Prehistoric Women (1950)

[bunniefuu]

(thrilling instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Our knowledge
of the prehistoric world,

before the first
historian sat down

to write the story of
his people, is vague.

It's founded on the
research of archeologists.

Their studies of
people and dwellings

which existed in those times

existed not only in
rocky wastelands,

but in the warmer climates,
in lush, prehistoric jungles.

Not so very long ago, an
explorer in a wild tropic jungle

found evidence which
told this story.

Nobody knows when these
events took place.

Maybe 10,000, maybe
100,000 years ago.

It's the story of romance
when the world was young,

and, as all romance as must,

it concerns itself mainly
with one man, Engor,

and one woman, Tigri.

This is the woman of our story.

She is Tigri, the
leader of her tribe.

Under the spell of a full moon,

Tigri and the women of her tribe
dance restlessly, savagely,

compelled by a feeling
of frustration,

of a promise unfulfilled.

They dance not knowing why,
and continue until exhausted.

(tribal drum music)

(speaking foreign language)

The Wise One tells
them to be calm.

This is Lotee.

This is Arva.

This is Tigri, you've
met her before.

This is Tulle.

This is Eras.

This is Nika.

This is the Wise One.

Old as the moon and
wise as the sun.

She knows why the young ones

dance so restlessly in the
light of the full moon.

She's telling them a story of
the founding of their tribe.

She explains that,
many moons ago,

the tribe was founded by
Tana, the mother of Tigri.

In those days, the
women were the sl*ves,

and, in Tana's tribe,
as in all other tribes,

no woman dared question the men.

The men needed only to order,

and the trembling
women hastened to obey.

She tells them that when
they were small children,

they lived deep in the jungle,

the young ones of a
band of jungle dwellers.

(bright instrumental music)

This is Tigri's mother, Tana.

She and the others have
stopped for a momentary rest,

tired from carrying the
carcass of a dead animal.

(speaking foreign language)

The angry leader of
the tribe comes back

to find out why the
women are falling behind.

To him, weariness is no excuse.

(speaking foreign language)

Tana and the other women
wearily pick up the carcass

and continue.

(orderly instrumental music)

By now, the women are
completely exhausted,

and must pause again for rest.

Angrily, the leader storms back

and yells for them to get going.

(speaking foreign language)

The rebellious Tana tells him

that the men should
carry the dead animal.

Knocked to the ground, the
infuriated, desperate Tana

throws a rock at the
leader, felling him.

Tana immediately realizes

that they must flee
with the children

or the men of the tribe
will take revenge on them.

The women quickly
gather the children

and rush off into the jungle.

The stunned leader orders the
men to go after the women,

but the women have eluded them.

The wise old woman tells
them how, as time passed,

the tribe prospered under
Tana's able leadership,

and the little girls learned
how to fend for themselves.

They all learned the
skills of hunting

and fishing for their food.

(bright instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

The child on shore, like
all children are wont to do,

decides to wander off and do
a little exploring herself.

The entire tribe is unaware

that they have been sighted
by the terrible Guaddi.

This nine foot tall monster has
roamed the jungle for years,

bringing death and destruction
to whatever he touches.

Tana sees the little
girl is missing

and calls to the other
women to follow her

in search of the child.

Savage, merciless, possessed
of herculean strength,

Guaddi is the most feared
thing of the prehistoric world.

The girl explains to the
Wise One as best she can

that she has seen
the terrible giant.

- Guaddi?

Guaddi!

(speaking foreign language)

(screaming)

- [Narrator] Guaddi has
successfully captured

two of the women, and
is carrying them off!

Tana was the only
one to get away,

but has been mortally hurt,

and dies with Guaddi's
name on her lips.

- Guaddi...

Guaddi...

- [Narrator] The wise old
woman flees with the children.

Even now, 15 years later,

the mention of the
dreaded name of Guaddi

still strikes terror in the
hearts of these same girls.

They know that the hideous
giant still ranges the jungle.

(wondrous instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

The Wise One tells them
that they must forget

their hate for the "Anir",
their word for men.

The moon is full.

By the time of the advent
of the next full moon,

they must find and capture
themselves husbands

if the tribe is to survive.

And the next morning,
the six determined women

set forth on their mission,

accompanied by one
of their panthers.

This is the man of our story.

He is Engor.

This is Engor's friend, Ruig.

This is Kama, and
the bearded Adh.

Engor and his friends are
on a foraging expedition.

They are hunting food for
their cave dwelling tribe.

They've cornered a savage tiger,

and are pitting their skill
with stone-headed w*r clubs

against this vicious
monster of the jungle.

(tense instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

The panther, smelling the
blood of a dead tiger,

excitedly breaks
away from the girls.

They chase after their pet.

(panther shrieking)

- Anir!

(speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] Adh uses
the sap from a tree

to sooth Engor's wounds.

Suddenly, Adh falls unconscious.

Engor and his tribesmen
are amazed to see

that they've been attacked
by members of the weaker sex.

(exciting instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

The women order the men to
pick up the dead panther

and carry him back
to their camp.

In the meantime, Engor stumbles
along through the jungle

back to his people.

(speaking foreign language)

(laughing)

"What type of women are
these," Ruik wonders,

"who attack men
and live in trees?"

Nika gazes at her c*ptive,

entranced by her first
close look at a male.

This cave is the home
of Engor's tribe,

and these are his people.

They are mountain
people, cave dwellers.

Their leader looks skyward
at a soaring vulture,

knowing that where
the vulture settles,

they will find a
wounded or dead animal.

He motions for his
hunters to follow him.

(vulture calling)

- Engor!

(speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] The men find the
wounded and exhausted Engor

and carry him back to the cave.

- Engor! Engor!

- [Narrator] Engor's mother

and the rest of
the cave dwellers

crowd around the wounded Engor.

His mother motions them to
carry Engor into the cave

where she can tend to him.

Weeks have gone by, and the
leader of the cave dwellers

is marking on the rocks
the story of the women

as Engor has told it to him.

Time has healed Engor's wounds,

and despite the
leader's protest,

Engor is determined
upon revenge.

(speaking foreign language)

Engor vows to rescue
his tribesmen,

and to bring back to
this cave as sl*ves

the women who captured them.

- Engor!

(speaking foreign language)

- Engor's mother, who
knows of the women tribe,

points out the right
direction to Engor.

She tells him he must
cross two mountain ranges,

but it will take
him two days journey

to reach the country
of the women tribe.

Every sense alive for the
sound or sight of danger,

Engor makes his way
through the jungle

toward the camp of the women.

(elephant shrieking)

(dramatic instrumental music)

Engor stumbles and
loses his weapon,

but cannot stop for it.

He finally eludes the elephant

by jumping behind
a large boulder,

and the lumbering
animal passes him by.

Having lost his only weapon,
Engor must make a new club.

His only protection against

the many dangers
lurking in the jungle.

(pensive instrumental music)

Engor gathers some stones to
use for the head of his club.

He starts hacking two of them
together to make a sharp edge.

A spark ignites the dry
leaves on the ground,

and Engor is taken aback by the
strange, unknown phenomenon.

Fire!

He stretches his
arm out to touch it,

and draws his hand back in pain.

He doesn't understand it,

but he knows that this
new discovery of his

has the power to inflict injury.

He is fascinated by the
wonder of the first torch.

- Pir!

- [Narrator] He calls it
"Pir," his word for fire.

(snake hissing)

The hiss of a python in the
trees startles him to his feet.

He jabs the torch into
the water after the snake.

To his surprise, he finds
the fire has disappeared.

He jabs the torch back again,
trying to regain the fire.

But it's gone.

Strangely enough, the swan dive

was invented before the swan.

(peaceful instrumental music)

Tigri's jungle women
have developed great
skill in swimming,

and it's one of their
favorite recreations.

On this night, Tigri,
Eras, and Tulle,

are enjoying an evening
swim in this jungle pool.

(screaming)

(dramatic instrumental music)

(adventurous instrumental music)

Over rocky bed streams,
Engor continues on his way.

He is now approaching
the outskirts of the
jungle territory.

Suddenly, he sees ahead of
him the huge giant Guaddi.

Terrified, Engor decides that

the tree is his
best hiding place,

and quickly climbs up into it.

- Anir!

Anir.

Anir.

(speaking foreign language)

(panther shrieking)

- [Narrator] It seems
that women were women

in those days too.

A handsome male c*ptive
makes his appearance,

and suddenly, there's trouble.

- Engor!

Engor!

- Ruik!

- Engor!

Engor!

- [Engor] Adh!

- Engor!

- [Engor] Tana!

- [Narrator] Tigri is not
sure yet why she objects.

But she wants no interference

until she decides whether
or not she, herself,

wants him as her husband.

(speaking foreign language)

Engor is tempted to
strike back at his captor,

but the ever watchful
snarling panther

is a warning for
him to be careful.

He decides that
caution is better

than tangling now with
this strange band of women.

(peaceful instrumental music)

That night, with the
rest of the camp asleep,

Engor decides that this
is his chance for escape.

Quietly, he starts to
climb down the vine.

"This is easy," Engor thinks.

But he's not reckoned with
the ever alert panther,

who evidently has just
been waiting for him.

(speaking foreign language)

(tranquil instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

Tigri orders the women
to feed their men.

Arva decides that this is a
good time to make up to Engor,

and starts to bring
him some food.

- Arva!

- [Narrator] Sudden rage
floods Tigri as she sees this.

- Arva!

- [Narrator] She angrily informs
Arva that she has decided

that Engor is to be her husband.

- Arva anir!

- [Narrator] But Arva
violently disagrees.

- Tigri anir!

- [Narrator] And
so, the fight is on.

(dramatic instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

- Tigri anir!

(peaceful instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Engor
labors over a huge rock,

which Tigri has
ordered him to move.

He can't budge it.

Tigri shakes her head
at the stupidity of men.

Engor finally gives up,
humiliated by her look of scorn.

(speaking foreign language)

He asks her, if she is
so wise and superior,

why doesn't she see if
she can move the rock?

Tigri picks up a huge branch,
and using simple leverage,

shows Engor how easy
it is to move the rock

if you use your head!

- Engor!

- Tigri.

Engor.

- Tigri, Engor.

- [Narrator] This is the
night before the full moon.

Time is running out
for the male captives.

By tomorrow, the
marriage ceremonies

will have been completed.

(tribal drum music)

The Wise One drums,
and the women dance

as Engor and the men look
on with mixed emotions.

Engor knows too well what the
coming of the full moon means,

either escape or servitude.

And as he watches the dance,

the women pick up their
clubs and demonstrate

that in their homes,
they will be the master.

Surrounded by the watching women

and the ever guarding panther,

the men sit idly, while Ruik,

who seems to have a fetish
for being clean shaven,

is scraping his cheek
with a sharp edged stone.

(mystical instrumental music)

(speaking foreign language)

Engor is trying to figure
a way out of this trap.

(rocks clacking)

Suddenly, a tremendous black
shadow sweeps over the camp.

It is Corax, the flying dragon,
the scourge of the skies!

(shouting)

(screaming)

(Corax roaring)

(speaking foreign language)

(panther shrieking)

And so, the tables are turned.

The dominant male is
happy and contented.

Women wait on him as
though he were a king.

(slow instrumental music)

- Tigri...

(speaking foreign language)

(speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] Tigri,
at Engor's command,

is out gathering fruit.

She is hungry, and would like
to eat some of the fruit,

but no, Engor forbids it!

The once proud fiery leader
of the tribe meekly obeys.

(piglets squealing)

(speaking foreign language)

(growling)

(speaking foreign language)

(speaking foreign language)

He offers a piece of
raw meat to Engor,

who is intrigued by the scent
of the meat in the fire.

It tastes fine, and he offers
some to Kama and Tigri.

At first they refuse.

But when they taste it,

they both agree that
it is delicious.

And so, for the first time,

cooked meat goes on the menu
of this primitive tribe,

and civilization
progresses another step.

Engor's thoughts are of
his home and his people.

(speaking foreign language)

He gives orders that they will
start on their long trek back

to the mountain home
of Engor's tribe.

(speaking foreign language)

Engor leads them
through the jungle,

ever alert for the lurking
dangers which abound there.

(ominous instrumental music)

Engor spots a natural
cave off in a clearing.

He orders the group
to rush toward it.

(grunting)

- Guaddi!

(screaming)

(deep laughter)

(pained groaning)

- [Narrator] Then,
Guaddi decides to use

his tremendous
strength to topple over

the huge rock covering
the top of the cave,

so that it will crush
the men and women inside.

- Pir!

- [Narrator] Engor orders the
other men to make torches.

(pained shouting)

As the giant stumbles
away, howling with pain,

Engor orders the other men to
encircle the area with fires,

so they can forge a burning
circle of death for Guaddi.

Guaddi is completely bewildered
by the leaping flames,

and terrified by the fire!

He screams in fear!

(screaming)

Engor finds himself also
trapped by the encircling fire,

and sees that his only
escape is to go over it.

Tigri looks with
admiration at Engor.

(speaking foreign language)

She asks him to change his mind

and return to the women's
camp with his men,

where they can
start a new tribe.

(speaking foreign language)

Engor agrees, and
tells his friends

he has decided to remain.

(peaceful instrumental music)

The wise old woman is happy

as she sees the pairing
off of the couples.

She knows now there will be
peace between the tribes,

and that the tribe
will increase.

She motions for Engor
and Tigri to come to her.

(speaking foreign language)

She is going to perform

the only kind of marriage
ceremony she knows.

With the blending
of their blood,

Engor and Tigri's
marriage is completed.

The first of four marriages

to be celebrated
that moonlit night.

As the women dance the
marriage ceremonial

to show their happiness...

(tribal drum music)

And so, in those distant
days, even as today,

the eternal battle for
supremacy between woman and man

was solved not through
the claw and the club,

but through romance.