Product Details

• Directors: Ron Fricke
• Writers: Ron Fricke, Mark Magidson, Constantine Nicholas, Genevieve Nicholas
• Producers: Mark Magidson, Alton Walpole
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Mpi Home Video
• DVD Release Date: September 25, 2001
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (505 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005M91K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,947 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Baraka" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Baraka, an ancient Sufi word with forms in many languages, translates as a blessing, or as the breath or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds. A transcendently poetic tour of the globe, Baraka was shot in breathtaking 70mm in 24 countries on six continent. Set to the life affirming rhythms of varied religious rituals and nature's own raw beat, Baraka is a visualization of the interconnectedness humans share with the earth. Spanning such diverse locales as China, Brazil, Kuwait and major U.S and European sites, among others, Baraka captures not only the harmony, but also the calamity that humans and nature have visited upon the earth. However, mere words do not do the film justice - Baraka must be seen, felt and experienced to be understood. A World Beyond Words 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

187 of 197 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VASTLY IMPROVED VIDEO AND SOUND QUALITY!, November 20, 2001

By 

P. Kowalsky (Manassas, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baraka (DVD)

I will not attempt to extol the virtues film itself (what more can I say than has already been said?), but of the new collector's edition: I too have the original DVD release, and the VHS release. This new transfer is AMAZING, and is exactly what the first DVD release should have been... PRISTINE video (very few artifacts, little or no pixelation), and IMMACULATE audio (crisp, clean, and great presence without sounding "over-processed"). If you have both versions and can't tell the difference, then it's time to watch it on a large screen TV, and clean yer ears out! The improvements are painfully obvious. This is a truly incredible film, and finally justice has been done with the fantastic quality of the consumer version. Like someone else said, give your old copy away, and BUY THIS VERSION now! I'm glad I picked it up, and you will be too.

227 of 246 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing, beautiful, astounding . . ., December 20, 2002

By 

Lynn A. Sirrine "jazzylady2" (Bend, OR 97701) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Baraka (DVD)

The words mesmerizing, beautiful and astounding cannot begin to describe this wonderful DVD. Ron Fricke is to be commended highly for this moving work of art. I have a wide-screen HDTV and found the DVD to be much more moving than the VHS version I had seen on old TV in the past. If you have a choice--definitely go to the widescreen DVD version. The Dolby sound also was much enhanced over the previous version.

I firmly believe ALL PEOPLE should view this film at least once in their lifetime--free from all external encumbrances--this film requires your undivided attention.

All of a sudden, the world becomes a much smaller planet--one in which we all live in our own way and one in which every living being is important.

If you are prone to cry at beauty--have a box of tissues handy. If you are not prone to cry at films, have a box of tissues handy anyway. You will probably need them. This is a very moving film.

I was particularly impressed with the burning oil field scene because of the intense feeling the film created.

Viewing this film should be a requirement for living on the planet.

66 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best movie I've ever bought, January 10, 2003

By 

Chad Loder "cloder" (Lomita, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Baraka (DVD)

This is an incredible, serious, and beautiful film. The imagery is astounding and often thought-provoking. The music is also great and matches the film very well -- if you like Peter Gabriel's "Passion" (the instrumental soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ), you will like the score for Baraka.

I disagree with the reviewer who said that Baraka is just an imitation of Koyaanisqatsi. If you'd bother to read the credits, Ron Fricke (the creator of Baraka) was also responsible for ALL of the filming for the -qatsi trilogy (which includes Koyaanisqatsi). Baraka is a different kind of movie, with a different, more subtly communicated message.

Baraka was shot in the (very expensive) 70mm format, which yields a very high quality picture, especially when transferred to DVD. Ron Fricke is a master of the 70mm format, and he actually designed many of the camera rigs used in Baraka (including the very high quality time lapse footage). Give Fricke some credit for having learned something in the almost 10 years since Koyaanisqatsi was filmed.

If you are expecting vapid, New Age eye candy, this is not the movie for you. If you want a beautiful film that will change you, a film that you can watch again every 6 months without getting tired of it, then buy this DVD. I have the original DVD (very hapy with it), so I can't say whether the film transfer quality in the Collector's Edition is on par. Maybe one of these days I'll buy the Collector's Edition and see which one I like best.