USA - 90 mins
Filmed entirely in 3-D, Werner Herzog, escorted us on a journey to this extraordinary documentation of some of the earliest-known representations by humankind: the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave art. Discovered in 1994 by archeologist Chauvet to which the caves are now known, he found hidden high on the side of a rock cliff face a stream of air that alluded to a cave within.
Digging through a small opening revealed an amazing sight that hadn't been viewed by human eyes in an astounding 32,000-40,000 years. In pristine condition and amazing detail the cave drawings, that were grouped around the large openings and narrow corridors, displayed a variety of ancient animals in sophisticated authenticity.
The scattering of animal bones, now crystalised rock formations, alludes to the bond between man and nature, and the ritualisation of ceremony - a contract between human and beast. In Hertzog's words illuminated on the rock where 'forgotten dreams whisper the spirituality of our ancestors'.
Access to the paintings has been strictly limited to a handful of researchers though now, through Herzog, has been recorded for posterity.
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