|
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
| Released |
25 March 2011 |
| Director |
Werner Herzog |
| Starring |
Werner Herzog, Dominique Baffier, Jean Clottes |
| Writer(s) |
Werner Herzog |
| Producer(s) |
Erik Nelson |
| Origin |
Canada, United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom |
| Running Time |
90 minutes |
| Genre |
Documentary, history |
| Rating |
G |
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Herzog’s Cave.
At the press screening for this documentary, those in attendance were stunned by the silence at the start. The beautiful pictures (in 3-D) of the caves and surrounding countryside were obviously so incredible that Herzog had decided to let them speak for themselves. Typical of that mad bastard Herzog eh?
What daring!
What boldness!
What was that?
The projectionist didn’t turn the soundtrack on, you say?
Er…..okay, then perhaps we should start again?
It’s no great surprise that those present were unsure of whether Herzog had opted to go with a silent movie or not. Herzog is known for his unusual films whether they are features, shorts or documentaries. His most well known work is probably his ‘remake’ of the Abel Ferrara film Bad Lieutenant. In fact, it was only a remake in terms of using the name as it was almost entirely a different film. It featured a brilliantly crazed lead performance from Nicolas Cage and the highlight had to be an iguana singing a blues version of 'Please Release Me'.
There are other examples of Herzog’s eccentricity such as the documentary Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, in which, well, he ate his shoe as a result of losing a bet with Errol Morris.
In this film though Herzog is in quite a restrained mood, such is his marvel at the Chauvet Cave in Southern France. The cave was discovered in 1994 and is considered one of the great discoveries of pre-historic art. Because of the way the rocks fell on top of it to seal it off the cave was preserved perfectly so the drawings on the walls of horses, bears and tigers are still in great condition.
Herzog details how the French government immediately closed off access to the site so that it could only be studied by scientists in restricted circumstances. He and his very small camera crew are let in but also have to work in very restricted and cramped conditions. The pictures are fascinating no doubt and Herzog interviews several scientists and art historians to fill in the gaps about the site.
However, remarkable discovery that it undoubtedly is, after a while the pictures do get a little repetitive. And Werner does lose the run of himself on a couple of occasions such as when he asks one expert if the caves were “the birthplace of the human soul”. Steady on there, Werner!
Towards the end, Herzog strays away from his main subject to address the local nuclear plant where the heated water has been used to create a greenhouse with a tropical climate where albino alligators have thrived. So we get creepy close-ups of the alligators. What it is with Werner and reptiles?
It’s a fascinating subject no doubt and it’s shot beautifully, but it does become a little tedious and self indulgent towards the end.
Overall then, it’s a worthwhile project, but not as memorable (or mad) as Herzog’s best work.
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Jim O’Connor |
