Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9471 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-11-01
• Format: NTSC
• Running time: 96 minutes

From Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews

A Cultural Enlightening
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.

Beauty beyond words
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.

The Spirit of Mother Earth: Her Joy, Her Pain
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]