Movie Review: Cave Of Forgotten Dreams 3D (2011, IFC Films)

It's documentary time here at the Cheese and today it's none other than legendary German director Werner Herzog's recent feature Cave Of Forgotten Dreams that's on the menu. Five years after the release of Herzog's critically acclaimed Grizzly Man, the filmmaker has taken the focus from exploring the life of bear-loving activist Timothy Treadwell to the exploration of the stunning Chauvet Caves of Southern France.

Buy Cave of Forgotten Dreams on Blu-ray or DVD

Herzog (Aguire:Wrath of the Gods, Fitzcarraldo) joins a group of geologists, scientists and archaeologists who share a similar fascination with the Chauvet Caves. What's the inside of these caves - that has not been touched by humans for over 32,000 years - is a mystery until the group open the highly secured steel door that protects the only entrance.  The main reason why the Chauvet Caves are so unique is the fact that they hold some of the earliest art created by humans. As the crew ventures through the cave we come to notice that these drawings of horses, bison, tigers and other animals are not only jaw-droppingly beautiful in their rich detail but pristine in condition. Considering what these primitive artists had to work with it's truly an amazing feat.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams was shot with a special 3D camera - a feature I wasn't able to utilize because of my TV's limitations - which I'm sure is effective for those with the capability. Even without, the movie is serious eye-candy for all history loving folks.

IFC Films has included a couple extra features in addition to the 3D aspect. You get a short film from Werner Herzog called Ode To The Dawn of Man and the original theatrical trailer for Cave Of Forgotten Dreams. Herzog really knows how to captivate with his documentaries; here he manages to really put the viewer in the midst of this magnificent spectacle that most know little about.  Recommended.