Baraka (1992) [Blu-ray]
Documentary | War

Tagline: The thread that weaves life together.

A movie with no conventional plot: merely a collection of expertly photographed scenes. Subject matter has a highly environmental theme.

In the ancient Sufi language, it is a word that translates to 'the thread that weaves life together.' In the pantheon of modern cinema, it remains one of the most unique and acclaimed motion picture events of our time. Shot in breathtaking 70mm in 24 countries on six continents, Baraka is a transcendent global tour that explores the sights and sounds of the human condition like nothing you've ever seen or felt before. These are the wonders of a world without words, viewed through man and nature's own prisms of symmetry, savagery, chaos and harmony.

Storyline: Without words, cameras show us the world, with an emphasis not on "where," but on "what's there." It begins with morning, natural landscapes and people at prayer: volcanoes, water falls, veldts, and forests; several hundred monks do a monkey chant. Indigenous peoples apply body paint; whole villages dance. The film moves to destruction of nature via logging, blasting, and strip mining. Images of poverty, rapid urban life, and factories give way to war, concentration camps, and mass graves. Ancient ruins come into view, and then a sacred river where pilgrims bathe and funeral pyres burn. Prayer and nature return. A monk rings a huge bell; stars wheel across the sky. Written by

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 18, 2008 -- The thread that weaves life together.

Henry David Thoreau once said, "The world is but a canvas to the imagination." Perhaps he had Baraka in mind when first contemplating this now-famous quote. A film of startling grandeur that never ceases to inspire, Baraka is indeed a canvas that spans the world, bringing to life a wonder and spectacle that is second-to-none, a rousing portrayal of life as it is lived from the busiest city streets to the most remote corners of the globe, instantly transporting audiences to witness places and meet people never before so vividly captured or richly detailed. It is a story of the world, told not with words but with images so clear and striking that the eyes and mind will often deceive the viewer into believing he or she is no longer within the confines of a living room but in a bustling factory, a crowded subway, a sleepy village, or a grandiose and serene seascape. Baraka transforms theaters into gateways to the world where audiences witness in a mere 90 minutes what would have taken a lifetime several generations past. Baraka is life, not as we know it, and not even as we thought we knew it, but as it truly is, and it is a spellbinding experience.

Despite the lack of a traditional structure, there are clear running themes throughout Baraka. The film opens with long, lingering shots of nature, a series of phenomenal glimpses into its beauty and power, its scale and texture, its comforts and harsh realities that run the spectrum of the world's most exotic, dangerous, and grandiose locales. Later, the film displays mankind and the current peak of civilization, where the perspective often shifts to time-elapsed photography to emphasize the hustle-and-bustle of modern life in the big city. Such shots are accompanied by fast tribal beats that underscore the point, creating a nearly dizzying and surreal experience. Baraka then turns to the less glamorous side of humanity as it contrasts the average fast-paced workday of so many through visual emphasis on poverty-stricken street corners or a garbage dump where trash becomes treasure. The film continues by showcasing the ravages of conflict, focusing on the aftermath of the Gulf War and the haunting halls of Auschwitz which represent the most poignant segment of the film. Eventually, the film returns to nature as day settles into night and the world seems to stop, at least for the moment. Somewhere, on the other side of the world, the images of Baraka are played out in similar, but never identical, circumstances, and as always, the night brings with it a reprieve, a temporary halt in the ever-shifting global perspective, as nature and man prepare to play out similar scenes with the dawn of a new day.

The similarities between man and nature become apparent during a viewing of Baraka. Over time, both create splendid works of arts of unparalleled beauty and grandeur. Be it the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls, or the Pyramids or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, nature and man are artists, compelling entities that strive to not only survive and thrive but to improve and grow in strength, presence, and beauty. For as long as it may take to form a grand canyon or build a pyramid, the destructive forces of both man and nature are quick to lay waste to that which has been slowly and painstakingly brought to life. An earthquake may swallow a civilization, a storm may flood a village, a bomb may level a city, or hate may lead to the deaths of thousands of innocents. Baraka is this contrast of beauty and ugliness, showcasing both unabashedly yet respectfully. The film is an education all its own, not in the traditional sense, but in a way that allows for each viewer to find within the film a theme, a meaning, a world that is inaccessible for most but brought to startling life here.

Baraka will take viewers to places they recognize and to many that they won't. Where, when, and why the audience is in a particular place seems unimportant in the context of the film. The magic of the film lies simply in its wonders. In a way, it is refreshing not knowing where a shot is, who is in the frame, or what creature graces the screen. Baraka is about discovery, of appreciating the many natural and manmade wonders of the world, and it is a spiritual journey through civilizations both primitive and advanced as the film reveals the marvels of every corner of the world. Another amazing aspect of Baraka is how the camera can linger on one particular object, place, or animal for several moments and manage to captivate the audience. As the film flows from one object, creature, or locale to the next, sometimes drastically differing from the previous shot, the viewer effortlessly goes along for the ride, never once feeling artificially prodded and poked and forced along in the journey. Baraka is true reality television. The wonders of the world, some of which might be down the street, other which might be on the other side of the globe, are brought into living rooms and theaters with unparalleled spectacle and scope. The film is so enthralling that only something outside of one's control -- a meteor crashing into the media room, for example -- has the power to pull away viewers and shock them back into reality and the confines of their own slice of the vast world.

Baraka features no special effects, no make-up, no trickery. It is the world, that which can be seen out the window and far beyond, stretching to limits that seem impossibly large but continue to shrink with time, with technology, with films like Baraka. Baraka simply is. It is life. It is nature. It is joy. It is sadness. It is you. It is me. It is whatever the imagination believes it to be. Indeed, it is the world, an ever-changing canvas upon which is painted scenes of great pleasure and utmost pain, of the most striking beauty and the most vile ugliness, and of the natural and the manmade. The film, like any fine work of art, takes on a differing meaning for each viewer as it has assigned to it personal interpretations of the presentation of its imagery, its unspoken narrative, and its scale and scope. Nevertheless, there is one universal truth assigned to Baraka, and that is the film's striking reproduction of its subjects, through them creating visuals that take the breath away and leave audiences believing that, for 90 minutes, they were the world's foremost adventurers, philosophers, historians, or naturalists. This amazing and visionary look at the world arrives on Blu-ray with a picture so pure, so deep, so natural that it seems to have been made with the format in mind. It is nothing short of a tribute to the filmmakers, their audience, and most importantly, their subjects. This is Blu-ray at its current peak. There may be nothing better than Baraka, visually, available to the public today. Likewise, the lossless soundtrack is almost as remarkable. It completes the experience, revealing every sound, natural and musical, with pinpoint precision. Finally, the disc provides two key supplements that increase the enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation of the Baraka experience several-fold. Baraka is a must-own disc, not only for demonstration purposes, but for the wonderful construct of the film and its inspiring imagery and sound. No collection, small or large, is complete without a copy. Baraka receives my highest recommendation.

[CSW] -- I plan on purchasing this film -- it is an extraordinary high definition blu ray presentation.

Trivia:------------

º º