Initial Reactions upon release
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msw62703 — 17 years ago(April 11, 2008 11:14 PM)
You have to remember 1981 was a very different time in American cinema. The old studios were being taken over by corporations. Jaws and Star Wars had created the frenzy of the summer blockbuster. Disco filled the pop radio scene. And the swinging 1960's counter culture were growing up to become yuppies. The drug use of the parents in 1982's Poltergeist barely shook people up back then.
As far as the sex scenes in Quest for Fire. Remember that less than a decade earlier the X rated Deep Throat was a huge hit, and even still played in some theaters by then. The late 1970's and early 1980's saw much of the the fruit of the 1960's sexual revolution. Slipping between bed sheets with perfect strangers wasn't considered nearly as taboo as it is today. Before A.I.D.S. the worst uncureable disease was herpies.
But times have changed. We now measure a films succsess with box office numbers. Back then blockbusters were very uncommon, and it was more of an experiment to get one to take shape. Now productions are much more involved, with marketing, studio executives, and all sorts of ninnies trying to shape a film into pleaseing as wide an audiance as possable. You can see this in action with Clan of the Cave Bear a few years laterThe general dumbing down lowest common denominator fluff studios now kick out in thier sleep.
Quest for Fire if released today would likely garner lots of unwanted attention from some very minor but vocal groups. Such groups are often very small, but quite capable of pushing the right buttons to get attention. And its all about selling thier message, the film (any film really) is just the stepping stone allowing them to climb ontop thier soapbox. And the media unfortunetly eats this up time and again -
Caractacus23 — 13 years ago(July 21, 2012 01:39 AM)
"I was curious as to how the film was received when it was released in '81. I think if it were released today, Americans would react harshly to the violent sex scenes. Just wondering if audiences were as sexually up-tight as they can be today."
My father took me to see this movie during its original cinematic release, back when I was 11 or 12 (I'm presently 41), and as I recall, the movie was considered a bit racy, and obviously went over better in some parts of the country than in others (I was then residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it was probably better received than nearly anywhere else), but regardless, I seem to recall that at the time, the film was held in high esteem as a serious, artistic effort in attempting to present paleo-lithic human existence in as realistic a manner as possible. -
bimsie99 — 13 years ago(November 19, 2012 09:41 PM)
Upon its initial release,the critics loved this movie.I mean,adored it.It didnt make a dent in the box office,but that director had the halo effect for years with the critics because of it.Rae Dawn Chong,Tommy Chong's daughter was in it,and she got the benefit of the doubt as an actress because of it.
Jimmy
"1)There is a God,and 2)Im not him." -
ilon — 11 years ago(November 21, 2014 08:23 AM)
I'm late, but
I rented this movie with 5-6 years old. I remember the guy of the video store asking me if I was sure about what I was getting because was renting a movie with no dialog.
I guess they did not care about the sex scenes.
With 11-12 years old I was asked about this movie by my teachers. By that point I had a copy because I loved the movie. We all watched it at the school.
I guess they did not care about the sex scenes.
What? They beep like prehistoric people? Yes. What is weird about it? -
mldardar — 9 years ago(November 21, 2016 03:06 AM)
Now that it's 2016, with all the sex and nudity on Netflix and other pay TV channels, along with most Charlotte Gainsberg "mainstream" movies containing scenes that can rival Deep Throat or any Italian and French XXX movie of the past 5 decades, ask that question. I think the US has caught up with European and Japanese adult cinema. But is this the world you wished for your children? Sure it is. Their moral breakdown is reflected in their electing Donald Trump.
Under our clothes, we are all naked! Breasts, genitals or buttocks is nudity. -
livinpozitive — 9 years ago(December 01, 2016 09:11 AM)
This was the worst movie I had ever seen. I saw it when it was released. It was just horrible. The sex scenes weren't a big deal at the time. Rae Dawn Chong was probably the only reason I didn't walk out.