One Million Years B.C.

"Travel back through time and space to the edge of man's beginnings... discover a savage world whose only law was lust!"

1966 1h 40m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 258

AdventureFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As the Earth wrestles with its agonizing birth, the peoples of this barren and desolate world struggle to survive. Driven by animal instinct they compete against the harsh conditions, their giant predators, and warring tribes. When two people from opposing clans fall in love, existing conventions are shattered forever as each tribe struggles for supremacy and Man embarks on his tortuous voyage of civilization.

“Travel back through time and space to the edge of man's beginnings... discover a savage world whose only law was lust!”

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Cast

Raquel Welch
Loana
John Richardson
Tumak
Percy Herbert
Sakana
Robert Brown
Akhoba
Martine Beswick
Nupondi
Jean Wladon
Ahot
Lisa Thomas
Sura
Yvonne Horner
Ullah

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Chaffey
Writers: Michael Carreras, Joseph Frickert, Mickell Novack
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Chaffey, shot by Wilkie Cooper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mario Nascimbene. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Raquel Welch and John Richardson and Percy Herbert carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Travel back through time and space to the edge of man's beginnings... discover a savage world whose only law was lust!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0060782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Chaffey directs. Wilkie Cooper behind the camera. Mario Nascimbene scores. Tom Simpson cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Don Chaffey, shot by Wilkie Cooper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mario Nascimbene. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Tom Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Raquel Welch and John Richardson and Percy Herbert carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Travel back through time and space to the edge of man's beginnings... discover a savage world whose only law was lust!".
7IMDB entry: tt0060782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "new love", "sapient", "volcano", "stone age".

The technical file

Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper
Original score: Mario Nascimbene
Editing: Tom Simpson
Costume design: Carl Toms
Makeup / hair: Olga Angelinetta
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: One Million Years B.C. (1966)

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Don Chaffey

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-04-06
★ 7/10
What say you fuzzy britches? For their 100th release, Hammer Films remade the 1940 cavemen groaner One Million B.C. It would prove to be a roaring box office success, whilst simultaneously making Raquel Welch an iconic poster girl and Ray Harryhausen an even bigger hero. Plot is slight. Two tribes exist in prehistoric times, the Rock People and the Shell People. The former are more aggressive and basic, the latter more forward and assured. Tumak (John Richardson) of the Rocks and Loana (Welch) wind up together, fighting prejudices and lots of giant beasties! Hooray! That's really it, the message is clear but ultimately we are here for the dinosaurs and giant creatures (well OK, the scantily clad cave dwellers as well), with Harryhausen once again showing why he was a legend in his field of animation. With good fights, a bit of sexy sizzle and a volcanic finale, it's all good really. It's no history lesson of course, but as Harryhausen was wont to say, they wasn't making a film for history professors! 7/10
CinemaSerf2022-09-24
★ 5/10
After a bit of a contretemps, "Tumak" (John Richardson) is kicked out of his prehistoric tribe and left to fend for himself. Fortunately, after a few near misses with some larger-than-life creatures, he encounters "Loana" (Raquel Welch) who lives with her people by the seaside. Not everyone likes him though - not least "Payto" (William Lyon Brown) who has eyes on the prize for himself. The plot, the acting, the dialogue - well, who cares? That's all drivel from start to finish. What rescues it entirely from the cutting room floor (where much of this belongs) are the visual effects from the master Ray Harryhausen. Stop motion at it's best - dinosaurs and pterodactyls that, even if they are made of polystyrene and/or papier-mâché easily out-perform the entire human cast. Raquel Welch is just an ichthyolite out of water and the usually more respectable Robert Brown looks faintly ridiculous in his best furs as "Akhoba". The ending comes not a moment too soon, but sadly doesn't really features the stars of this film - the dinosaurs!