday, so get to viewing!