Customer Reviews

Baraka (Widescreen Special Collector's Edition))

5 star:		(154)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I can gaurantee this is unlike any film you've ever seen before. Baraka is not a movie with a plot or words, but it is one massive work of art, a composition with the scenery as the main "characters". This movie will open your eyes to the fact that there is a whole world of different cultures, religions, and rituals out there. It will give you chills, make you smile, make you gasp, and make you appriciate diversity. Baraka is not a film for everyone. If you are ethnocentric, you might not see the point. If you have a passion to learn and become enlightened, you will love it.

Baraka (1992)
Documentary, 96 minutes
Directed by Ron Fricke

There are few films that I think everyone should watch at least once, but Baraka may be one of them. Perhaps it should be shown in schools too? It's arguably the strangest choice on my list.

Baraka is a word in the ancient Sufi language meaning "the thread that weaves life together" and the film contains no dialogue and no explanation. It's a series of images taken from 24 different countries. Some of the images show scenes of animal life or extreme beauty; others show human rituals and the effects of war or poverty. The result provokes a lot of thought if you are open to such things.

Shot on 70mm film, the Blu-ray presentation is among the best live action films the format has to offer. Some of the images are located in places that are not normally accessible to people. An image of an underground cavern springs to mind.

If you follow the film closely, you are likely to be moved. The beauty is breathtaking, but some of the sadder scenes could take your breath away for a different reason. The contrast between good and evil is one of the themes running throughout the documentary. You might also question the path you have chosen in your life when you realize that most humans are continually racing toward something and few stop to appreciate the beauty in their lives.

The special features are informative and almost as interesting as the film itself. If you are curious about where the images came from, the special features answer most of your questions.

This is a very powerful film, which is a visual feast. It portrays without any words both the creative principle as well as the destructive principle of the human spirit. A voyage that in pictures and accompanying music shows a multitudes of cultures, landscapes, religious practices and beliefs that has a profound impact. It is both celebratory and sobering at the same time.

Highly recommended and especially on a big screen if possible to get the most from the stunning visuals!

Baraka is a visual feast like no other, a film that begs to be seen on the largest screen possible so the viewer can absorb the grandiose feel of the images. This is the type of film that IMAX was made for. Filmed on a 70mm camera in a total of 24 countries, it is a dialogue-free film that takes the viewer around the globe into uncharted lands. The first half of the film shows us the natural beauty of earth as we are shown striking images of mountain ranges, deserts, tropical rain forests, volcanoes, solar temples, exotic animals. The whole thing is done to the tune of a spellbinding soundtrack of ambient music, Gregorian chants, flutes and other exotic sounds by world music artists such as Harmonic Choir and Dead Can Dance.

But Baraka is much more than just National Geographic for the visually inclined. Its purpose is to give us a view of the world good and bad. And as the second half of the film unwinds, the tone of Baraka becomes increasingly dark and pessimistic as we are exposed to some of the harsh realities of the world like homelessness, poverty, slave labour, hunger. Horrifying images of tree-chopping, sweatshops, subway-cramming in Tokyo and scenes in a chicken factory will make many cringe and think twice about eating chicken for a while. But sometimes even within these backdrops of despair can be found things that are beautiful such as the joy and happiness on children's faces despite growing up in poverty-stricken 2nd world countries. These kids grow up with practically no material possessions yet they seem so HAPPY, much happier than kids of first-world countries who grow up with any material object their heart desires.

Baraka is certainly not the kind of film we are used to seeing. I struggled with it for the first 10 minutes or so but then immediately fell under its spell and forgot that I was watching a film with no dialogue. Sometimes it's nice to be able to flick off the brain, not worry about following a story and just let oneself be absorbed by what's on screen, and that's what this film does. The only minor squabbles I had were the absence of writing on the screen to let us know where in the world we are and that the film did peter out a little towards the end. Baraka is a film worth purchasing that will stand well to multiple viewings and might even make some think twice about where their real priorities ought to be.

This film is a uniquely artistic and spiritual achievement. The images and views are spectacular. The planet is shown in its pristine natural beauty, . The volcanoes of Hawaii are viewed from the air and close up, close enough to see the red hot glowing lava arise from the bowels of Mother Earth. The Iguacu Water Falls in Argentina, a Brazilian rainforest and the Kayapo Village Indians, Monument Valley in Arizona, views of Ayers Rock in the Uluru National Park in Australia are among my favorite recollections of natural scenes. The only accompaniment to this fantastic imagery is the original and outstanding music created by Michael Stearns. There are no comments ... no subtitles, none are required, the scenery and images speak for themselves. The film is extraordinairily beautiful, breath-taking, and sometimes dismaying in its truthful depiction of life on planet earth. The concept development by Ron Fricke and the scene development by Mark Magidson and Bob Green are worthy of recognition in the film industry. I am surprised the film gathered no awards ... Its popularity via "word of mouth" is likely due to the visual impact of visiting twenty four countries on six continents within 104 minutes ...which is a monumental achievement.

Mankind's impact on nature and the environment are clearly brought into focus without a word being uttered: one views burning oil fields in Kuwait, a garbage dump in India where the poor sort through trash, plus a few stark images of Auschwitz and the skulls and photographs of victims of Killing Fields in Cambodia. The reprimand is felt ... the destruction is seen, the concern for the future is real. Yet the film is balanced showing monuments and pyramids from ancient Egypt, the temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia ... the terra cotta Warriors in Xian, China ... the Hagia Sophia Temple in Istanbul Turkey ... Mecca, Saudia Arabia ... the Shiraz Mosque in Iran ... St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Israel and Jews prayng at the Wailing Wall. The less than satisfying moments for me were, 1) the sped up traffic scenes in New York, 2) views of people getting on and off a train, likely in Japan, and 3) the monkey chant at one of the Far East Asian temples, it seemed too prolonged, my preference would have been to tour the site instead. Cutting out the first entirely and reducing the time viewing the second and third would improve my enjoyment of the film (4.5/5 stars).

The most memorable scenery includes views of children living in poverty stricken areas of South America, the city landfill in Calcutta, India, where poor people sort garbage, and the funeral pyres along the Ganges River ... Words are inadequate to describe these views. This film displays the natural beauty of earth and man's impact on the environment and the world via astonishing images and scenes ... Despite the diversity of the planet, the interconnectedness of life is so well depicted, the film is deeply felt and should be experienced by more people. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

If there was a reason to upgrade from a regular TV to a hi-def TV and Blu-Ray machine Baraka is it. This film now remastered in 8K, how holds the title of being the most visually stunning movie ever released on any video format. 8K is the highest level of film transfer in existence, and Baraka is the first film to go through this transfer.

There is no Blu-Ray or HD DVD on the market today anywhere that has a visual image that compares to this film.

But to fully appreciate it and all its 1080p glory watch it on a 1080p TV and Blu-Ray 1080p output machine. It's like being blind and seeing colour for the first time.

This film includes how they remastered the film, and the best and longest behind the scenes documentary on the film's making. With old footage and brand new interviews with all those involved.

The greatest film ever made? Not at all. The greastest viual film in the world today, at this time, yes.

If you love the Earth, and if you love Humanity, and if you appreciate the sacredness of life, and if you respect symbols of what is humanity's most profound aspects of being, you will want to view Baraka.

What else is there to say the other 149 (to date) 5 star Siskel & Ebert's haven't. Watching this on a 62" widescreen in Blu-ray format just doesn't get any better... unless it had been on an 84". All you 1 star pseudo-intellectuals that feel "artistically" offended for one reason or another, I hear PBS is going to rerun all episodes of Little House on the Prairie for your enjoyment.

I just watched Baraka first the first time and I can only think how great it is. It is somehow true that you need a nice big HD Tv and a good system for the sound to fully take advantage of the stunning images and the beautiful music.
I bought the blue ray version, and the only thing I didn't like was the flimsy, cheap packaging.
But the movie is simply breathtaking.
The sequence I loved most was the one showing the Japanese Zen priest meditating in the street. Pure expression of the sacred and the profane coexisting in real life.
This is an extraordinary story about everyday life, with its more or less tragic actions, expressing universal faith and beauty.
The disc is loaded with 2 bonus features offering a story of the making of Baraka and another one about the restoration process. I would say that after listening to the story behind the movie you end up better understanding and enjoying the main movie.
I had no problems with the disc played on a PS3 station.
I recommend this film to everyone for a better understanding of our life as whole, transcending boundaries and time.

I saw this movie on T.V and I just had to purchase my own copy. The constant flow of imagery, rich music and cultural elements make you feel as if you are in a dream. It is the most artistic movie I know I'll ever watch. I also like the fact that it is not another boring and subjective documentary; instead you can let your imagination and spirit feel the beautiful sensations being thrown at you. It is a whirlwind of deep emotions that give you shivers while you "experience" this movie.