'Cave of Forgotten Dreams' DVD is something of a gift

An excellent theatrical documentary and a thoughtful science-fiction parable lead these movies released on DVD and Blu-ray this week.

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" (IFC/Blu-ray 3-D & Blu-ray, 2011, G, $34.98). Filmmaker Werner Herzog is quite comfortable alternating between dramatic features ("Aguirre, the Wrath of God," "Rescue Dawn") and documentaries ("My Best Fiend," "Grizzly Man"), and while his output has not been prolific, his batting average has been remarkably high.

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" is a fascinating documentary about the Chauvet Cave in France, which is dressed in a startling array of ancient cave paintings. Gaining unprecedented access, and with great respect to his subject, Herzog uses 3-D cameras to traverse these caves in a manner most of us will never be able to do in person. The result is something of a gift.

Extras widescreen, Blu-ray 3-D and Blu-ray versions, short film: "Ode to the Dawn of Man," trailer (also on DVD, $27.98)

"Another Earth" (Fox/Blu-ray + DVD + Digital, 2011, PG-13, three discs, $39.99). A mood piece, a tragedy, a lesson in forgiveness, a heady sci-fi trip — this little, low-budget art film aspires to be many things. And it largely succeeds.

The story is sometimes inscrutable as it follows a young woman who causes a tragedy that sends her life into a tailspin. Later, she contacts someone who was hurt by the tragedy and develops an unlikely relationship. Meanwhile, a second Earth is hovering above our Earth, and it appears to be a replica right down to the human inhabitants. Or maybe it's the same Earth in another dimension. Or maybe it's just a metaphor.

This is a slow, quiet meditation that leaves certain questions unanswered. Is the filmmaker being contemplative or purposeful in provoking the audience or has he just not shored up some plot holes? Whatever, it's an engrossing ride.

Extras widecreen, deleted scenes, featurettes, music video

"The Last Time I Saw Paris" (WarnerArchive, 1954, $19.95). A soldier-reporter (Van Johnson) in Paris at the end of World War II meets an American woman (Donna Reed), and then her sister (Elizabeth Taylor), who, with their deluded father (Walter Pidgeon), live in luxury despite being broke.

Reed loves Johnson but he, of course, loves Taylor. And their doomed romance unfolds in flashback (adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited") as Taylor continues to live beyond their means and Johnson takes to alcohol.