Prehistory Month Quick Picks and Pans

Iceman (1984) An arctic surveying team finds the discovery of the century, a perfectly preserved Neanderthal (John Lone) in an ice cave. Back at the base, a group of doctors somehow manage to revive the frozen caveman. Now the big question becomes what to do with him. Dr. Stanley Shephard (Timothy Hutton) seems to be the only member of the research team with an unwavering moral compass, befriending the caveman, whom he calls Charlie. Separated by his family and comrades by tens of thousands of years, Charlie is a man out of time and without a home. The researchers jump at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about his physiology, but at the cost of his freedom. Charlie becomes the team’s lab rat, contained in the base’s vivarium like a zoo animal. Outside of Shephard and Charlie, most of the characters seem underdeveloped, with little to distinguish one from another. The central dilemma, and thoughtful depiction of Charlie, however, make this worth watching. Rating: ***½.…