Review of Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) by Guy G — 12 Nov 2011

[B+/85] Werner Herzog seems a fitting director to lead us on a journey into the primordial Chauvet Cave, site of the oldest cave paintings ever found; for within his surefooted and canny documentary method works an elusive poetic capacity that often gets to very matter-of-fact magical evocation and a grasp of the significantly odd. And that's exactly what we get here, in a spellbinding exploration of a preternaturally awesome sanctum that is approached with due wonder, reverence, and even trepidation.

It's a fascinating look into a completely unique place that carries so many profound overtones about humanity and art and the sense of the sacred. An experience humbling, meditative, and roughly gorgeous with the womb-like subterranean imagery of scintillating mineral gardens augmented by the hands of primitive artists, the stark but bold sketches of bison and lions and mammoth and ibex and horses. A treasure of a documentary, with something of Herzog's handmade, modest, off-the-cuff style reinforcing the feeling of trespassing in the sublime; highly recommended.