Werner Herzog takes us inside the Chauvet Cave in France, now closed to public view, to see some of the world’s oldest works of art: cave paintings that date back about 32,000 years. Eschewing the purely educational approach, Herzog opts to prioritize his unbridled —and contagious — awe. Interviews with scientists and historians provide context, but the camera lingers on the artwork itself, focusing on the intricacy and beauty of the paintings and conveying a palpable, inspiring sense of wonder.
”If you’re interested in the history of the human race — if you’re a member of the human race — you owe it to yourself to see this movie.” Dana Stevens, Slate
Release date: April 29, 2011
Streaming on: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play
Metacritic score: 86 out of 100
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
We'll be honest: advertising alone isn't enough for Vox, or most newsrooms, to do the amount of high-quality journalism that the world needs and keep it free. We count on contributor support in order to produce nuanced, clear, and optimistic journalism. We don't have a paywall or ask our readers to subscribe in order to see our content, so instead, we’re coming to you this #GivingTuesday to ask you to make an investment in our future. If you’ve read an explainer this year that helped you to see an issue more clearly, got the answer to a long-time question, or just plain learned something, then we hope you’ll consider making a contribution of $20 or whatever you can today.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62343984/cave_of_forgotten_1600x900_c_default.0.jpg)
