Cave of Forgotten Dreams Blu-ray review

            Werner Herzog has always given a great deal of his time as a filmmaker to documentary films. In the past it seemed always to be the unique qualities in individuals, and their actions because of the way they are different from the rest of us. The films themselves often were precariously made in the journey of discovery about an individual’s risky or unique lifestyle. With a film about the Antarctic and now one about a cave in France with the oldest markings by man which are known to exist, Herzog has found a way to document humanity and a remote location at the same time.

            It doesn’t get more remote than the Chauvet cave in France, mostly because of how inaccessible it is to the public. Even scientists are limited in the amount of time they are allowed in this cave which carries pristine markings from our ancient ancestors, which makes Herzog’s film a gift to humanity as well as a piece of entertainment. After being sealed for countless years, the cave contains untouched footsteps and markings all along the inner walls. After the cave was discovered it was though that the markings could not be real because of how fresh they looked, and now that we know they are real they provide the beginning of art history.

            The filming of these 30,000 year old drawings is spectacular at first, but by the end of the film we have looked at the same drawings half a dozen times. There may not be enough material here for a solid feature film, but it is admirable that one was made anyway in order to give the public a viewing of this incredible cave. It is even better in 3D for those with the capability to watch it at home. This Blu-ray release has both the 3D and 2D versions on one disc. The special features include a short film by Herzog and a trailer.