One Million B.C.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I remember seeing this movie in the 40's and loved it. Of course, it was through the lens of a 10 year old kid, While the later version of this movie is technically better, with better effects, etc. in its simplicity, I love the 40's version better. There is a sincerity in the acting, the story-line that was so true of movies in the 30's and the 40's that disappeared when technology improved. Didn't know that this was Victor Mature's earliest movie and he is great! Simple emotions, simple story line, and great acting is what this version is all about. I never dreamed I would be able to see this again since it hasn't even been available in bootleg copies sold by many companies. I am grateful to go back to my 40's childhood and revisit my happy childhood. While this movie was not award-winning, it was a perfect movie for a 10 year old kid who would remember it for the rest of his life. Different strokes for different folks! Where are the 40's when our way of life needs it!

At last someone has put out a viewable version of this Caveman classic. While by no means a great film it still has its moments and a starring role for Victor Mature in his second film plus Carole Landis, and Lon Chaney Jr. as the brutish head of the cave clan. The special effects consist of using alligators and lizards with fins glued to their backs to represent dinosaurs Irwin Allen style. The highlight is the fight scene between an alligator and another reptile that has a finish that looks all too real. This sequence would be featured in many a B-film made later on in the 40's and 50's whenever they needed to pad out the running time on one of their prehistoric quickies. When all is said and done the film still elicits charm and innocence and the 2 leads have a nice chemistry. The Bluray picture is for the most part pristine and undoubtedly the best copy thus far. So if you like cheesy dinosaur flicks then don't miss this cult caveman vs dinosaur classic.

I had this on vhs... yes what is that right? Anyway as time went by the quality of the tape got to the point where it could no longer be watched as it would skip too much. I was so happy to find it on dvd blu ray on top of it. It is not for all; but for those who appreciate old BW movies with simple story lines and low tech special effects its a great entertainment. I appreciate old movies and hope that the younger generation eventually will as well, as these are diamonds in the rough that potentially one day will simply disappear.

PETA would not approve of any of this but it is wonderful to finally own a copy of and finally see this film. I'm a Lon Chaney Jr. collector and this was a missing piece. The print is amazingly clean and clear. Great job!

Well done VCI. Another excellent transfer of a vintage film. Good clear B/W picture and sound with optional English subtitles (see below). Extras include a photo gallery and commentary by Toby Roan. Given the status and reputation of the film I would have liked an informative booklet, but you can't have everything!. The film? Frankly I was just a bit disapointed. I haven't seen it for possibly 20 or more years and I had forgotten, looked at today, how, miscast Mature and Landis are. Victor gurns and looks baffled and has good stunt double, but in no way convinced me. Poor Carole Landis (an actress I like) just doesn't work. On the other hand... Plenty of viewers don't agree! I found the SFX very good and the matching of monsters and characters worked well. Sets are imaginative and quite threatening. I also feel obliged to say that I found one of the fights between (real?) lizards rather too unpleasant, but I am a softie (sometimes). All in all this is a classic of it's kind and well worth a look, though what first time viewers might think - who knows. I mentioned subtitles...You may not need them. There is a prologue with actors about 6-8 mins, but when we go back in time there are just grunts for 80 minutes and seeing "Greuff", Neecha" Banoona" etc many times can get a bit annoying!

Fun movie, but not at all modern. Cave people sometimes meet with violent deaths that could upset (but will probably delight) children and sensitive adults. Animals were definitely, obviously harmed in the making of this movie, so be aware of that. Sub-titles are only in made-up cave people language, which is kind of fun. You can figure out what is being said from the context and build your own glossary.

Hi, this is a beautiful copy of a film that has been unavailable for years. Interesting similarities to "Quest for Fire" but without the simian behavior. It's not history but it's a lot of fun.

UCLA Film Archives did a great job restoring this film. There isn't a blemish to be seen and the image is very sharp. Certainly this is the best the movie has looked since it came out in 1940. I was surprised at how closely the famous Hammer Films remake followed the original, until the last 15 minutes or so. One Million B.C. is an underrated classic. Hopefully this new VCI release will garner it the respect it deserves.

Quality very good. Commentary also very good. Just like I remembered it. Greta nostalgia piece. Shades of Irwin Allen and his remake of the lost world. The dinosaurs obviously not real. but still great fun to watch. Long live Tumak and Luanna.

This is the lesser known 1 M B.C. turned out in 1940, as opposed to the better known 1966 version with Raquel! In my opinion, as is often the case, like with King Kong (1939), the original is far better than remake(s). Stort here feels more real, and flows in a more natural way. Story has oft been rediculed for showing dinos still about when mankind has hit the scene. However, recent arheo. finds seems to substantiiate, there it was so to some extent. Good, enjoyable cave romp.

Alles super geklappt

Dieser Film ist von 1940, s/w, 4:3-Format, technisch und schauspielerisch etwas antik, die Synchronisation jetzt nicht perfekt. Allgemein besser ist das Remake von 1966 (Eine Million Jahre vor unserer Zeit). Aber etwas fehlt dort natürlich der Zauber, besonders auffällig beim unhistorischen Kampf der Saurier. Beim Remake war dafür der Meister der Spezialeffekte Ray Harryhausen zuständig, aber durch das alte s/w-Material konnte leichter übertüncht werden.

VCI provide us with the UCLA restoration of this prehistoric epic and, indeed, the picture (and sound) quality are quite impressive. To the best of my knowedge, the only previous legit DVD of this film was the Japanese pressing of almost a decade ago, which was adequate but had a distinct VHS look about it. This is a notable improvement but considering that this represents the long-awaited American DVD debut of the film (it's region-free, though), I was expecting a bit more in terms of overall packaging. You get a pretty extensive photo gallery of posters, lobby cards, publicity stills, etc, and a fairly informative commentary track by Toby Roan, but even that could have been more extensive and insightful. He tends, for example, to gloss over or be a bit dismissive about the enduring controversy over the animal cruelty allegations (the use of live reptiles as dinosaurs), and there are a few players in the picture who are worth identifying but aren't. To be honest, he didn't tell me too much I didn't already know, but that's a purely personal observation as I'm a big fan of this film and have read a lot about it over the years. It would have been nice to have some more visual extras, such as a couple of prehistoric cartoons maybe. Also, how about the test footage and outtakes of the animals, some of which have appeared in the many low-budget productions which over the years plundered "One Million B.C." ? It would be interesting to see some of those. All in all, though, this is a very adequate and welcome release, with the best transfer you're likely to get.