The Chauvet Cave, discovered in the south of France in 1994, contains over 400 wall paintings, some of which are estimated to be up to 32,000 years old. This makes the paintings, which are considered to be masterpieces of Palaeolithic cave art, some of the oldest known man-made images. The cave is not open to the public for conservation reasons. It is therefore all the more pleasing that the cinematic documentation of this site, which is significant in terms of art and human history, was entrusted to lateral thinker Werner Herzog. And that he in turn put aside his skepticism about 3D filming technology in order to, as he says, “express the intention of the artists”. The artists had used the relief of the rock face to heighten the effect of what was depicted, and the 3D image actually makes the pictures dance.
Between the shots in the cave - in which Herzog and his three-man team were able to film for four hours each over six days - the filmmaker intersperses interviews with scientists and other interested parties who contribute things ranging from the enlightening to the bizarre, and allows us to participate in his own reflections, which establish connections between supposedly unrelated things. This is as surprising as it is profitable; a real Herzog.
