Baraka

United States

1992

98 Min

Color

2.21:1

None

Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
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SCR Constantine Nicholas, Genevieve Nicholas

ED David Aubrey, Ron Fricke, Mark Magidson

MUSIC Dead Can Dance, Michael Stearns

Berlinale (Retrospective), Telluride (Guest Director Geoff Dyer)

Synopsis

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. –IMDb

Director

Ron Fricke

Ron Fricke is an American film director and cinematographer, considered to be a master of time-lapse photography and large format cinematography. He was the director of photography for Koyaanisqatsi (1982) and directed the purely cinematic non-verbal non-narrative feature Baraka (1992). He designed and used his own 70mm camera equipment for Baraka and his later projects. He also directed the IMAX films Chronos (1985) and Sacred Site (1986). His most recent work was as cinematographer for parts of the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (he was hired to shoot the eruption of Mt Etna in Sicily for use in scenes of the volcanic planet Mustafar). The sequel to Baraka, Samsara, is currently in production. —wikipedia

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Sean

1May13

Astounds me every time I watch it. Life reaffirming.

Guillermo Padilla

24Mar13

Extraordinario viaje visual que nos invita a reflexionar sobre nuestro paso en la tierra nuestro esfuerzo por entendernos como habitantes de ella, mientras la explotamos y extinguimos.

AALKHE

17Mar13

Love the terracota, always dreaming to see it

Gylfi

5Feb13

One of the reasons I love cinema and filmmaking so much is that when it is done right, it can work almost like a time machine, both showing us things recorded in the past and also the re-imagining of ancient civilizations. But films can also function as a teleport, taking us to places we will most likely never see and giving us a chance to experience them ourselves. Baraka offers you that chance. An incredible film!

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