DVD reviews: Cave of Forgotten Dreams | Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Revolver, £15.99
FOR anyone who has foolishly forked out for a 3D TV, Werner Herzog’s first use of the format can be seen the way it was meant to be seen courtesy of the Blu-Ray version of Cave of Forgotten Dreams. For everyone else, you aren’t missing much with the 2D version. It’s actually preferable, particularly during scenes where Herzog flings the camera around in migraine-inducing handheld shots. When he takes us on an ultra-rare tour of some Palaeolithic artwork contained within the Chauvet Caves in southern France, however, his ability to convey the sheer strangeness and majesty of what’s on screen is more down to his usual brilliance at picking out images and combining them with his own eccentric narration. Alas, what stops this from being as enjoyably out-there as other recent Herzog documentaries, such as Grizzly Man, is the barmy Bavarian’s failure to get the team of experts accompanying him to open up about their own lives. When one confesses to once working in a circus, he resists answering any follow-up questions, a little wary, perhaps, of being immortalised as one of Herzog’s lovable loons. To compensate, Herzog locates some albino crocodiles and attempts to connect them to the cave paintings. It’s not clear what bearing they have on the art, but they’re endearingly strange nonetheless.
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Studio Canal, £22.99
AND on the subject of endearingly strange, David Bowie’s infrequent forays into acting occasionally throw up the odd surprise, and that’s certainly the case with Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence. Made in 1983, this curio from Japanese director Nagisa Oshima is a hit-and-miss affair, but Bowie’s presence as a British guerilla fighter in a Japanese PoW camp adds an off-kilter sexual energy to this metaphor-heavy tale of failing empires clashing in microcosm. That Bowie can’t really act – at least not in a way that would make his character believable – only adds to the alien-like nature of the film, and helps explain the fascination he holds for the camp’s commander, Captain Yonoi (played by Japanese pop-star Ryuichi Sakamoto). But the film’s attempt to say something profound is a bit laboured, though Tom Conti’s marvellously wry performance as the titular cultural go-between still holds up.
• To order these DVDs, call The Scotsman on 01634 832789