Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Sundance 3-D Documentary Review

Looking for a 3-D film based on a true story?  The Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3-D is coming to theaters on May 6th!

A Sundance Documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams is hails from filmmaker Werner Herzog that takes you into the Chauvet Cave in France, home of the most ancient and inaccessible pictorial artwork known to have been created by man.

For over 20,000 years, Chauvet Cave has been completely sealed off by a fallen rock face, its crystal-encrusted interior as large as a football field and strewn with the petrified remains of giant ice age mammals. Scientists discovered the cave in 1994 and found 100s of fine-artist quality paintings within, dating back over 30,000 years when Neanderthals still roamed the earth and cave bears, mammoths, and ice age lions were the dominant populations of Europe.

Only a handful of specialists have stepped foot in the cave, and the true scope of its contents had largely gone unfelt—until Werner Herzog managed to gain access. Filming in 3D, Herzog captures the wonder and beauty of one of the most awe-inspiring sites on earth, all the while musing in his inimitable fashion about its original inhabitants, the birth of art, and the curious people surrounding the caves today.

The movie uses captivating images and full advantage of the 3-D special affects to make you feel as if you’re truly going into the caves. Going back and forth between historic artwork and interviews of archaeologists and personnel, the film takes you into this mystic cave as if you’re physically in France.  Since the cave is historic, the film takes you through theories of why the artwork is there, and whether animals/man coexisted at the same time in the cave. Even how the crew filmed the movie is interesting – they only allowed a specific number of crew members in the cave on a predefined catwalk and many of the shots include the crew.

I recommend seeing this movie if you like documentaries, history or visiting unique landmarks. Since access to the cave is so limited 😉

Here’s the trailer:

Posted by Julie