Interior decorators from time’s dawn
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS
Director: Werner Herzog
Cert: U
Cave of Forgotten Dreams is the latest documentary from Werner Herzog. In 1994, an expedition led to the discovery of the Chauvet Cave in France, a long buried chamber containing the oldest cave paintings in the world.
Herzog’s team are the only camera crew ever allowed into the caves, which are sealed off, with access limited even for the scientists studying them. Unsurprisingly, the film is filled with references to questionable dating techniques and evolution. It seems a travesty that the artists who created the incredible images are now thought of as unevolved and primitive.
Herzog does not present us with a straightforward ‘facts and figures’ documentary, but an immersive, deeply thoughtful experience, not least thanks to his use of 3D. Large swathes of the film consist of lingering shots of the paintings, with eerie strings and chants filling the soundtrack, allowing the audience to feel what it might be like to be there, poring over the ancient masterworks in awe and wonder.
Using the shape of the rocks
The 3D is not always effective, and the difference between what was originally shot in 3D and what was later converted to it is huge. Converted sequences feature foregrounds and backgrounds psychedelically merging and blurring, whereas the scenes shot with 3D cameras are effective in revealing the way that the artists used the shape of the rocks, to create illusions of movement and texture.
Despite the faults in the secular science, some remarkably honest conclusions are drawn, such as when Herzog explains in his exquisite narration: ‘It is as if there was no slow evolution, and humanity simply exploded onto the scene in an instant’. It is sad that such a statement should come as a surprise to many, but reassuring that even religiously unaffiliated scientists often make observations that support a biblical worldview.
