Positively received at its Toronto Festival Premiere, Cave of Forgotten Dreams shows the dramatic results of Werner Herzog’s exclusive access to the recently discovered Chauvet caves in the South of France, and their truly extraordinary cave paintings, dating back 32,000 years. Herzog’s use of 3D really brings these beautiful works of art and the breath-taking cathedral like cave with its towering stalagmites to life. Herzog uses his unique access to this treasure trove of Palaeolithic masterpieces to muse on the immensity and fragility of man’s progress.
Herzog combines his gifts as a conjurer of unforgettable images, explorer of forbidden landscapes and poetic philosopher to illuminate and celebrate the earliest recorded visions of humanity. The Chauvet Cave, which contains the earliest known cave paintings, was discovered in 1994 and is considered one of the most significant prehistoric art sites. Hundreds of cave paintings depict at least thirteen different species, including horses, cattle, lions, panthers, bears, rhinos and even hyenas. The artists used techniques not often seen in other cave art making the Chauvet Cave an important record of Palaeolithic life in all of its savage detail.
Fresh from Werner Herzog’s debut of Cave of Forgotten Dreams at The Berlin Film Festival, the thought-provoking documentary is released in stunning 3D on 25th March 2011. Click on the link above for the trailer.
