Voyage dans la préhistoire / Journey to the Beginning of Time / Cesta do pravěku
Czechoslovakia 1955
Directed by Karel Zeman, family film, 93 min, fr subtitles, 4+
Written by Karel Zeman, J. A. Novotný
With Vladimír Bejval, Petr Herrmann, Jósef Lukáš, Zdenek Husták
The story involves four boys taking a rowboat along a "river of time" that flows into a mysterious cave and emerges on the other side onto a strange, primeval landscape – the Ice Age! As the young travellers make their way upstream, they realise that they are moving progressively further back in time, seeing in real life all those terrifying long-extinct creatures which, until then, they knew only from picture books. It is a breath-taking journey of many thrills, as well as a first-hand encounter with the prehistory of our world.
A classic adventure by the stop-motion and special effects visionary Karel Zeman.
Awards
Venice FF 1955 (Best Children Film)