Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Werner Herzog

FranceCanadaUnited States

2010 Documentaire 1h30

OV with French subtitles

In the spring of 2010, after obtaining special permission from the Ministry of Culture, filmmaker Werner Herzog, along with his team and a small number of scientists, ventured into the depths of the fabulous Chauvet Cave, which is closed to the public. Infront of his camera, the cave paintings, dating from the Upper Palaeolithic period (30,000 BC), reveal their genius but retain all their mystery.

Scenario : Werner Herzog
Cinematography : Peter Zeitlinger
Editing : Joe Bini, Maya Daisy Hawke
Music : Ernst Reijseger

Production : Creative Differences, History Films

Distribution : Metropolitan FilmExport

Conquering the impossible, Herzog provides a wealth of scientific and artistic explanations about the paintings in the Chauvet Cave, which are among the oldest ever created, while mischievously showing that it will always be impossible to know what subjectivity, what dream presided over their creation. The commentary by scientists and the 3D cameras enable us to get up close to the works of art, but the film attempts to go even further, tracing the subjectivity of the early humans who created these paintings to respond to social, religious or shamanic needs. With all the humanist perspective possible, these paintings retain their mystery. Through mutation upon mutation, the man of today is not far from the man of tomorrow, who may resemble an albino crocodile. How could this albino crocodile that we will soon become understand these records of forgotten dreams? (Jean-Luc Lacuve; cineclubdecaen.com)