Creatures The World Forgot (1971)

Starring Julie Ege, Tony Bonner, Robin John, Brian O'Shaughnessy, Sue Wilson
Directed by Don Chaffey
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A prehistoric tribe escapes their home after a volcanic eruption, and merge with another tribe, where twin sons grow up to oppose one another.

This entry from Hammer Films in their series of cave people pictures is a bit harder to follow than the others, with no narration or subtitles to allow us to interpret the actors' dialogue or movements, and not much excitement in the script by Hammer writer/producer Michael Carreras.  Ege is certainly attractive, although she kind of pops out of nowhere in the latter half of the film, and the movie is beautifully photographed, but the "creatures the world forgot" disappoint, consisting of some deer, warthogs, a ram, and a savage bear.  The stop-motion animated creations of Ray Harryhausen and Jim Danforth from Hammer's earlier films in this sub-genre are very much missed, and the conflict between the brothers (played by Bonner and John) is just not that compelling.  On-screen attempted rapes are distasteful and bear no relevance to the story, and I didn't understand the lady shaman's training of a young girl to replace her until near the end of the film.  I managed to sit through the picture, but wouldn't look forward to doing so again.

Jason And The Argonauts (1963)

Starring Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith, Niall MacGinnis
Directed by Don Chaffey
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young hero recruits a mighty crew, and they set off on a bold quest to bring back the fabled Golden Fleece, but must face many dangers and fearsome creatures along their path.

Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen uses this classic tale from Greek mythology to showcase more of his brilliantly animated creations, including a mighty stone giant, malevolent bat-winged harpies, the legendary Hydra with seven snapping snake heads, and an army of sword-wielding skeletons.  The skeleton sequence in particular stands out as one of Harryhausen's greatest achievements, but all of them are memorable, and Bernard Herrmann's majestic music score adds unsettling motifs for each animated monster.  Armstrong is suitably proud and determined as Jason, and Nigel Green, although perhaps atypically cast as the well-known hero Hercules, makes the character his own and an interesting participant in the action.  Chaffey keeps the story moving efficiently between the creature effects, and the film's bright color palette makes it a vivid rendition of this famous tale.

One Million Years B.C. (1966)

Starring Raquel Welch, John Richardson, Percy Herbert, Robert Brown, Martine Beswick
Directed by Don Chaffey
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

At the dawn of human civilization, a caveman leaves his savage tribe and falls for a beautiful woman from another tribe.

I'm not a big fan of caveman movies, but this one's not bad, a remake of 1940's One Million B.C., which juxtaposed caveman Victor Mature with menaces largely portrayed by ordinary lizards projected to sizes of tremendous proportions.  The effects here are a major step up, featuring realistic dinosaurs animated by the great Ray Harryhausen, which enlivens this film considerably, although the producers still make room for a lizard projection.  Stars Raquel Welch and John Richardson are also assets to the production, but I wish the filmmakers would have employed far more narration to explain their story, as some of the motivation behind the characters' actions is a little confusing to understand.