Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3D
The Chauvet cave of Southern France is a natural wonder that was completely sealed off even oxygen for tens of thousands of years, until 1994, when some explorers re-discovered it, and the paintings inside that date back to the Paleolithic era. These paintings are the oldest known forms art we have. As such, the cave itself is safeguarded like a vault. Werner Herzog was granted unprecedented access to make this film, as no cameras or crews had ever been allowed entrance. That this film has come to be is itself a work of art.
As a piece of cinema, Cave of Forgotten Dreams is not nearly as impressive to watch as the Chauvet cave likely is to behold. I think what make caves so interesting is their physicality, of feeling rock and sediment surround your human body, and the sublime feeling - the mix of beauty and terror - that gives your soul. Cinema is totally different. Cinema is about pictures and sounds. It’s about sitting in a chair and ideating images. Even three-dimensionality can’t change the essence of cinema. But I suppose Herzog had to try. When given the opportunity to photograph the oldest paintings on earth, might as well shoot it in 3D, since cave walls aren’t flat. I was hoping for something more creative, given that this seems like the first time an independent auteur has used 3D. But let it be noted: 3D is never a good idea in cinema, ever. It’s a scam. We pay $3 more to borrow glasses that make the screen darker. 3D is bullshit.
Werner Herzog is the only filmmaker to have made a movie on all seven continents. His résumé speaks for itself: he’s amazing. His Bad Lietenant: Port of Call - New Orleans from two years ago was an exciting thrill-ride, so obviously he’s capable. Grizzly Man (2005) stands out as a totally captivating documentary of a peculiar subject. But Cave of Forgotten Dreams feels phoned in. The interviews with the various scientists and neighbors are more dull than one would hope, and the time in the cave - both at the beginning, shot with an amateur camera, and at the end, shot quite nicely - leaves much to be desired. Herzog is good at waxing philosophical, but how deep can we go here? Is it really that hard to imagine what the painters were dreaming about? The paintings are of horses and rhinos and other animals, stampeding. Earthy creatures are captivatingly beautiful in their form and movement, and the powerful spirit that currents through each living thing warrants spiritual reverence. It is as true today as it was when it was written.
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