Baraka Is a Must-See
- April 08, 2007
- 3 comments
I’ve already written about Baraka a few years ago, but I saw it again tonight on my new high-def plasma TV. It was my fourth time to see it, and it’s still as amazing as it was the first time I saw it.
It’s a cinematic documentary of the world directed by Ron Fricke and shot in 70mm film with an amazing soundtrack by Michael Stearns. It has no dialogue, no plot or script. It’s simply a look at the world and mankind.
The cinematography is stunning. You could pause the film at any point and it would make a gorgeous picture. Time-lapse photography is used in many places to show the ebb and flow of nature and humanity.
I’ve read there is a sequel called Samsara that is supposed to be released this year sometime. It’s also directed by Ron Fricke, but will focus more on humanity’s relation to the eternal. I’m looking forward to seeing it. If it’s anything like Baraka, it should be amazing.
4/9: I love one of the songs off of Baraka, ‘The Host of Seraphim’ by Michael Stearns. It’s amazing. Every time I hear it, I end up dropping whatever I’m doing, turning up the volume and soaking the sound in. It’s songs like this one that create audiophiles I’ll bet.
Have you ever seen Koyaanisqatsi? (Thank God for Google Suggest in Firefox 2.0 — just type in “koy” and it’ll fill in the rest for you!). I only saw it once, when I was in high school, I guess (mid-80’s) on a black-and-white TV, and I didn’t much care for the idea of a film with no plot, no narration, etc (and, worse, Philip Glass music!
), but it was captivating in its own way. I should probably see it again. I wonder how it and Baraka compare.