Cave of Forgotten Dreams: DVD Review
Rating: G
Released by Vendetta Films
Originally shot in 3D, this doco sees German director Herzog,
along with a select camera crew, heading to France to document the marvels held
by a French cave discovered in 1994.
The Chauvet Cave
in the south of France is one of anthropological wonder given that inside it's
decorated with wall paintings and carvings from some 30,000 years ago.
Herzog was given
exclusive access to document the innermost sanctum of the cave by the French
government.
Essentially this
film really thrives when it's inside the cave and the camera simply lingers on
the shots of the paintings and the full enormity of what's within explodes
within your mind.
Skulls of animals long since dead and
footprints from creatures 30,000 years old litter the pictures and are simply
mind blowing. The 3D gives the depth to the paintings and reveals just how
astounding they are.
But then Herzog's dry voiceover takes over
and pompous statements like "It's like a frozen flash in a moment of
time" give this an air of stuffiness that to be honest, it could do
without.
Interviews with scientists and enthusiasts
add to the pretentiousness of the piece and detract from the simple fact that
sometimes, a picture paints a thousand words.
Those images of rhinos, horses, bison and
tigers, bumps and shapes of the walls show a world that is beyond our
comprehension and understanding; and in some ways, Herzog's insistence on
talking really does mean the film loses some of its impact.
At the end, a montage of paintings and
snapshots flash up on screen, accompanied by music - and in that flash alone,
the film speaks volumes - and much more than Herzog ever can - of its secrets
from thousands of years ago.
Extras: Image Gallery
Rating:
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