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Baraka (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Baraka' is a 1992 American non-narrative documentary film directed by Ron Fricke. The film is often compared to 'Koyaanisqatsi', the first of the 'Qatsi' films by Godfrey Reggio for which Fricke served as cinematographer. It was photographed in the 70 mm Todd-AO format, and is the first film ever to be restored and scanned at 8K resolution.
Content
'Baraka' is a documentary film with no narrative or voice-over. It explores themes via a compilation of natural events, life, human activities and technological phenomena shot in 24 countries on six continents over a 14-month period.
The film is named after the Sufi concept of baraka, meaning blessing, essence or breath.
The film is Ron Fricke's follow-up to Godfrey Reggio's similar non-verbal documentary film 'Koyaanisqatsi'. Fricke was cinematographer and collaborator on Reggio's film, and for 'Baraka' he struck out on his own to polish and expand the photographic techniques used on 'Koyaanisqatsi'. Shot in 70 mm, it includes a mixture of photographic styles including slow motion and time-lapse. Two camera systems were used to achieve this. A Todd-AO system was used to shoot conventional frame rates, but to execute the film's time-lapse sequences Fricke had a special camera built that combined time-lapse photography with perfectly controlled movements.
Locations featured include the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Ryan temple in Kyoto, Lake Natron in Tanzania, burning oil fields in Kuwait, the smouldering precipice of an active volcano, a busy subway terminal, the aircraft boneyard of DavisMonthan Air Force Base, tribal celebrations of the Maasai in Kenya, and chanting monks in the Dip Tse Chok Ling monastery.
The film features a number of long tracking shots through various settings, including Auschwitz and Tuol Sleng, over photos of the people involved, past skulls stacked in a room, to a spread of bones. It suggests a universal cultural perspective: a shot of an elaborate tattoo on a bathing Japanese yakuza precedes a view of tribal paint.
Reissue
Following previous DVD releases, in 2007 the original 65 mm negative was rescanned at 8K resolution with equipment designed specifically for 'Baraka' at FotoKem Laboratories. The automated 8K film scanner, operating continuously, took more than three weeks to finish scanning more than 150,000 frames (taking approximately twelve to thirteen seconds to scan each frame), producing over thirty terabytes of image data in total.
After a 16-month digital intermediate process, including a 96 kHz/24-bit audio remaster by Stearns for the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, the result was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray in October 2008. At the time, project supervisor Andrew Oran described the reissue of 'Baraka' as "arguably the highest-quality DVD that's ever been made". 'Chicago Sun-Times' critic Roger Ebert described the Blu-ray release as "the finest video disc I have ever viewed or ever imagined."
Sequel
A sequel to 'Baraka', 'Samsara', made by the same filmmakers, premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and released internationally in August 2012. Also shot in 70 mm, 'Samsara' explores an arguably darker, updated version of many of the same themes as 'Baraka'.
Reception
'Baraka' holds a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes out of twenty-six reviews. Roger Ebert included the film in his "Great Movies" list, writing: "If man sends another 'Voyager' to the distant stars and it can carry only one film on board, that film might be 'Baraka'."
Production
Music
The score is by Michael Stearns and features music by, among others, Dead Can Dance, L. Subramaniam, Ciro Hurtado, Inkuyo, Brother, Anugama & Sebastiano and David Hykes.
In 2019, German composer Mathias Rehfeldt released the concept album 'Baraka,' inspired by the film.
Filming
The project was shot in 152 locations in 24 countries.Africa
*Egypt: Cairo; City of the Dead; Giza pyramid complex; Karnak temple, Luxor; Ramesseum*Kenya: Lake Magadi; Mara Kichwan Tembo Manyatta; Mara Rianta Manyatta; Maasai Mara
*Tanzania: Lake Natron
United States
*Arizona: American Express, Phoenix; Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chinle; DavisMonthan Air Force Base, Tucson; Peabody coal mine, Black Mesa; Phoenix*California: Big Sur; Los Angeles; Santa Cruz (chicken farm scenes)
*Colorado: Mesa Verde National Park
*Hawaii: Haleakal National Park, Maui; Kona; Puu , Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
*New York: Empire State Building, Manhattan, New York City; Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan, New York City; Helmsley Building, Manhattan, New York City; McGraw-Hill Building, Manhattan, New York City; World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City; Green Haven Correctional Facility, Beekman, New York; Stormville, New York
*Utah: Arches National Park, Moab; Canyonlands National Park, Moab
*Others: Shiprock, New Mexico; White House, Washington, D.C.
South America
*Argentina: Iguazu Falls, Misiones*Brazil: Carajs Animal Reserve, Par; Iguazu Falls, Paran; Ipanema, Favela da Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro; Caiap Village, Par; Porto Velho, Rondnia; Represa Samuel, Rondnia; Rio Preto, Minas Gerais; So Paulo City, So Paulo state
*Ecuador: Barrio Mapasingue, Guayaquil; Cementerio Ciudad Blanca; Galpagos Islands; Guayaquil
Asia
*Cambodia: Angkor Thom; Angkor Wat; Angkor; Bayon; Phnom Penh; Preah Khan; Siem Reap; Ta Prohm; Tonle Omm Gate; Tuol Sleng Museum; Sonsam Kosal Killing Fields*China: Beijing; Great Hall of the People; Tiananmen Square; Guilin; Li River, Qin Shi Huang; Xi'an
*Hong Kong: Kowloon Walled City, Kowloon
*India: Calcutta, West Bengal; Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Ganges River; Ghats; Kailashnath Temple, Varanasi; National Museum of India, New Delhi; Varadharaja Temple, Varanasi
*Indonesia: Borobudur; Java; Candi Nandi; Candi Prambanan; Gudang Garam cigarette factory; Kasunanan Palace; Surakarta; Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta; Kediri; Tabanan; Bali; Mancan Padi; Mount Bromo Valley; Tampak Siring; Tegallalang; Gunung Kawi temple; Uluwatu
*Iran: Imam Mosque; Imam Reza Shrine, Mashhad; Isfahan; Persepolis; Shah Chiragh; Shiraz
*Japan: Green Plaza Capsule Hotel; Hokke-Ji temple; JVC Yokosuka Factory; Kyoto; Meiji Shrine; Nagano Springs; Nara; Nittaku; Ryan-ji temple; Sangho-ji Temple; Shinjuku Station; Tokyo; the Hachik Exit, Shibuya Station; Tomoe Shizung & Hakutobo; Yamanouchi, Nagano; Zj-ji temple
*Jerusalem: Church of the Holy Sepulchre; Western Wall
*Kuwait: Ahmadi; Burgan Field; Jahra Road, Mitla Ridge (Farouk Abdul-Aziz researched and produced this segment)
*Nepal: Bhaktapur; Boudhanath; Durbar Square, Kathmandu; Hanuman Ghat; Himalayas; Mount Everest; Mount Thamserku; Pasupati; Swayambhu
*Saudi Arabia: Mecca
*Thailand: Ayutthaya Province; Bang Pa-In; Bangkok; NMB Factory; Patpong; Soi Cowboy; Wat Arun; Wat Suthat
*Turkey: Galata Mevlevi temple
Oceania
*Australia: Bathurst Island; Cocinda; Jim Jim Falls; Kakadu National Park; Kunwarde Hwarde Valley; UluruEurope
*Poland: Owicim (German Auschwitz concentration camp); Sztutowo (German Stutthof concentration camp); Bytom*France: Chartres Cathedral; Notre-Dame de Reims
*Vatican City: St. Peter's Basilica
*Turkey: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
See also
*Abstract animation
*'Chronos' (film)
*Cinma pur
*Cinma vrit
References
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