Cave of Forgotten Dreams
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, a breathtaking new documentary from the incomparable Werner Herzog (Encounters at the End of the World, Grizzly Man), follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been made by man. One of the most successful documentaries of all time, CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS is an unforgettable cinematic encounter that provides a unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 being ago — nearly twice as ancient as any previous discovery.Contemplative and reflective, Cave of Forgotten Dreams confirms Werner Herzog as one of the finest and most original chroniclers of the natural world. His abiding fascination with flight, which fueled films like Small Dieter Needs to Glide and White Diamond, finds counterpoint here as he goes below ground to document the oldest paintings known to man. Learned in 1994, France’s Chauvet Cave offers a privileged insight into a further time and place. While the walls feature artwork from over 30,000 being ago, ancient animal bones cover the ground, and layers of sparkly calcite coat every surface (paleontologists believe humans never really lived there). In his narration, Herzog clarifies that he and his crew had to obtain special permission, could only shoot for a few hours during specific seasons, and couldn’t place the designated walkways, so cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger (Terrible Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) attached a camera to a stick to capture the painting of a minotaur and a woman that adorns a prominent outcropping. Unlike some 3-D features, Cave of Forgotten Dreams benefits from the added dimension, providing a breathtaking you-are-there effect. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Herzog picture without a mesmerizing score, a few eccentric characters, and some bizarre bits of business. In this case, he includes a master perfumer who sniffs out hidden caves and a philosophical archaeologist who used to work as a circus performer. The documentary concludes with a quintessentially Herzogian postscript featuring the eerie radioactive albino crocodiles who live downwind from the cave. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
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