The Clan of the Cave Bear: Doomed from the start
What was it like at the dawn of time? What was it like to be a human, and have none of the things we take for granted these days? How did we take that first great leap out of the caves and into more civilized times? "The Clan of the Cave Bear" attempts to answer those questions by making a leap backward in history; to that precise moment when the first Cro-Magnon’s were moving in, and the last Neanderthals were becoming obsolete. Unfortunately, the movie never really does deliver itself to the prehistoric past they are trying to capture. It approaches those times with a modern outlook. It shows us a woman winning respect from a patriarchal tribe, when in reality the men would have just banged her over the head and not listened to a word she had to say. It isn't accurate in how dark and grim things were probably like back then either. Instead of people who are scarred, wind-burned, thin and toothless, it gives us a heroine who looks as if she just walked over from makeup and other characters to match. Also it packs a lot of things into a short span. The movie covers just a few short seasons, as a wandering tribe of primitive Neanderthals encounters an amazing sight: a Cro-Magnon woman (Daryl Hannahﾧ), tall and blond and smarter than they are. The girl is adopted into the tribe, and right away she causes trouble. She can't understand why the men get to have all the fun, and use all the weapons, and make all the decisions. One day she sneaks out and practices on the slingshot. On another day, she challenges the tribe's attitudes about sex, seniority and even about self-defense. In her spare time, she invents arithmetic and becomes chief adviser to the medicine man. A very productive female in this era I might add. One that is stepping outside of the boundaries of women portrayed in those times.