Product Details

• Actors: Ring of Fire 4pak
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 4
• Studio: Mystic Fire Video
• VHS Release Date: December 27, 1996
• Run Time: 240 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304244010
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,870 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The 10-year voyage of two filmmakers, brothers Lorne and Lawrence Blair, through the world's largest and least known archipelago - the exotic, mysterious islands of Indonesia. These island form a chain of active volcanoes that arc down and around into the Pacific to form the "Ring of Fire." To pass beyond it is to cross the threshold into another dimension, a magical land where ancient myths still flourish.

Volume 1 - Spice Island Saga - Following in the footsteps of the great 19th Century naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, the Blair Brothers embark with the piratical Bugis tribe on a 2000 mile journey through the Spice Islands in search of the golden-tailed Bird of Paradise, the symbol of Eternal Life. Journeying on a black-sailed schooner, they encounter pearl divers and python-hunters, before finally reaching the Aru Islands, close to New Guinea. Their odyssey with the Bugis tribe (who gave the word "boogeyman" to the English language) starts the Blairs on the inner journey which leads them ever deeper into the forgotten wisdom of the island peoples.
Volume 2 - Dance of the Warriors - The Blairs sail to Komodo and film the giant, carnivorous lizards of "Dragon Island," whose tiny human population is descended from the people banished by the neighboring sultans of Bima On the island of Sumba, they witness a veiled form of human sacrifice by equestrian warriors. Master weavers of magical textiles, the Sumbanese still live by ancient beliefs, ritually keeping the balance between the Merapu gods of the sky above, and Nyali, the Sea Goddess, of the world below. The brothers journey 50,000 years into the past to live with Asmat headhunters in New Guinea. They eventually reach Bali where they build a home in a village of farmers, artists and mystics.
Volume 3 - East of Krakatoa - In the shadow of Java's constantly erupting volcanoes, the Blairs descend from the crater of the newly erupted "Child of Krakatoa" and encounter a world of medieval courts, mystical shadow puppet plays, forgers of magical swords, healers with supernatural powers and whole communities ruled by the powerful "Spirit of the South Seas." Back in Bali, they meet such sages as the master artist Nyoman Lempad, who was to die a conscious death on the day of his choosing at the age of 116. And among the Toraja people of the Celebes highlands, they share in the massive funeral rites of the last king of the tribe which believes its ancestors came from the stars in skyships.
Volume 4 - Dream Wanderers of Borneo - for 800 miles, through uncharted rainforest, the Blairs seek the last of the nomadic Punan Dyaks, the free-roving masters of the interior, the "dream wandering" tribe believed to no longer exist. The brothers struggle inwards, plagued by torrential rain, quicksand, leeches, and virulent insects. Eventually, they find and live with the Punan Dyaks where they are initiated into the spiritual mysteries of the "dream wanderers." Lorne and Lawrence join the dance of the hornbill and get tattooed with the symbol of Aping - the Tree of All Life. This, their shaman explains to them, they will now bear, wherever they may get to amongst the tribes of man, as a reminder that all l ife forms. are part of a single tree.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindblowing introduction to other cultures!, November 27, 1999

By 

L. Alper (Englewood CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I first saw this series when it originally aired on PBS in the late 80's. It opened my eyes to new ways of viewing the world and introduced me to cultures that we in the West are taught to view as "primitive" but are anything but! As the Blair brothers take you on a tour of Indonesia that you will never see in the travelogues, you are introduced to peoples still living as they have for a thousand years, and see many unique views of life and creation that are every bit as valid as the Western belief systems. I have long searched for this set, having lost my copy years ago; as usual, here it is at Amazon, & I couldn't be more pleased!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This series is great!, February 10, 2000

By 

Jeffery D. Holmes (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I first heard about the "Ring of Fire" series from a newspaper review, which described the travel adventure as one of the greatest journeys since Marco Polo. The show really opened my eyes. It made me think about how much the world has changed since the Blair brothers made their film; it also made me relaize how different the world will be in another 20 years. I immediately made it one of missions in life to see as much of the world as possible before ancient cultures are forever changed by Micky Mouse t-shirts and cheap digital watches. I'm buying this series to remind me of the passion for travel that the show instilled in me. Thank you, Blair brothers, for letting us share in your great adventure.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The adventure of the Blair brothers, March 6, 2002

By 

MUHSIN Z. SAID (JERUSALEM, PALESTINE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Blair brothers adventure is really an incredibly interesting story and at times quite deep account of a long years journey through the remotest islands in Indonesia. I wonder if the Blair brothers were aware of how brave he and his brother were to go to the places they went and meet such people as headhunters and come back to tell the story! Not to mention the more subtle metaphysical comments here and there about the various religions they did meet and all of it presented with a very dry mind.As we live in the 21st century, it is fascinating to see the past and discover some of the ancient origins of today's practices, and to discover how those people who has what it is today in Indonesian islands, and how even today's people still worship the spirits of nature.The Islands they visit were fabulous tropical environments. That what make this Island particularly fascinating, beside the scary strange animals that I never saw and even I never thought that there are some animals look like that. When I saw the adventure in this kind nature with this culture. To tell you the truth I really got shocked from what I am saw in their adventure in the Indonesian islands, because it seems that many of the traditional rituals and practices the people do are just as alive today as they ever were.