Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog, 2011)

     I just went and viewed Cave of Forgotten Dreams. It was what I hoped for - positive, enlightening and quite literally dreamlike at times. The narration at the end really articulated some thoughts that I couldn't quite put my finger on before. Herzog's voice is so uncannily soothing to me, like a god's voice. The cave paintings, that were the central focus of the documentary, date back 32,000 years. I knew going in to the film, having seen a few of Herzog's other documentaries, that the existential narration was inevitable and welcomed. The film progressed how I envisioned it, more or less, but the last scenes really brought out some feelings that made for an incredible experience. Don't miss this one in theaters.
     I have only seen animated 3D films before this adventure. It was an interesting experience. I found my eyes focusing on different depths on the screen, much like they focus in real life. I never felt this way during my viewings of Coraline (Selick, 2009) or The Nightmare Before Christmas (Selick, 1993) in 3D. If you let yourself, you can really be there... what a gift.

a chance sighting

     This morning I picked up an old copy of Sight and Sound, The British Film Institutes International Film Magazine. It was the June, 2008 edition. Upon stumbling through the still crisp pages, I found something lost in the corner of the page. A short essay from Pedro Costa, a Portuguese director, on his view of independent filmmaking. Thus, it goes like this...
     

CINEMA IS NOT A LUXURY

     I now shoot on video, which is very cheap, so it's very simple for me to make a budget. All I need is enough money just to live every month, me and three or four friends: one for the sound, one to help me with the camera, another to assist me - and the actors of course. We always try to have this balance or harmony, all being paid more or less the same. I want to show that cinema is not a luxury, it's not just for very rich and glamorous people. It can be made with less money. It can be made with justice.

     The people I work with understand that. But at the same time it's hard work every day, like building a house, as Ventura says. But it's something that still has a relation to the real world, which I didn't find in the films I assisted on, even some films I made with conventional crews. There was too much fiction behind the camera, and not enough in front. There were too many games played behind the camera, and in front of the camera was a mess. 

     It took me a long time to find this balance between what happens behind and in front of the camera - I'm talking about human relationships, about politics, about how the money is distributed, how you behave every day. For me it's more about that than the artistic work. There's a piece of paper here on my wall in my house; It's a quote by Brecht and it says that the organization took us much more time and energy than the artistic work. If you can make the organization fair, simple and human, I think that the film will find it's way, it's shots, it's heart.