Friday, December 9, 2011

Day 233 - Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) directed by Werner Herzog




I like documentaries that inform, interest and entertain me on subjects that I know very little about. A really good documentary can make any subject matter seem important and made interesting. What surprised me then about the critically acclaimed Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which has a very interesting subject matter, was how tedious and dare I say boring it felt. I felt like the film didn't really capture the power of the paintings of the Chauvet Cave. These paintings, the oldest known in the world at over 30,000 years old, are incredible to think about and quite remarkable to look at but I didn't get that "wow" feeling that Herzog was going for. The narration felt long winded and overly preachy. I feel like this would have been much better as a 1 hour TV special rather than a full length 90 minute film. But I will give the film the benefit of the doubt for a couple reasons.

The first is that a film like this simply had to be made. People should know about these cave paintings. It is a historically significant site that helps us understand what it means to be human. Even in our earliest days when we were struggling for survival amongst fearsome creatures and Neanderthals that threatened our very existence, we took time to paint. We loved art and music just as we do now. It has always been a part of who we are, what makes us special. This is a truly powerful idea whether you feel the film conveys it or not.

If you study the cave paintings closely, you would be astonished just how detailed they are. These weren't just some simple stick figure drawings etched out in the rock. They could easily be mistaken for sketches that Picasso drew.

This film was actually shot and filmed in 3-D. Herzog wanted the viewer to see the dimensions and curvatures of the cave and how the paintings sat on the dynamic surfaces. I could definitely see this being amazing, but unfortunately I could only watch it in 2D so I didn't that extra oomph that moviegoers got in theatre.

Overall I wasn't really feeling Cave of Forgotten Dreams because I don't think the film really captured the power of the caves, though I could appreciate it. I can't say I wholly recommend it but it is at least worth skimming through to sort of experience it.

Grade: C+

No comments:

Post a Comment