******GLACIER-SIZED SPOILERS!******

Australian director Fred Schepisi is well known for dramas (“Six Degrees of Separation,” “The Russia House”), and a few comedies (“Roxanne”), but my favorite film of his was a little-known science fiction movie from 1984 shot in and around the snowy wilderness of British Columbia called “Iceman.” The movie stars American actors Timothy Hutton, Lindsay Crouse and Chinese-born actor John Lone in an almost pantomimic performance as the titular character; a Neanderthal, who is frozen alive under a unique set of circumstances, and revived 40,000 years later.

Sadly, I missed the movie in its initial 1984 theatrical run, but I watched it a year later on a CED videodisc (a horrible LP-style video format—skips and all). What I remember most from those days was how the movie broke my heart and nearly reduced me to tears. The fact that actor John Lone (“The Last Emperor” “The Shadow”) wasn’t nominated for an Oscar as the titular character still confounds me, as his performance is easily on a par with the work of the late Oscar-winner John Hurt in 1980’s “The Elephant Man.” Sigh…

For this review, I’m watching “Iceman” fresh, nearly 40 years later, from a remastered widescreen Kino Lorber Blu-Ray digitally projected onto a 7 ft/2 meter screen.  As close to a theatrical experience as I’d never had with this film.

“Iceman.” 

The film opens and ends with this quotation from an old Inuit Legend:

“I, who was born to die shall live. That the world of animals, and the world of men may come together, I shall live.”

Excavating in the Arctic ice, an oil company comes across what appears to be a significant biological specimen, trapped in an ice cave for millennia.  Carefully shaped by the excavators into a transportable block of ice, the specimen is then taken to a nearby base for study by a team of doctors and biologists on the company payroll. 

The stumped scientists call in a young anthropologist named Dr. Stanley Shephard (Timothy Hutton). Lasers, water and rising temperatures are then used to slowly melt the ice surrounding the specimen, as the scientists take a better look. To their astonishment, Shephard grins and proclaims, “We have found a goddamn Neantherthal!” Shephard estimates this Neanderthal might’ve been frozen for as long as 40,000 years. Comparing the find to the well-preserved woolly mammoth corpse discovered in 1796 Siberia (“Yuka”), the team wants to learn if if any of its cells are still viable.

Note: While the idea of simply freezing and thawing humans is scientifically impossible (deep freezing & thawing collapses our fragile, water-based cells, as Dr. Brady points out), there is enough scientific-medical jargon and precedent used (the aforementioned “Yuka”) to lend the film some credibility, placing it a few tiers above preposterous nonsense such as 1972’s “Trog” or 1992’s comedy “Encino Man.”   

As more of the ice melts, physician Dr. Diane Brady (Lindsay Crouse) finds that all of the specimen’s cells are intact; possibly due to a rare, “antifreeze” preserving agent found in wild flora that this iceman (John Lone) ate—a theory later confirmed. Shephard watches intently as Brady and her team decide to revive the iceman, using many of the same techniques they’d use to revive someone dying of hypothermia.  Using a defibrillator and intubation, the iceman’s heart and respiration are restarted. 

Note: Granted, the movie’s explanation of a Neanderthal eating gluttonous amounts of anti-freezing flora to maintain his cell walls is sketchy, but at least science wasn’t ignored (kudos to writer John Drimmer). In 1991, a real iceman was discovered in the Ötztal Alps between Austria and Italy; the mummy, nicknamed Ötzi, was estimated to have been preserved sometime after his death in 3230 BC. Interestingly, Ötzi had various pollens in his stomach, similar to those eaten by the iceman of the movie. Unlike the iceman, however, Ötzi was long dead, having been murdered by an arrowhead in his shoulder. Ötzi’s own speculative story would feature in a 2017 Austrian/German/Italian film also titled “Iceman.”

Once revived, the disoriented Neanderthal grunts in confusion and panic, until Shephard enters the operating area and removes his mask—breaking medical sterility, but also showing his own bearded face in an effort to calm the frightened patient. The tactic works, and Brady is able to safely sedate the iceman.

Note: The Neanderthal makeup, created by Oscar-winning makeup artist Michael Westmore (“Mask,”“Rocky”) is effective, yet subtle enough for actor John Lone’s expressive face to come through. The heavy brow ridge used in the makeup design is similar to the alien Klingons in Westmore’s many “Star Trek” series (1987-2005), for which he won multiple Emmy awards as well. In 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Westmore at the IMATS makeup trade show in Pasadena. A very kind and patient man.

This is where things get complicated.  A meeting of the base’s staff include Dr. Shephard, Dr. Brady, administrator Whitman (Josef Sommer), Dr. Singe (David Strathairn) and Dr. Vermeil (Philip Akin), as well as the technical support team, Loomis (Danny Glover), Hogan (Richard Monette) and resident smart-ass, Maynard (James Tolkan).  Whitman and Singe both see great potential for immediately commercializing whatever medicinal agent preserved the iceman’s cells so perfectly, while Brady is more concerned that their Neanderthal represents a practical form of cryogenic suspension for medical emergencies. 

Note: The supporting cast includes a few future names, including Danny Glover (the “Lethal Weapon” movies, “The Color Purple,” “Predator 2”), Josef Sommer (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Witness,” in which he costarred with Glover) and future Oscar-winner David Strathairn (“Good Night and Good Luck,” TV’s “The Expanse”). Technician Maynard is played by James Tolkan, who played high school disciplinarian Mr. Strickland (and his ancestor) in the “Back to the Future” trilogy. Actor Philip Akin, playing Dr. Vermeil, was later a costar in the (mercifully) short-lived “War of the Worlds” TV series (1988-1990).

Shephard is the only one of the team who is interested in learning about the man himself—recognizing that he offers invaluable insight into human adaptability, and that he is a man, not a specimen.  With the subject’s longterm fate tabled for now, the base’s enclosed animal preserve is set up to receive their ‘guest’; with the habitat’s bears, wolves and other predators temporarily caged and moved elsewhere. 

Note: Oscar-winning actor Timothy Hutton (1980’s “Ordinary People”), who was only about 23 at the time of filming, looks a bit young to be a seasoned anthropologist, but I assume his character was a gifted young prodigy.

After days spent in sedation, the disoriented ‘iceman’ awakens in his new home, and he immediately recognizes familiar sights, such as trees, caves, birds, and a small waterfall.  After spending a few days hunting small game for food with his spear, the iceman discovers clues that he’s not in a wilderness.  He notices that rock faces are merely facades covering concrete walls, stairwells and locked doors. His new ‘world’ is an enclosed atrium. Even within the small stream, he finds hoses and sprinklers for circulation and irrigation. 

Note: It’s very natural that the iceman would explore the parameters of his new home, as any person would be if they found themselves in a strange new environment. The movie smartly resists the clichés of depicting the iceman as being wildly savage, or semi-catatonic with fear. He is as curious as any other human.

Meanwhile, the iceman is being closely watched on the habitat’s security cameras by Maynard and Loomis. As the iceman’s curiosity grows, Loomis is forced to shoot him in the leg with a tranquilizer dart when he comes very close to breaching the exit doors.  After a few days of the depressed iceman’s solitude and confusion, Shephard decides to visit their ‘guest,’ over the objection of Brady, Loomis and the others.

Note: I assume that the atrium habitat was originally set up for animals displaced by the oil company’s exploratory efforts in the Arctic, much like wetlands kept near some power plants to ‘preserve’ local species that are inevitably forced from their natural environments in favor of humanity’s fossil fuel addiction.  My wife and I often visit the Bolsa Chica wildlife preserve in Huntington Beach, California, which also keeps many types of local saltwater fish and birds that’d be otherwise eradicated by human ‘progress’ of nearby oil derricks and power plants. 

The iceman raises his spear at the sight of Shephard, but Shephard does his best to maintain a non-threatening demeanor.  Shephard carefully introduces himself, and the iceman approximates a vocalization of his name (“Shepah”).  The iceman then introduces himself as “Charu,” which Shephard quickly modernizes as “Charlie.” With the most rudimentary communication established, Shephard and Charlie are soon conversing with hand gestures, pantomime, and even drawings.  Shepard learns Charlie’s word for ‘bird’ (“Beedaaah”) and other creatures, while also gaining insight into the ancient man’s acute loneliness. Charlie misses his family, and doesn’t yet understand that they’ve been separated by tens of thousands of years.  From Charlie’s perspective, he simply fell asleep in the ice and woke up in a strange new land.

Note: These initial scenes between Shephard and Charlie are extremely well acted, and this is no surprise given the talent pedigree.  Actor Timothy Hutton is the son of late actor Jim Hutton (1934-1979), who starred in the mystery TV series “Ellery Queen.” Hutton made a name for himself with roles in films such as “Taps” (1981) and “The Falcon and the Snowman” (1985), after winning an Oscar at age 19 for “Ordinary People” (1980). Actor John Lone, who gives a truly Oscar-worthy performance as Charlie, also appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s masterpiece, “The Last Emperor” (1987), “The Shadow” (1994) and the first two “Rush Hour” movies (1998/2001).

While the base team was initially angry with Shephard for making his unauthorized contact, they later come to appreciate his progress.  Some of Charlie’s habits make sense now, thanks to the context given by Shephard, who returns for other visits.  During their ‘conversations,’ Shephard learns that Charlie had a mate and children; he even acts out his relations with them, by speaking in a different voice as his mate, and imitating his children’s restlessness. Charlie is no longer a zoological exhibit; he’s a man with a past, as full and rich as anyone else’s.  The two men even engage in an impromptu duet, as Shephard sings Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” inspiring Charlie to sing an ancient song from his own memory.

Note: The key to Shephard’s connection to Charlie was relating to him as you would a man from another culture, not as a zoological specimen. As we see in the film, Charlie is an adept hunter, as well as a nascent artist.  He might’ve been something of a renaissance man in his own time.

Later, after consulting with Dr. Brady, Shephard has the admittedly dangerous idea of introducing Dr. Brady to Charlie, wondering if the sight of a woman will help with his adjustment. Unfortunately, that idea dead ends, as Charlie sniffs her hair, offers her a snack of freshly-killed beetles, and pats her breast.  He then offers Shepherd the gift of a detached sprinkler head in exchange for her.  Shephard makes it clear that the understandably nervous Dr. Brady is not an offering, by (falsely) claiming she belongs to him. 

Note: This is one of the movie’s few cringeworthy, pre-MeToo moments. Though Charlie’s primitive behavior is only slightly worse than that of Shephard, who also makes a play for Dr. Brady himself earlier in the movie; accusing her of being ‘frozen’ as well, after she refuses his offer of a date. Jeezus, 1984 sometimes looks as archaic as 40,000 years ago…

Reaching a dead end with the 40,000 year-old language barrier, a linguist named Mabel (Amelia Hall) is flown in to the base.  The elderly scholar quickly determines that Charlie’s language and customs are crude antecedents to those found in the varied Inuit tribes across Canada and Alaska.  Some linguistic roots are similar, too, such as Charlie’s words for bird, predators, etc.  Things get even more complicated after a visiting helicopter buzzes too close to the atrium’s clear domed ceiling. The noise attracts Charlie’s attention and he throws his arms up in worship at the chopper, mistaking it as a messenger to his god.  After the helicopter is waved off, Charlie embarks on a nonstop ritualistic chant, and draws crude, birdlike markings on his chest.

Note: The Inuit connection is established early on by the aforementioned legend which opens and closes the movie, as well as a scene where Shephard seeks the help of a local tribe. 

After consulting with a local Inuit tribe, Shephard determines that Charlie’s in the grip of religious fervor.  As he later tells Brady, Charlie’s fate in the ice was deliberate; he was offering himself as a ritualistic sacrifice to his god, presumably when hard times fell upon his family at the onset of the Ice Age.  The revived Charlie now feels great guilt for abandoning his mate and children, and sees the flying “beedaah” as his chance for redemption.  

Note: A chance for a new life was, apparently, the last thing Charlie wanted when he trekked off alone into the ice hundreds of centuries ago.

Remembering the route that Shephard takes when he exits the habitat, Charlie carefully repeats his friend’s steps, and eventually finds the button to unlock the security door.  Gingerly stepping into the adjacent corridors with his spear, he finds cages of the displaced animals, including a bear.  Making his way deeper into the complex, he shatters a mirrored camera, before touching a copier machine, and becoming freaked out by its activation.  Sneaking into a laboratory, he is startled by the unexpected presence of Maynard, and in a reflexive action, Charlie drives his spear through Maynard’s chest!  The dying Maynard chuckles with gallows humor, as he realizes he’s just been killed by a caveman’s spear!

Within moments, the base’s alarms go off when Loomis realizes Charlie has escaped. Terrified by the klaxon, Charlie is soon recaptured, sedated, and taken back to his habitat prison, with extra eyes placed on the security monitors.  Not accepting the accidental impalement as anything less than murder, Maynard’s friend Hogan refuses to write the incident off as an ‘industrial accident.’  As a consequence, Shephard is no longer allowed to work with Charlie, who’s now seen as too dangerous and unpredictable.

Note: Time to call the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer (Phil Hartman) from Saturday Night Live, perhaps…?

Back in the laboratory, the scientists begin batteries of experiments on Charlie, unable to replicate the exact circumstances which left him so perfectly preserved in the ice. With their endless tests, they nearly kill Charlie in the process. With Charlie’s future, and perhaps his very life, now in jeopardy, Shephard embarks on a dangerous plan to free the ancient man, and let him continue on the quest he began 40,000 years ago.  Shephard conspicuously leaves an exit door unlocked, offering an unwatched escape route from the facility. Charlie manages to escape and join his friend Shephard, who gives him furs, as they trek into the ice together.  We see the joy on Charlie’s face, as he is back among the familiar ice plains…

Note: One can imagine that this action would’ve effectively ended Shephard’s career, and he may even have faced criminal prosecution in the real world. But hey… what are friends for?

A helicopter buzzes the grounds, and Charlie—still enthralled by divine reverence—makes a leap at its landing skids, and the helicopter pilot unwittingly hoists him into the air.  Realizing Charlie is going to go through with his planned self-sacrifice, a horrified Shephard can only watch as Charlie smiles broadly before releasing his grip on the landing skid. The ancient iceman then plummets to his death (and redemption) down an icy chasm, completing his 40,000 year quest. 

The End.

Note: As much as this ending pains me, this was the only possible ending for Charlie, who was never meant to exist in our age.  He would’ve either lived out his life as a controlled laboratory experiment (as we saw in the base habitat), or he would’ve been euthanized and dissected (as he nearly was after his capture).  This movie also raises the question, however unwittingly, of euthanasia.  Do self-aware beings have the right to end their own lives when a life without pain or unending misery is no longer possible?  The movie leans toward yes…

Summing It Up

After this recent rewatch of “Iceman,” I was surprised at how many moments came rushing back to my memory; mainly the nuances of Lone’s astonishing performance.  The last time I’d seen the full movie was around age 19, and I’m 57 now. Somehow, the movie only got better with age.  Much better, in fact. The frozen exteriors and small cast subtly, yet effectively, convey a feeling of isolation, much as we saw in John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” Isolation is a recurring theme with Charlie, and with Shephard too, who feels greater sympathy and connection with his ancient ancestor than with his peers. This story simply wouldn’t work as well if it were set in a busy city or a university laboratory. The unending ice is loneliness itself.

If there are any shortcomings in the film, it’s that the present day characters (c. 1984) are somewhat underdeveloped, apart from Shephard.  Even linguist Mabel is given little to do, beyond an occasional witty remark.  Perhaps this lack of development was deliberate, to make the emotionally vibrant character of “Charlie” contrast more effectively with the cooler, icier tone of modern humans (a trick Kubrick used in “2001: A Space Odyssey”).  At the end of the day, most of the characters serve mainly as obstacles between Charlie and Shephard, whose friendship is the central story.  Given the relatively brief 100-minute runtime, it’s forgivable that the remaining cast isn’t well utilized (even with such strong actors, like Danny Glover and David Strathairn). 

In the wrong hands, “Iceman” could’ve easily descended into a joke, like Saturday Night Live’s “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” (hilariously played by the late Phil Hartman) or the Geico Insurance Caveman, both of whom might’ve been at least partly inspired by this film.  Fortunately, director Fred Schepisi and actor John Lone give “Iceman” much sensitivity, thoughtfulness and gravitas, making it work far better than it might have otherwise (see: 1972’s godawful murderous caveman flick “Trog,” starring actress Joan Crawford, though not as the titular character…).  

The friendship between Charlie and Shephard might be misconstrued by some viewers as a clichéd ‘white savior’ complex, but that isn’t the case; this is a friendship reaching across time, not ethnicity or race (though Inuit culture is heavily referenced).  Shephard’s mission isn’t inspired by any race guilt; it’s inspired by a genuine need for understanding.  Shephard knows that connecting with Charlie offers a look into who we were, but Shephard still recognizes Charlie’s core humanity, as well—faults and all.  Charlie is us.

That Shephard helps Charlie fulfill his quest is tragic, but it’s the only way out for Charlie, who could never adapt to the 20th century (let alone 21st) and its ‘civilization.’ Charlie mourns his deserted family, his simpler life, and his time.  While the admitted chaos of our era offers undreamed of sights and experiences for Charlie, he’d never be able to experience them on parity with his friend Shephard.  He’d exist as a living exhibit, not a man. Shephard realizes this, and ultimately helps Charlie return to the nothingness from where he was meant to be.

Seeing this movie again after so many years was a trip back in time for me, too.  It was well worth revisiting. Forty years later, and “Iceman” is still as haunting, and poignant as ever.

Where To Watch

“Iceman” (1984 film; there are several other movies with this title) is available for streaming on multiple platforms, including NBC’s Peacock, SlingTV, Crackle, Plex, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and fuboTV. It’s also available on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber in a terrific widescreen transfer (available to buy from Amazon or Kino Lorber’s website) as well as a less-than-pleasing pan & scan DVD from Universal Home Video (not recommended).