Werner Herzog’s 3D Masterpiece Gets an IMAX Comeback

Herzog and restoration producer James Stewart discuss the awe-inspiring 2010 documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," which looks and sounds better than ever in a new 6K reconstruction.

One of the greatest 3D movies ever made returns to theaters this month looking and sounding better than ever, as Werner Herzog‘s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” gets an IMAX release and a new 6K restoration.

Originally released in 2010, the documentary immerses the viewer in France’s Chauvet Cave, a natural wonder containing drawings tens of thousands of years old. Utilizing 3D to its fullest expressive potential, Herzog brings the artwork’s textures and details to vivid, awe-inspiring life — an achievement all the more valuable given that, since the cave’s discovery in 1994, only a handful of scientists have been granted access to its treasures.

The fact that Herzog has never shot a film in 3D before or since “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” indicates the seriousness of his intentions in employing the process — like Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder,” James Cameron’s “Avatar,” and Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo,” it’s one of the few movies shot in 3D that really demands to be seen in that format to be fully appreciated.

“I had never planned to shoot the movie in 3D,” Herzog told IndieWire, but when he visited the cave before shooting, he realized 3D was a necessity. “I had a hunch that I should see it with my own eyes and not just in photos, and the moment I went in there it was immediately clear that it should be done in 3D.”

That’s because the undulations of the walls were a key component of the artwork drawn on them. “You have recesses and little caverns adjoining a larger cavity, and the artists utilize the form,” Herzog said. “A bulging piece of rock is used for the bulging neck of a bison that comes at you.” The problem was that existing 3D cameras were far too cumbersome to take into the cave, which is carefully protected to keep carbon dioxide from seeping in.

“We were only allowed to bring what we could carry in our hands,” Herzog said, adding that he was limited to a four-person crew who could barely fit through the narrow entrance to the cave. “We scrambled to create 3D cameras for what we needed to do.” As impressive as the footage captured by those 3D cameras was, the fact that the cameras were essentially prototypes shooting under challenging conditions meant that technical problems baked into the footage needed to be addressed for the film to be re-released in IMAX.

“There were some inherent challenges in the original production process, including extremely limited time and very low-light conditions,” restoration producer James Stewart told IndieWire. “Capturing such extraordinary caves was a rare, complex, and demanding undertaking.” The five-year process of restoring “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” began in 2020 with a shot-by-shot reconstruction of the original material.

“During the restoration, now that the technology had caught up to us, we were able to return to the RAW 2K footage and make significant improvements to brightness, clarity, color and the immersive 3D experience — enhancements that simply weren’t possible within the tight timeline of the original production and the available technology,” Stewart said. “We also created a new ATMOS sound mix to put the viewer right in the cave surrounded, with the water drops, the heartbeats, and the emotional soundtrack. We also chose to upscale the film to 6K to help future-proof it, recognizing that while 4K is now the standard, higher resolutions are quickly emerging.”

Seen and heard in IMAX, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” is a truly transcendent experience that conveys the sense of reverence Herzog himself felt stepping into the cave — a feeling he says he aspires to in all his work. “In all of my films, there’s a sense of awe,” Herzog said, adding that it’s not something one can engineer or arrive at intellectually. “You don’t plan, you have to have it in you. ‘Cave’ is a film of sheer wonder, and I think that’s where cinema and real poetry begin.”

For Stewart, the historical and spiritual significance of the art discovered in the Chauvet Cave created a high standard that the IMAX restoration had to reach. “Given the rare opportunity to document these remarkable cave paintings, our goal was for the film to stand the test of time,” Stewart said, “for the next 30,000 years.”

Herzog, who is delighted audiences will be able to see his film in the best possible state, is nevertheless not looking back — as “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” approaches release, the director is in various stages of post-production and production on multiple projects. “In 45 minutes I’ll be in the editing room,” Herzog said, adding that in addition to the film he is working on now, he has a completed one (“Bucking Fastard,” with Kate and Rooney Mara) on the way and a voice role in Bong Joon Ho’s animated feature “Ally” as a deep-sea creature.

“I love what I do,” Herzog said when explaining his still prolific output at age 83. “Five weeks ago I was filming in Mexico, two weeks ago I was filming in Austria, and I’m doing a documentary that will be finished by the end of the year.”

Although Herzog sees his own approach as fundamentally different from those of the directors he occasionally works for as an actor, he loves the chance to see filmmakers like Bong at work. “He’s an extremely sensitive observer, and he guides you very well. He’s a very good director, and it’s always a joy to work with the good ones.”

“Cave of Forgotten Dreams” will be released exclusively in IMAX on April 15 and April 19, followed by a full nationwide arthouse release on April 24.