One Million Years B.C.

THE FLICK: It’s hard to say which is more responsible for the continuing popularity “One Million Years B.C.”: Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion monsters or the famous one-sheet poster of star Raquel Welch in a furry cavegirl bikini. Both make a strong case for themselves in Fox’s remastered DVD, available separately or as part of the Raquel Welch collection. With no dialogue other than grunts, groans and sparse cave-speak, this sci-fi feature from Hammer studios in Britain follows the fate of two tribes, the primitive Rock Clan and the more advanced (and much better groomed) Shell People. Tumack (John Richardson), ostracized from his Rock brothers, crosses the harsh landscape and falls under the spell of Luana (Welch), who soothes his temper and shows him another way of living. Of course, Tumack’s skills come in handy when a hungry Allosaurus drops in and makes a smorgasbord of the Shell village. Actually, Harryhausen’s monsters play a much smaller role in “One Million Years B.C.” than his other productions. But what he provides is some of his best and most memorable work, including a giant sea turtle, Pterodactyl attack, and a classic Triceritops/T-Rex battle. The other special effect on display is Welch and her still sexy figure wrapped in the height of primitive fashion. And unlike latter take-offs on the caveman genre, Welch and Richardson perform with a straight face, which keeps the film from falling victim to unintentional humor. THE FEATURES: Two trailers and some Fox previews are the only extras included, per se, other than a split-screen presentation of the restoration work that went into the new transfer. A brief prologue explains that the original negative was lost; which explains the rampant internet finger pointing about why this version of the film is missing some 8-minutes of footage...some of which you’ll notice in the trailer. Still, this is a fine looking anamorphically enhanced picture, as sharp and colorful as one might hope. FINAL SCORE: As the final film featuring Harryhausen’s work to hit DVD, fans should be more than happy with what “One Million Years B.C.” delivers. And as Raquel Welch’s film debut, it’s also easy to see why people still drool over that poster!