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 | France | Southern France | Cave Painting | Scientific Research

Awards:

9 wins & 6 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
Ian Vertovec	....	colorist (uncredited)

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)
• 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)
• 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
• 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

Filming Locations:

Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Ardèche, France

Company:

Creative Differences

Quotes:

Werner Herzog:In a forbidden recess of the cave, there's a footprint of an eight-year-old boy next to the footprint of a wolf. Did a hungry wolf stalk the boy? Or did they walk together as friends? Or were their tracks made thousands of years apart? We'll never know.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ode to the Dawn of Man (2011)

Typically Herzog, typically brilliant

As much as I love Herzog's feature films, it's in his documentaries that I feel he really excels and this one is no exception. Regardless of being faced with extremely restricted access to the Chauvet caves, the subject matter and Herzog's unique angle on story telling make this one of the most compelling documentaries I've ever seen. His documentaries always have a way of moving me, be it in the passion and determination in the people he studies like Dr Graham Dorrington and Timothy Treadwell or in the sense of awe inspired by the environments he focuses on like in Encounters at The End of The World and this one was no different, right from the start I was overcome with the beauty of the caves and the drawings on the walls.

The context and hypotheses given by the interviewees only helps to deepen the sense of wonder as each section of the cave is discussed in turn by everyone from the chief scientist to art historians, to a master perfumer, and in typical Herzog fashion, many of them are quite eccentric and add some humorous touches along the way. Throughout the film, these specialists, along with Herzog's narration really set your mind racing and I went to bed last night still thinking about the cave's mysteries.

The sign of a good film is never wanting it to end and during his last visit to the cave, the film fades to black a number of times, each time left me praying that we were going to be allowed to see just a bit more. Films like this help to open your eyes and remind you that outside the boring drudgery of our 9-5 existence, there is a whole world of beauty and mystery for us to explore and by leaving us with the allegorical example of crocodiles living in a nearby artificial tropical habitat, Herzog leaves you asking questions about the way we lead our modern life that will last long after you've left the cinema.