Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television: 581 Dramas, Comedies and Documentaries, 1905-2004 »

A resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, Michael Klossner is a librarian at Arkansas State Library. He is a contributor to Anatomy of Wonder (1995) and Fantasy and Horror (2000) and the author of The Europe of 1500-1815 on Film and Television (McFarland, 2002).

From the early days of the movies, "cavemen" have been a popular subject for filmmakers-not surprisingly, since the birth of cinema occurred only a few decades after the earliest scientific studies of prehistoric man. Filmmakers, however, were not constrained by the emerging science; instead they most often took a comedic look at prehistory, a trend that continued throughout the 20th century. Prehistoric humans also populated adventure-fantasy films, with the original One Million B.C. (1940) leading the charge. Documentaries were also made, but it was not until the 1970s that accurate film accounts of prehistoric humans finally emerged.

This exhaustive work provides detailed accounts of 579 film and television productions that feature depictions of human prehistory. Included are dramas and comedies set in human prehistory; documentaries; and films and television shows in which prehistoric people somehow exist in historical periods-from the advent of civilization up to the present-or in extraterrestrial settings. Each entry includes full filmographic data, including year of release, running time, production personnel, cast information, and format. A description of each film provides background on the prehistoric elements. Contemporary critical commentary is included for many of the works.