I
by Steven x. Rea
y What do yon do with a movie that
takes place 80.000 years ago ts spoken
tn a language that doesnt exist, that
depicts man's primitive ancestors
scratching at their rears and picking
their noses and that co-stars a gaggle
A masked Ii aka tribesman
(left) hero \ofjh (Everett
McGill) in tloe mud (center)
and Roe Dawn Chon,% as
Ika (ri^ht)
of turn skinned apemen. red faced
cannibals and elephants decked out in
gum matted Beatle wigs1 Well if
vou re the fiead of a major Hollvwuod
studio — the head of urn of the Hoi
Ivwood studios, in fact — you advise
the earnest folks proposing such a
harebrained scheme to take their pr< i)
ca somewhere else Whic h is exaalv
* happened tf < tfie pei >pk- respc iri
sihle for Quest fur ftre j picture thjt
KKik four vears to make three of th< »se
years spent trying to convince v.me
IvxJv — anybody — tfjal tlieir idea v.as
actual I v worth the time of da\
Directed by lean la< cjues Anruud a
Frenchman wh< >se first feature Hiatt
and While tn C / *hir won him the 19”*k
Academe Award for Best Foreign Film
Quest for f ire is tfie story >f a trio of
long-faced Homo sapiens who venture
hevond their tribal boundaries wlien :
tlieir life-sustaining possession, fire is
stolen by a bristle platoon ol maraud
tng Neandenhals
The fire is carried in a skull like
lantern-cage (son of prehistory s an
swer to the Olympic torch) and the
threevimes sojourn to retrieve the
vital embers takes them across
treacherous mountains, and bla/ing
plains and swampy hoglands Along
the way our hairy heroes — \aoh
(pronounced rune), Arnoukar and Gaw
have to 11 >niend with the likes of
wolves, hears quicksand, flesh eating
humans saber toothed lions giant
thundering mammoths and Ika — a
cackling pairu covered nvmphet fro®
the advanced I * aka tribe t read love in
terest i Not exasth vour average Sun
dav afternoon outing
Or. paper QueM for f ire looks like
{xitcntial Mono iMhon materia! In
deed executive producer Michael
Gruskoft— a U ilharn viorris mailhin
grown into Hollywood honcho who
has been with Oi«tr since October
O — repi >rts th3t t >ne c >( the standard
lines he d be (landed bv studio chiefs
wlien they were buss saving no was
Hove are vou going to pull this off
without loving die audience laughing
at these people' II s going to look
downright silk
But on screen, Quest for f in■ is am
thing but silk From the* opening se
quence when the peaceful Clam tribe
is besieged bv the fearsome Vi agalxrus,
the audience is swefM up in this epic
primeval adventure The makeup
c ratted bv Englishman Chris Tucker
C/tu- llephant Man) and Canadian
Michele Burke, is a marvel to liehold
Ttie I lam s features are coarse and
elongated but they re instantk retog
ni/able as the expressive, wondrous
visages of <>ur predecessors, the 'seat)
derthals, the animals, the bamboo
masked and body-painted lvakas—all
of them resound with the vibrant color
and documentary authority' of an ani
mated National Geographic layout
As for the actors, they present sym
pathetic, deeply drawn characters
Miami-born Everett McGill, who has
worked extensively on the New York
stage and co-starred in such films as
Yanks. Brubaker and I ruon City, takes
the role of the dreadlocked Naoh, the
hero of the quest Ron Perlman, a na
tive New Yorker, plays Amoukar,
Namcer El Kadi the son of a Turkish
diplomat, is the persistent Gaw, and
Rae Dawn Chong, the 20-year-old
daughter of Tommy < Chcech and ..)
Chong has the part of the skinny, wail
ing Ika who wins the heart of Naoh
Wc watch as these ignorant, innocent
human beings struggle to grasp at new
concepts and emotions, as they learn
to smile, to laugh, as they make the
transition from fornicator to love
maker Quest for hire is a joumey-story
with die same mythic overtones as Ibe
Odyssey As the protagonists' adven
tures unravel, the humor, the fear, the
love, the violence and the bravado —
the essence i if human nature — come
to the fore
Based on la Guerre du l eu a 1911
novel by Rosny Aisne, Quest for hire is
a purely speculative work (the ad
campaign touts it as a science fan
tasy ), but Gruskoff, Annaud and
screenwriter Gerard Brach have gone
to great lengths to make it as realistic,
as historically and anthropologically
accurate as possible Vli' approached
Quest with the same serious intent as
the pe< iple wh< < made 2001 or Alien
savs Gruskoff Vi'here they endea
vored to create a tenable vision of the
future, we’ve tried to create a similar
v ision of the distant past Adds An
naud Vi e show early man as I believe
fa- truh was a peaceable creature ex
cept when roused, a stranger in an en
vironment he could not understand
and fiad reason to fear
An avid amateur anthropologist who
came to filmmaking from a
background in TV commercials. An
naud arrived at his concept of prime
live man by consuming a veritable li
brary s worth of information and by
pmling that knowledge with his own
theories and imaginings Intelligent
speculation, backed by research, may
lead us to the truth, he muses
The filmmakers quest for the truth
as it may have been eight millennia
past led them to elicit the aid of a
couple of modern day experts;
novelist/linguist Anthony Burgess and
author/anthropilogist Desmond Mor
ris Burgess, who created a futuristic
lingo for his book Clockwork Orange.
was recruited to shape a new — but
theoretically old — verbal language for
the Clams, while Morris (The Naked
A/ie Manu atebing ) was hired to pro
vide the actors with a complementary
vocabulary of physical gestures Com
bined. the prehistoric guttural yam
mering and the simian gesticulations
render the film's story line readily un
derstandable As such. Quest for hire is
probably tlie first movie in history that
w ill play worldwide without the use of
subtitles or dubbing
Burgess, vvrKing in The Neu Yot
Times Magazine, explained the
strategy behind his newly formed lexi
con: “People usually expect what is
called a primitive language to be sim
ple, but the further back you go in the
study of language the more complica
tions you find Simplicity is the fruit of
the ability to generalize, and primitive
man found it hard to generalize: One
word for this man s weapon and an
other word for that man's weapon, but
no word for weapon It would have
been stupid, preparing a script in a
new tongue for actors to learn, to be
too pedantic about the probable com
plexity of an ancient language, so I
compromised. But I could not com
promise too much. .
Speech still seems, all these thou
sands of years ago, to be an aspect of
gesture, and speech and gesture to
gether will make things clear But it
has to be established — in what,
though promoted as entertainment, is
still a serious, even scientific, film —
that man is a talking animal, that articu
late speech is what defines his
species."
Desmond Morris, discussing the na
ture of our ancestral earth-dwellers,
has this to say about his work on Quest
for Fire “One of the notions we re
seeking to dispel is the misconception
that early man was a lumbering brute
who was always dragging women off
by the hair and living in loutish condi
tions If you studs the social life of
primitive man from the remains we
have, you discover that he could only
have succeeded if there was a con
siderable amount of mutual aid, coop
eration and love within his group This
sense of assistance, tenderness and
friendship contrasted strikingly with
the killing and the hunting he had to
do to survive."
One would think that with the in
volvement of popular scholarly types
like Burgess and Morris, and with the
guidance of an Academy Award
winning director, filmdoms financial
powers would have readily given the
go-ahead to shoot Quest for Fire Not
so, says an emphatic Gruskoff. “They
said we were crazy They were wor
ried about it not being in English; they
were worried about going way over
budget [die picture came in at around
$12 million], they were worried about
the fixations; and they were worried
about a French director. Sure he won
an Academy Award, but he was French
— it was esoteria land.
Gruskoff. whose screen credits as a
producer include Mel Brooks' Young
Frankenstein and Werner Herzog’s
Sosferatu, tells a frustrating tale of un
ending rejections, commitments that
were welched on, commitments that
were cancelled out by the ouster of
one corporate regime for another and
then, finally, after the capital, the cast,
the crew and the country had been
finalized, he tells about the actors
strike that began in July 1980, two
weeks before shooting was to com
mence. “We just sank. Everybody was
in London waiting to go to Iceland,
which was our original location, and
we were stopped cold So I tried to
find some independent financing — if
we were independent we could con
tinue to shoot through the strike—and
did, in Hong Kong, but then that fell
through. Then I went to Switzerland
and got another group. I had them for
a week and then they withdrew. Fi
nally, I got together with a Canadian
French outfit and we pulled it to
gether."
By the time the new money was
found, it had become too late in the
year for Iceland and filming began
with four weeks in Scotland, followed
by five weeks in Kenya and — after a
four month layoff due to weather —
five weeks in Ontario and British Col
umbia. The animals — elephants, lions,
wolves, bears—were transported from
continent to continent. The actors,
barefooted and mostly naked beneath
their scraps of hide, withstood the
bonechilling cold of the Scottish high
lands, the dustbowl heat of Kenya and
the cold, wet North American spring.
(Though it's never stated in the film,
the Ulams are supposed to inhabit the
same general landmass that is today
central France — the mountains they
trek over are the Pyrenees, and the
hot, dry plains on the other side is
northern Spain.)
Comfortably ensconced in his
Culver City studio office, Gruskoff
projects the heady zeal that comes
after an obstacle-strewn course has
finally been run. Like any self
respecting hot-shot producer, he's al
ready talking sequels, and if Quest for
Fire lives up to the expectations its
creators and its backers have for it, a
sequel is certainly in the offing. "We’ll
have the same principal actors, but
we’ll bring it into another time pe
riod,” he explains, gearing up for the
hard sell. "Maybe 6,000 years ago, at
the dawn of the agricultural age."
Ah yes, Quest for Hoes. Sounds kind
of crazy, doesn't it?
qn disc
elbert McClinton
Plain' from the Heart
(Capitol) For a shad)- stretch there, it
seemed like Delbert McClinton’s al
bums w ere being cut by someone who
only thought they were Delbert
McClinton. Early in 1981, though, this
long-time rocker scored his first Top
Ten hit. a loping track called "Giving It
up for Your Love," from a passable (by
McClinton standards) LP called The
Jealous Kind Whether that hit.restored
some deeper confidence base, or sim
ply convinced his label to spend more
money on the follow-up, Plain' From
the Heart is the solidest album in sev
eral years.
The first three cuts are just hors
d'oeuvres to get the part)' started. The
Muscle Shoals team, which smothered
a few of The Jealous Kind's tracks, is
thick with multiple horns, but punchy
with sometimes staccato, sometimes
trilling riffs.
Side Two is recorded with smaller
easembles, which has a liberating ef
fect on the bluesier side of McClinton's
musical scope Also, every cut on this
side has a dose of McClinton’s har
monica playing, a proven quantity
since Nineteen & Sixty Two, when it
highlighted fellow Texan Bruce Chan
nel’s hit "Hey Baby."
Sand) Beaches," the single release,
may be the sweetest ocean-sound
emulating cut since Leon Russell’s
pinnacle "Back to the Island." Also, it’s
a refreshing change up from the R&B
mold, a warm and soulful mixxl piece.
Lipstick Traces" benefits from a
chugging guitar figure, and "1 Feel So
Bad gets what might be the best read
ing of its entire career It's still a
stronger groove than it is a lyric,
though In Reaganomical tragicomical
times like these, it’s revitalizing to
come across music with some power
in it PlaitT From the Heart is one of
1981's best releases
Byron Laursen
TTARIAS!
J- J- Harlan Ellison Reads Harlan
Ellison
(The Harlan Ellison Record Collet■
Hon)This spoken word package con
taining two of writer Harlan Ellison’s
best known short stories has all
the marks of blatant self-aggran
dizement — a sort of audio version
of a vanity press Best of Collection.
The Harlan Ellison Record Collection,
we are told, is the most innovative
record society for the spoken word
ever devised." There is more than
a note of irony in all this, consider
ing Ellison’s reputation as an abra
sive, outspoken and even arrogant
demi-celeb.
Be that as it may, Harlan! is an ex
cellent showcase for its author's prop
ulsive prose style Despite the disad
vantage of a rather high and at times
reedy voice, Ellison delivers a subtle,
amusing and resonant reading of his
material, with a surprisingly dramatic
flair. The emphasis here is on the ca
dence and rhythm of the words and El
lison's rendering soars and careens
with a breathless precision.
' Repent, Harlequin!' said the Tick
tockman" is, we are informed by the
cover blurb, “one of the most re
printed stories in the English lan
guage” Ellison’s treatment of the 1966
cautionary’ tale — where every’ late
minute in a person's life is subtracted
from the total life span —makes us al
most believe the claim. Compared
with the album's B side — the rather
mordant ‘Shatterday”—"Repent” is a
masterful translation from print to
groove. Ellison evokes a marvelous
array of character and nuance in the
tale, the prose taking on a near-poetic
ebb and flow, it is an absurdly appeal
ing tale given a loving familiar touch
by its creator. “Shatterday” suffers
from a heavyhanded finale and does
not quite survive the delicate transition
to sound, but is, nevertheless a credit
able effort.
Ellison is marketing his own albums;
those who wish to purchase same (for
$8.95) should write to The Harlan Elli
son Record Collection, 420 S. Beverly
Drive, Suite 207, Beverly Hills, CA
90212.
Davin Seay
rHE BLASTERS
The Blasters
(Slash)'rhe Blasters are a 100%, died
in-the-wool traditional rock n' roll
hand who have their early blues,
rhythm & blues and rockabilly licks
down cold. Their second LP—the first
was released on the Rollin' Rock rock
abilly label — comes courtesy of the LA
punk label Slash. But that only goes to
show how utterly myopic — if not out
right blind — major labels are to basic,
energetic American rock "tV roll these
days.
The Blasters is fundamentally a
groove record, meaning its first object
ive is to get fingers snappin', toes tap
pin, and heads bobbin’.
The material ranges from covers of
songs made famous by country singer
Jimmie Rodgers ( "Never No More
Blues”) and r&h great Little Willie
John (‘‘I'm Shakin ”) to originals that
evoke the musical spirit of Professor
Longhair ( Hollywood Bed," which
features one of two appearances by
Lee Allen, the tenor sax man whose
solos pop up on all the old Fats
Domino and Little Richard hits) and
Chuck Bern- (the marvelous Marie,
Marie”). American Music” not only
serves as a statement of the Blasters'
intent but is every bit as powerful an
anthem as the title dictates it should
be.
The finest single moment comes on
This Is It” where a few Delta blues
licks cartwheel into a rock steady
shuffle rhythm while Alvin throws in
simple fills that are so utterly right
they all but strut out of the speaker,
cross the room and yell ' YEAH' in
your face.
The album comes a cropper on the
stone country blues of Highway 61"."
The Blasters get off that swinging
groove tht powered the first nine
tunes and never really find their way
back, that doesn't change the fact that
The Blasters is an excellent record.
Don Snowden
UAR TERFLASH
Quarterflash
(Geffen Records)_Just out of the chute,
in the outside lane is another new
hand — Quarterflash. Galloping into
the first turn they’re in good position,
with their first single from their first LP
on Geffen Records in the top ten.
Harden My Heart " is the kind of ditty
one can find oneself singing along to
by the second chorus. Quarterflash is a
glossy, middle-of-the-road pop album
A couple of tracks are dogs, but three
or four tunes hold up under repeated
listening.
Rindy Ross, lead singer and
saxophonist, shares the spotlight with
her husband, the guitar player,
songwriter and sometimes lead singer
for the group, Marv Ross.
In 1980, the band independently re
corded "Harden My Heart" and had a
#1 regional hit with it. Somebody
noticed and they were whisked away
to Los Angeles to record The Album.
They often it with the hook-filled
single and keep it rolling from there
with an eerie-melodied, driving rocker
called "Find Another Fool." "Critical
Times" is the next cut and a surprise
because it's a ballad sung by Marv. The
theme of the song is great but the lyric
is contorted and Marv sings like he’s
trying on a British accent.
It’s Rindy’s turn again on "Valerie."
This is a pop song with a twist, the
story of one girl being very attracted to
another. Hot stuff and done tastefully
to hoot. Rindy is an engaging singer
who shifts in and out of her falsetto
w ith the greatest of ease. She's a good
sax player, too.
By the way, the name Quarterflash
comes from an old Australian folk say
ing: "A quarter flash and three quarters
foolish." You gotta get a name from
somewhere.
Donna Ross