Screening Room: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Prehistoric Horses in the Chauvet Cave
Do you still need to find a holiday gift for an art history or documentary film lover? This might be the gift for you. I had seen the trailer of Werner Herzog’s latest documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) earlier in the year, but never managed to screen it at the theater.
The other day I caught an NPR segment on Fresh Air with Herzog talking about the film and learned that it had just been released on DVD … just in time for the holidays!
Chauvet Cave in France
The documentary is about the Chauvet Cave in Southern France. Inside the cave is a collection of Paleolithic artwork that rivals (or perhaps even exceeds the one in the Caves of Lascaux). The French Ministry of Culture has a really nice interactive cave feature, which gives people a good sense of the depth and artistic richness of this impressive cave. Click on the image below to be taken there.
Inside the Chauvet Cave in France
You can buy the documentary on DVD or Blu Ray through Amazon or Buy.com. This is on my holiday wish list, for sure!
$1 spent on Amazon = 1 Hawaiian Airlines mile
$1 spent on Buy.com = 2.5 Hawaiian Airlines miles
$1 spent on Buy.com = 2 Mileage Plus and Onepass miles
$1 spent on Buy.com = 2 American Airlines AAdvantage miles
How I’m Spending My Friday Night: Under the Tuscan Sun
I’m watching Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) tonight, starring the lovely Diane Lane, while grading. I think the last time I watched it was when it came out seven years ago. So far, it’s just how I remembered it – touching with a lovely escapist undercurrent. I’m feeling a bit under the weather. And with Andreas in Germany and a stack of final exams waiting for me to grade, a little Tuscan escape is quite needed at the moment. I have a sneaking suspicion that more of these travel-related films are in store for me in the next few days.
Watch It: Eat, Pray, Love
I can’t believe I’m actually going to recommend screening Eat, Pray, Love (dir. Ryan Murphy, 2010), but I am. And while I feel like I will be betraying my coterie of intellectual friends and colleagues in doing so, I am recommending the film for what I feel are two good reasons. One: I love Julia Roberts. There, I said it. I do. Her role as Elizabeth Gilbert (whose memoir the film is based) reaffirmed what I always thought was a latent love for Ms. Roberts that I held. The second reason – well actually, reasons two, three, and four all rolled up into the second reason: Italy, India, and Indonesia. There’s something compelling about visualizing the escapist tendencies of someone else. And yes, you see only the most picturesque qualities of each of the countries. Not to mention the film reinforces the “Orientalist” gaze in many of the scenes filmed in India and Indonesia. The film has its obvious flaws. But it does succeed in transporting us to each of the counties Elizabeth travels to, and Julia Roberts inhabits the role of Elizebeth beautifully. There is a scene in the film where Elizabeth reaches out to her American friends to help a Balinese woman and her child. While that scene takes up only a small part in the movie, I do think it draws attention to the privileges we hold as world travelers compared to those who might not be so fortunate. My love for travel is always tempered by my knowledge that other people cannot freely travel as I. As social commentary, Eat, Pray, Love obviously misses the mark. As entertainment, it will certainly entertain.
Watch It: 180 Degrees South
An beautiful film about wanderlust fueled by a love of nature and an ethos for conservation, 180 Degrees South (2010) held me in my tracks throughout its whole duration. Imagine hitching a ride on a boat to get from Seattle to Chile, with a pit stop on Easter Island. True stories like this one make you believe that anything is possible. Follow the hitchhiker, Jeff Johnson, on his journey to the top of Corcavado in Chile. The scenes in the film are breathtaking and the narrative is honest and compelling.
Having just gotten back from Argentina and Chile, watching the documentary made me want to pack my things and go back. Come with! But first watch the film! You can instantly watch it on Netflix.
