Hammer Films' most expensive and most profitable movie, One Million Years B.C. is now remembered for two reasons: Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion animated prehistoric creatures and Raquel Welch's gravity-defying, made-to-measure, animal fur bikini. Although placing humans and dinosaurs in the same timeframe is a bit of an inaccuracy historically, director Don Chaffey chooses to forgo the use of the spoken word and, instead, relies on a variety of grunts, gestures and glances from the actors to propel the storyline. Amongst this mix, Italian-born composer Mario Nascimbene's primitive-sounding score is heavily relied upon to convey much of the prehistoric setting of the story as well as the emotional interplay between characters. Nascimbene rises to the task admirably and, in the space of the 30 minutes of music featured from the movie, takes us from the dawning of the universe, using a mix of explosions, thunder and lightning, rain and wind and a title theme featuring large church bells and a lumbering brass line ("Cosmic Sequence") that culminates - at the end of the score - in a grand statement representing man's survival in the face of the ravages of nature and all that she can throw at them ("Finale"). As well as this title theme, two additional motifs/themes are also used to great effect and capture the entire spectrum of "a day in the life of prehistoric humanity." "Lunar Landscape" effectively captures the bleakness of this primitive, volcanic landscape, using lonely, sustained notes for (possibly) strings punctuated by rolling timpani and cymbals. The bleakness is heightened by a mournful rendition of the title theme on low-end woodwind. The stage is now set...almost. The versatility of Nascimbene's title theme is showcased in the very next cue, "Tumak Meets Loana", when it is heard as a grand orchestral statement for orchestra and chorus and seems to almost celebrate the awesome majesty of the landscape. The highlight of the score is captured in the second additional theme. Heard first towards the end of "Tumak Meets Loana" with solo soprano voice, chorus over shimmering strings, the Shell tribe theme - that also specifically represents Loana (Welch) - it's a wonderfully melodic theme, evocative and exotic. This theme features heavily in the second half of the score, underscoring the various events befalling Loana and Tumak. Nascimbene expertly reinvents this theme with a variety of orchestrations: Hawaiian-style guitar, mouth harp and female choir through to a Morricone-style grand orchestral statement with spirited soprano voice and guitar (track 6, "The Pteranodon Carries Loana To Its Nest"). The final 14 minutes of this score (track 6 and "Tumak Rescues Loana / Eruption of The Volcano / Finale") is a monumental, operatic sequence of dramatic scoring on a par with anything Morricone has produced: dramatic statements of Loana's theme leads into an effects-laden sequence (ala "Cosmic Sequence") that underscores the cataclysmic destruction of the protagonists' landscape (and a few people and dinosaurs, too), followed by the emergence of the survivors (humans only, and including Tumak and Loana) to a brass clarion call and bold statements of both Loana and the title theme. Nascimbene successfully conveys the main dramatic and emotional aspects of the movie in his music and it transfers well to the stand-alone listen. A more careful analysis of the score highlights the way in which the use of the various themes parallels the fate of the various aspects of the storyline. The primitive and lumbering title theme representing Tumak and his barbaric (dark-haired) tribe, Loana's theme with its melodic and emotional aspect representing the relatively more civilised (blonde-haired) Shell tribe and the combination of both themes in the final scenes after the cataclysm where both tribes must pool resources to survive.
Track List:
1. Cosmic Sequence (03:46) One Million Years B.C.
2. Lunar Landscape (01:51) One Million Years B.C.
3. Tumak Meets Loana (03:46) One Million Years B.C.
4. Tumak in the Domain of the Shell Tribe (05:27) One Million Years B.C.
5. Dance of Dupondi (01:17) One Million Years B.C.
6. The Pteranodon Carries Loana to Its Nest (04:37) One Million Years B.C.
7. Tumak Rescues Loana/Eruption of the Volcano/Finale (09:36) One Million Years B.C.
8. Main Theme (02:27) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
9. Main Titles (01:49) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
10. Storm Over the Sea (03:14) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
11. Love Scene (02:41) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
12. Pursuit (05:05) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
13. Funeral (02:32) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
14. Cataclism (04:29) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
15. End Titles (01:07) When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
16. Main Titles (01:48) Creatures The World Forgot
17. Eruption of the Volcano (02:38) Creatures The World Forgot
18. Wild Dance (01:11) Creatures The World Forgot
19. Quiet (02:56) Creatures The World Forgot
20. Fight (02:02) Creatures The World Forgot
21. Life of the Tribe (02:26) Creatures The World Forgot
22. Fight Among Brothers (04:32) Creatures The World Forgot
23. End Titles and Finale (01:53) Creatures The World Forgot
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