OK for kids 9+
Docu about ancient cave art is tame but aimed at adults.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that although this Werner Herzog-directed 3-D documentary about 30,000-year-old cave drawings is rated G, it's generally aimed at a grown-up audience. Younger viewers may be fascinated by some parts and bored by others, though the gorgeous 3-D cinematography may help with short attention spans. Like Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World, the movie has very little iffy content: There's a brief demonstration of primitive weapons and a discussion of hunting animals, and one of the cave drawings depicts a naked woman, though the image is hard to make out.
- Families can talk about the use of 3-D in this movie. How is it different from most other 3-D movies you've seen?
- What audience do you think this movie is intended for?
- What are some of the things we can learn from the cave? What kind of emotional reactions do the drawings elicit? Can you imagine what life must have been like 30,000 or 40,000 years ago?
The good stuff
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Messages: No specific messages here, but it's fascinating to consider the lives of people who lived more than 30,000 years ago; it puts our human existence into proper perspective and reminds us that many of the things that concern us today are rather small in the grand scheme.
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Role models: Kids and teens may find director Werner Herzog himself rather inspiring. He has a kind of unquenchable curiosity and unflappable bravery: He'll venture into virtually any territory to find out more about man's relationship with nature. But it's worth noting that his earlier work is more dangerous and mature.
What to watch for
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Violence: One interviewee demonstrates the use of primitive weapons and talks about hunting and killing animals.
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Sex: One of the cave drawings depicts a naked woman, though it's difficult to see (part of the drawing is out of camera range).
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Language: Not an issue
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
Fan Reviews provided by
4
Excellent film on the subject by dart800
I will be the first to admit that this film is not for everyone. Many of the audience members may be put to sleep by the pacing. I myself enjoyed most of it, especially the perfumer they engaged to "smell the cave" . The artwork is amazing and the complete opposite of the child like paintings i expected to see. You will never see anything like this in your life so I strongly suggest giving this film a view.
5
Cave of Forgotten Dreams review by All_the_world's_a_stage
The documentary was stunning, in that it presented the artwork of 30,000+ year old paintings from a "primitive" culture, pushing the observe's imagination through many paths of speculation.
4
Cave of Forgotten Dreams by doilovemovies
Very interesting movie. Wish they had moved their cameras slower so we could have taken everything in more deeply. Sometimes hard to understand if the French accent was too strong. Infused some silly cartoon into the movie that we thought was ridiculous to put in. Took away from the validity of the film. All in all, we're glad we saw it, and we would recommend the film to friends. Probably would be good for advanced elementary age children
and up.
2
Total Drag by Lloyd_Dobler
Went in with high hopes and left with the feeling that it was probably the worst $25 I've ever spent, ever.
4
Cave of Forgotten Dreams by als777
A relatively slow movie that was beautifully presented and took me far outside my usual world.
5
Cave of Forgotten Dreams review by MissGOP
As expected, it's just great