Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

25 March 2011 (Ireland)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.

Plot Keywords:

Cave | Southern France | France | Narrated By Director | Archaeology

Awards:

8 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Werner Herzog	...	Himself / Narrator
Jean Clottes	...	Himself
Julien Monney	...	Himself
Jean-Michel Geneste	...	Himself
Michel Philippe	...	Himself
Gilles Tosello	...	Himself
Carole Fritz	...	Herself
Dominique Baffier	...	Herself
Valerie Feruglio	...	Herself
Nicholas Conard	...	Himself
Maria Malina	...	Herself
Wulf Hein	...	Himself
Maurice Maurin	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Fathy	...	Interpreter (voice) (uncredited)
Volker Schlöndorff	...	Narrator (French version) (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Werner Herzog

Writing credits
Werner Herzog		(written by)
Judith Thurman		article (uncredited)

Produced by
Andrea Anderson	....	associate producer
Amy Briamonte	....	co-producer
Adrienne Ciuffo	....	producer
Phil Fairclough	....	co-producer
Dave Harding	....	executive producer: Creative Differences
Julian Hobbs	....	executive producer: History Films (as Julian P. Hobbs)
David McKillop	....	executive producer: History Films
Erik Nelson	....	producer
Molly Thompson	....	executive producer: History Films
Judith Thurman	....	co-producer
Alain Zenou	....	associate producer
Nicolas Zunino	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Ernst Reijseger

Cinematography by
Peter Zeitlinger		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joe Bini
Maya Hawke

Production Management
Randall M. Boyd	....	supervising producer: post-production (as Randall Boyd)
Matteo Rivoli	....	unit manager

Sound Department
Michael Klinger	....	sound mixer: Post-production (as Mike Klinger)
Eric Spitzer	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Kaur Kallas	....	3d compositor
Van Ling	....	motion graphics
Cabinet Perazio	....	3d animator
José Péral	....	3d animator
James Stewart	....	3d mastering: Geneva Film Co.
Serge Valcke	....	3d animator
Eduard Vaseloo	....	3d compositor (as Eduard Vaselo)
Brad Wensley	....	artist: Quantel Pablo
Kennedy Zielke	....	3d mastering: Geneva Film Co.

Camera and Electrical Department
Dave Blackman	....	stereoscopic 3d consultant: Espirit Film
Kaspar Kallas	....	supervisor: 3D-system-design
Erik Söllner	....	assistant camera (as Erik Soellner)
Marc Valesella	....	still photographer
Chris Watts	....	stereographer
Jonathan Watts	....	3d rigs: British Technical Films

Editorial Department
Alex Bushe	....	assistant editor
Colin Hatton	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Sean Bergin	....	musician: flute
Harmen Fraanje	....	musician: organ, piano
Nederlands Kamerkoor	....	musicians
Ernst Reijseger	....	musician: violoncello
Stefan Winter	....	music producer
Peter Fuchs	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Josh Braun	....	advisor: domestic distribution
Jérémy Coste	....	production assistant
Amy Grey	....	publicist: Dish Communications
Bill Hayes	....	accountant
Tabitha Jackson	....	commissioning editor: Channel 4
Hong La	....	accountant
Ashley Marriner	....	publicist: Dish Communications (as Asley Mariner)
Hamish Mykura	....	commissioning editor: Channel 4
David Perrin	....	production assistant
Cynthia Shapiro	....	business affairs
Marc H. Simon	....	distribution legal (uncredited)

Thanks
Dominique Baffier	....	special thanks
Éliette Brunel	....	dedicatee
Jean-Marie Chauvet	....	dedicatee
Jean Clottes	....	special thanks
Nicholas Conard	....	special thanks
Valérie Fergulio	....	special thanks
Carole Fritz	....	special thanks
Jean-Michel Geneste	....	special thanks
Christian Hillaire	....	dedicatee
Maria Malina	....	special thanks
Julien Monney	....	special thanks
Michel Philippe	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Creative Differences
• History Films
• Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
• Arte France (co-production)
• Werner Herzog Filmproduktion (co-production)
• More4 (in association with)

Distributors

• Bitters End (2012) (Japan) (theatrical) (in association with)
• Canana Films (2012) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Imagine Films Distribution (2012) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Kinosmith (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Star Sands (2012) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Sundance Selects (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• Zeta Films (2011) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Against Gravity (2011) (Poland) (all media)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2010) (Germany) (all media)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2010) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2013) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• IFC Films (2011) (USA) (all media)
• Pris Audiovisuais (2012) (Portugal) (all media)
• Rialto Distribution (2011) (Australia) (all media)
• Rialto Distribution (2011) (New Zealand) (all media)

Special Effects

• Geneva Film Co. (3d mastering)

Other Companies

• British Technical Films  3d rigs
• Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard  distribution legal services
• Dish Communications  publicity
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Esprit Film  stereoscopic 3d consulting
• MSM Studios  music and sound post-production
• Tree Falls  post-production sound mixing

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min | Canada:95 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Canada | USA | France | Germany | UK

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:U | Ireland:G | USA:G | Canada:G (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Singapore:G | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade) | Japan:G | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:All

Filming Locations:

Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Ardèche, France

Company:

Creative Differences

Quotes:

Werner Herzog:The artist painted this bison with eight legs, suggesting movement - almost a form of proto-cinema.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ode to the Dawn of Man (2011)

Wondrous content made utterly boring

This documentary managed to take a subject that is wondrous and thought-provoking seem completely and utterly boring. The film spends entirely too much time explaining how limited the access to the very delicate caves are, and provides almost no content for ones mind to grab hold of and explore. There is nowhere near enough information that puts the paintings in context. If I were a layperson viewing the film with absolutely no knowledge about prehistoric humans, the only information I would gather from the film is that it was much colder 30,000 years ago than it is today, and that there is currently a nuclear power plant not too far away from the site of the cave. Nothing about what may have inspired the prehistoric artists, what his or her motives may have been, or what techniques they may have used, are present in the film.

And don't get me started on the long, drawn out sweeps of the paintings themselves. I get it Werner, it was an awe-inspiring experience to physically be in the caves, but panning slowly over the same painting for 2 minutes straight without saying much about it won't get me to understand your sense of wonder. (Here comes a paraphrase...) "Do these paintings perhaps represent the birth of the human spirit?" No, Werner, you silly goose, they just offer an opportunity for someone very obviously ignorant of the subject to make vague poetic phrasings in a very weak attempt to invoke a sense of wonder about how far back our human heritage goes.

The "experimental archaeologist" seemed like a pretty cool guy. He played the star-spangled banner on a DIY flute made of bone in what was probably a homemade pair of deer pants, fur boots, and a very snazzy long sleeve fur tunic.

Overall this documentary would have been satisfactory if it were 1 hour shorter (i.e. roughly 30 minutes long). It offers very little information, repetitive footage, and an aimless narrative at best. I've read many of the reviews written about the film on this illustrious IMDb website, and most of the authors make more inspiring extrapolations about the content than Mr. Herzog was able to. Somewhere deep in an undiscovered cave, a caveman is turning in his grave.