We saw it last weekend in 2D. I agree with Lee Skinner that the artwork
in Chauvet Cave is unworldly beautiful. I thought the film, however, was
boring, too long, and overdone. 90 minutes was too much for this
coverage...30 to 45 would have done it. I found myself counting pinholes
in my eyelids more than once, and glancing frequently at my watch (a
pastime that I don't usually do at the movies since my watch doesn't
even have a lighted dial). I recommend the 3D version if you can get to
see it, for your $10. Santa Fe didn't have a 3D copy. Werner Herzog
directed what should have been the defacto video documentary of this
world-famous cave. It turned into a subject needing an ending, over and
over. How long did we have to watch the slow pans over the bison, horses
and cats, with that strange unnerving music (?) soundtrack? Two or
three would have sufficed for this viewer, especially since I had the
coffee-table book "Dawn of Art: The Chauvet Cave". Herzog tried to put
more "meaning of life" into this and failed. The Lidar-cloud of dots map
of the cave was indeed impressive - it would have been more incredible
with the glasses. The Santa Fe audience last Sunday chuckled more than
half dozen times at the premises that were being forced by the director.
The scene of the scientist explaining how the ancient ones must have
tossed their spears with a stick contraption to hunt large animals was
painful, but humorous. The film used American units of miles, feet,
explaining the cave map, which was obviously not the way it was done in
France. This cheapened the experience for me. There was a lack of
continuity after the opening of the film when the narrator (Herzog?)
noted that there was only a single 1 hour chance to film the cave,
granted by the French authorities. Then came the announcement that they
got a second visit without the scientists, perhaps a third, where they
could film longer. The ultimate insult was the epilogue that wasted
another 10 minutes, where Herzog tried to add: a) a nuclear powerplant
20 miles way, b) a nature zone theme park operating off the thermal
waters from the power plant cooling effluent, and c) crocodiles from
this theme park that may be somehow found getting into the cave, and
finally d) these crocs would be viewing the 30,000 year old art with
interest, replacing mankind. This addition blew the remaining
credibility from the documentary, and our audience gasped and laughed
aloud.
If you haven't already seen the beautiful art from Chauvet Cave in the
Ardeche' River region of France, go see this. Better yet, save your
money and buy the translated big book by Paul Bahn (Harry Abrams,
publisher) at Convention from your favorite cave books seller. It has
the original accounts from the three cave explorers who found it, plus
many high quality photographs of the art. Jean Marie Chauvet, the caver
whose name was chosen for the discovery, was mentioned in the credits of
the film, at least. Jean Marie caved in state with us in 2008, in
Lechuguilla Cave, for a week.
jtml
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