Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Werner Herzog's documentary takes viewers inside the Chauvet Cave in southern France, a site sealed off from the public because the hundreds of animal paintings on its walls are among the oldest known examples of human art. Only a handful of archaeologists are normally granted brief, restricted access, and Herzog's crew received special permission from the French culture ministry to film there. The cave has been protected for thousands of years by a collapsed entrance, preserving not only the artwork but also crystallized formations and the petrified remains of Ice Age mammals. The paintings were made around 30,000 years ago, at a time when cave bears, mammoths and lions roamed the continent. Beyond the images themselves, the film gives space to the scientists studying the site and their fascination with early human life. It was shot in 3D and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010.

The film is the fifteenth of the twenty-two features Herzog has directed, following Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and preceding Queen of the Desert. Herzog wrote the screenplay with Judith Thurman and narrates, while Erik Nelson, Adrienne Ciuffo and Dave Harding produced. The cast consists of the researchers themselves, among them Dominique Baffier, Jean Clottes, Jean-Michel Geneste, Michel Philippe and Gilles Tosello. It grossed about six million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.4 from roughly 19,000 votes, on TMDB 7.1 from 369 votes, while a critics' rating of 7.9 from 136 reviews places it somewhat higher than audience opinion.