Journey to the Beginning of Time
Short description
Four boys set out on a river expedition that carries them backwards through the history of the Earth. One of them has seen a picture of a prehistoric sea creature and wants to know what it was and when it lived, so he and his companions travel by boat into a cave and then onward, past the Ice Age and into ever more distant eras. Along the way they encounter mammoths, sabre-toothed cats, dinosaurs and ancient plants, and must sometimes defend themselves against the creatures they meet.
The Czechoslovak film was directed by Karel Zeman, who wrote the screenplay with J. A. Novotný. It was the first feature he directed, followed chronologically by The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, The Fabulous Baron Munchausen and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The young leads are Vladimír Bejval, Petr Herrmann, Josef Lukáš and Zdeněk Husták, with Bedřich Šetena providing narration. Zeman built the prehistoric world from a mix of live actors, animated creatures and painted backgrounds.
On IMDb the film holds a rating of 7.1 from around 2,900 votes, and on TMDB it has a rating of 7.2 from 83 votes, indicating a modest but favourable response from viewers across both platforms.
What's left behind the scenes
- In 1966, the film was modified and shown in the USA.
- The series was developed from the early 1990s and was originally planned to be 39 episodes long. However, for financial reasons, the length was reduced, and the pace of the action was significantly accelerated.
- The film was shown in Soviet cinemas under the title "Extraordinary Journey".
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