Legendary prehistoric epic, much teased even when released but very influential, and footage from the movie turned up in numerous science fiction/fantasy epics over the next few decades. It also helped launch the careers of Victor Mature, Lon Chaney Jnr and Carole Landis, and ended that of DW Griffith.
The film begins in the modern day, with some hikers (all wearing leaderhousen!) taking refuge in a cave. Some old boffin is working there, and he gives them a lecture (no kidding they sit down as he talks and everything) about what happened here in ancient times. We flash back to the old world where Victor Mature and Lon Chaney Jnr are members of the same tribe. The rest of the movie is basically a silent film as Chaney kicks out Mature and he forms a relationship with Carole Landis. A lot of running around and women in fur bikinis and cavemen learning how to share and dinosaurs attacking whenever the action gets slow - kids would have loved it. It's done with tremendous gusto and conviction.
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