Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" in 3D

Is Werner Herzog a modern day Plato in light of his new 3D documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams?" There is the obvious "Cave" connection to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in his seminal work "The Republic" from 380 BC. There are some shared themes to Herzog's documentary and Plato's allegory about the limits and quest for knowledge. Yet filmmakers, like Herzog are about as close as we get to what philosophers like Plato meant to ancient Greece.

Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" takes itself entirely too seriously and that is a good thing. Think about Herzog's popular documentary about Timothy Treadwell, "Grizzly Man." Many people found it easy to rip apart Treadwell's strange existence with mockery. Treadwell is an easy target, but Herzog treats his subject respectfully by keeping a delicate distance.

With the Chauvet Caves in France, the oldest known cave paintings in human history, their importance is invaluable. We hardly need the awe inspired voice of Werner Herzog to emphasize the mysterious allure of these caves. Yet, Herzog's filmmaking style lends an air of ambiguity that would otherwise be lost in a straight forward documentary. He is more concerned with the emotional reactions of scientists, the silence that breathes within the cave walls and what albino crocodiles might think.

Herzog's interviews in documentaries convey an estranged distance from subjects. It is not a cold distance, as he provokes impassioned and genuine responses, which implies thoughtful questions. With the scientists interviewed in "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," they are an exclusive group of strange thinkers. Strange because they are the only living people to have set foot within this geologic cathedral that is a sepulcher of human art reaching back 30,000 years. Herzog and his film crew have joined this group in being the only filmmakers granted access to the caves.

Herzog and the Chauvet scientists have a certain humbled presence, as if permanently awestruck. They have indescribable expressions that perhaps only the first artic explorers or astronauts have. This is the space Herzog's documentary dwells in; not questionable facts found in history and art books. "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" treats the Chauvet cave paintings less like Simon Schama's "Power of Art" and more Banksy's "Exit Through the Gift Shop." Though, Herzog is skilled enough to balance esoteric perceptions with an objective documentary lens.

Herzog shot with customized 3D cameras small enough to navigate the limited walkways constructed for human traffic in the caves. The documentary captures the experience of the cave's curving labyrinth, as close as any of us will get. Herzog employees a more naturalistic use of 3D technology, just as the prehistoric artists used the cave's natural curves for dimension. There are lots of long pauses on the cave paintings, where further bombardment of factual narration is replaced by the haunting cello score of Ernst Reijseger.

One of the most profound moments of "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" comes when one of the scientists talks about how the cave paintings necessitated a desire for communication. Herzog cuts immediately to one of the cave's iconic animal images and fixates on it, using flickering lights to evoke firelight.

Our minds are like little caves atop our bodies through which we peer out into the world, hoping to keep our warm fires lit. Just as in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," most of what we see as reality is just shadow impressions cast on cave walls from artificial light. The purist form of knowledge is found when we escape this shadow play to see the light of day outside of the cave; outside of ourselves.

Herzog said in a www.documentary.org interview, "We are having major shifts in our perception of reality because of the internet and virtual realities -- a huge onslaught on our understanding of reality. So I do believe that cinema today, or documentaries today, have a task to redefine our sense of reality."

Taking Plato's challenge, Herzog is a filmmaker who unshackles his beliefs to seek ideal forms of truth. Instead of escaping the cave, Herzog rides his objective camera to the belly of the illusionary beast itself. The filmmaker as philosopher wants what the cave artist wanted 30,000 years ago: to communicate the unfathomable depth of our imaginations.