Family DVD : Baraka

Baraka

$49.95


The word Baraka means blessing in several languages, watching this film, the viewer is blessed with a dazzling barrage of images that transcend language. Filmed in 24 countries and set to an ever-changing global soundtrack, the movie draws some surprising connections between various peoples and the spaces they inhabit, whether that space is a lonely mountaintop or a crowded cigarette factory. Some of these attempts at connection are more successful than others: for instance, an early sequence segues between the daily devotions of Tibetan monks, Orthodox Jews, and whirling dervishes, finding more similarity among these rituals than one might expect. And there are other amazing moments, as when sped-up footage of a busy Hong Kong intersection reveals a beautiful symmetry to urban life that could only be appreciated from the perspective of film. The lack of context is occasionally frustrating--not knowing where a section was filmed, or the meaning of the ritual taking place--and some of the transitions are puzzling. However, the DVD includes a short behind-the-scenes featurette in which cinematographer Ron Fricke (Koyaanisqatsi) explains that the effect was intentional: It s not where you are that s important, it s what s there. And what s here, in Baraka, is a whole world summed up in 104 minutes. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

All this hype for a screeen-saver ??? - You see, certain images will always have great emotional impact on people, no matter how many times we ve seen them. Can a normal person, for example, stay emotionless while watching piles of human bones in a Nazi concentration camp? Or watching mount Everest at sunset? Baraka is a 90min collage of such images and the result is a great ... screen-saver. That s right, this is not a movie - unless, of course, you consider footage from a security camera to be a movie too. Some of the images in Baraka are quite good, actually. What s cracking me up is the primitive humanitarian messages that the director (not worth mentioning his name) has devised. For example, an image of a busy NYC intersection is followed by an image of a solemn Buddha monastery. Got it? The arrangement is very suggestive: Western Civilization = BADEastern Spirituality = GOOD

Baraka - I have seen this film numerous times. I have bought it as a gift for many friends. I have played it in my college classrooms. This is a timely piece that I think will continue to have universal appeal for many years to come. The film maker uses non-verbal communication adeptly, effectively, poignantly. This is one of those films that should be owned by many and played once a year, for a meditation about ourselves and our relationships with others and the planet.

This is it - If I could only own one dvd in the world, this would be it. No words can describe the emotions and feelings that run through you when you see the film. The closest description would be a cerebral journey through the subconsciousness. I am a better person for having viewed the film.

awesome experimental doc - one of the best experimental films ever made. one of the best documentaries ever made. excellent score.

Magnificent! - The photography in this movie is excellent. It should be a must in everyone s collection.




Baraka