Cave of Forgotten Dreams details
| Formats: | U DVD, Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Charles Fathy, Werner Herzog |
| Director: | Werner Herzog |
| Genres: | Documentary - Nature/Science, World Cinema - German |
| Studio: | REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT |
| Original title | Cave of Forgotten Dreams |
| Collections: | Festival Favourites, Must Watch Docs, Top 20 Documentaries |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Cave of Forgotten Dreams |
U Feature |
DVD Information
| Rental release: | 17 Oct 2011 |
|---|---|
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Not Sanctum 3D!
By RedDex (18 reviews) from Hampshire , 15 Apr 2011[Highly rated reviewer]
The Cave Of Forgotten Dreams is not Sanctum 3D and I think most people realise that. I have heard of people though expecting a 3D underground action adventure and being sorely disappointed. The Cave Of Forgotten Dreams is a documentary, albeit a cinematic one. If you enjoy watching Discovery Channel then you’ll probably enjoy this. If you don’t like documentaries then you should give this a wide berth. It is what it is.
It is a fascinating topic told in a visually spectacular manner. Some of the time scales involved are mind-boggling and the interviews with various scientists and archaeologists provide a nice context. As for the paintings themselves, some are spectacular, detailed and surprisingly realistic. There are also some bizarre moments of comedy. There are three very random inclusions: albino crocodiles; flute man; and perfume man. None of which really do much service to the overall experience except to lighten the mood of awe, which may not have been the intention.
This is probably the best I have seen 3D applied to a film. The 3D effects bring the cave’s contours sharply into reality and give the impression of depth that adds so much to the viewing experience.
It is an absolute must see for anybody who has any sort of interest in archaeology or anthropology and the fact is so few people are ever allowed in to the actual caves to see the paintings first hand that this is the only chance most people will ever get to see these amazing caves.
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(41)Big disappointment
By gm51 (1 review) , 11 Apr 2013Such a disappointment. The subject matter was fascinating but could have been covered in 45 minutes. The production was pretentious on the one hand and slightly amateurish on the other.- Was this review helpful to you?
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A movie to bask in!
By PaulHappy (144 reviews) , 21 Mar 2013A fascinating film. But it did get me to thinking - how do we know whether humans actually did the art? There are no human skeletal remains, only some hand prints made on the wall. A lot of the art relates to animals e. g. horses, bisons, lions, rhinos and even the extinct mammoth. There are animal foot/body prints in the ground including some bones but no human remains. So why don't we point to the animals as being the 'artist'. Of course I am being a little silly - but the point is that we know because ONLY humans can do such 'intentional' art and that it is just one of many things that separates us from the animals i. e. a lion does what a lion does and a human does what a human does - different kinds with man markedly different to the animals. I read that one of the professors involved in exploring the El Castilo cave in Spain (which they think is even older than Chauvet at about 40,000 years old) thinks that Neanderthals may have been involved there and that possibly they were not a separate species to man but just a different race - others think that it was modern man - but the point is, is that 'man' alone is able to do such things! Therefore if we recognise that the art at Chauvet was done by man as artist, then surely with all the wonder and beauty of the natural world around us, why do we not ascribe that to an artist too? Why do people continue to say that merely random natural processes made all the wonder we see! Surely we would be called mad and irrational if we were to say that the art in Chauvet was JUST natural random processes at work and not the work of an artist! Of course the artist/designer of the world may well have used/is using such processes but it does not negate the fact that such intelligence was very much needed to bring such order, mathematical precision and such amazing creativity and beauty to the world around us! This is a lovely film and really is something to linger with and enjoy and its even more wonderful to know that we are looking at something not seen for thousands of years.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Astonishing subject matter, patchy film
By a customer , 20 Feb 2013This is the closest view we'll ever get of these beautiful, fantastically important 30000 year old cave paintings - physical access to the caves is highly restricted. So the film is worth seeing for that reason alone. I found some aspects of the film absurd and pretentious (some of the interviews and the crocodile postscript in particular). And I also thought the music was cliched and intrusive. Despite these negatives, it was a moving and thought provoking documentary and I'm glad I watched it.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Awesome paintings.
By TheDidginCrow (1 review) , 05 Feb 2013A beautiful documentary. Just looking at the prehistoric paintings is intense. If you are really interested in our prehistoric history this docu is a must. You can argue that the narration is good or bad but the camera work is great and gets better the longer the film goes on. I stopped the film to take in the paintings during the film. Up to 40 thousand years ago a human being painted these pictures. Just the thought is truly amazing.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Simply wonderful...
By kevin65 (1 review) , 16 Jan 2013A truly fascinating documentary, giving a full insight to a stunningly beautiful cave that no ordinary member of the public will ever have a chance to visit in person, given the fragility of the profoundly important archaeological discoveries made within. Werner Herzog's slightly eccentric commentary was all part of the charm for me. Recommended for anyone with an interest in human prehistory and the beginnings of human culture. Probably not recommended to anyone with a short attention span or a desire for thrills and spills, as the pace is leisurely and the style very philosophical. This documentary may well be the only way that most people will ever get to see the stunningly beautiful, 30,000 year-old paintings of Chauvet caves in their original form.- Was this review helpful to you?
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