Product Details

• Actors: Youssou N'Dour, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mercan Dede, Abida Parveen
• Directors: Simon Broughton
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Riverboat
• DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008
• Run Time: 49 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001CFEC4M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,878 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

For hundreds of millions of Sufi followers worldwide, music is at the heart of their tradition and a way of getting closer to God. From the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey to the qawwali music of Pakistan, Sufism has produced some of the world�s most spectacular music celebrated by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Dalrymple�s film traces the shared roots of Christianity and Islam in the Middle East and discovers Sufism to be a peaceful, tolerant and pluralistic bastion against fundamentalism.

Includes footage of performances by Youssou N'Dour, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mercan Dede, Abida Parveen, Sain Zahoor, Galata Mevlevi Ensemble, Kudsi Erguner, Goonga and Mithu Sain, Junoon and Abdennbi Zizi.

DVD Extras features extended performances by Kudsi Erguner, Sain Zahoor, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Bhitshah Fakirs and Rokia Riman Jilala Band.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Sampler of Sufi Music, February 13, 2009

By 

A. Windsor "A Reader" (Woodstock, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam (DVD)

This is a fairly low budget documentary, and it's not without its flaws. One often wishes that the narrator would stop talking and just let the music speak for itself. But the film does provide a very good international sampling of Sufi music, including appearances by some Qawwali superstars: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Nusrat's nephew) and Abida Parveen. Also included: footage from the Fes Sacred Music Festival and a (brief) interview with Mevlevi Shaykh Nail Kesova. It's a banquet of good stuff, all worth tasting, but unfortunately the documentary offers only bite-sized samples. The best part of the DVD is the part listed as "extras"--fuller, uncut performances, uninterrupted by the narrator. Without the "extras", the DVD wouldn't have been half as good.

Incidentally, the previous reviewer is mistaken. Sufism is a dimension of Islam. Every Sufi performer in this film is a Muslim. Sufism (at its best) is pluralistic and inclusive. But it certainly has its roots in Islam.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars BIG DISAPPOINTMENT, March 7, 2009

By 

KODAMA CHRISTINE (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam (DVD)

I bought "Sufi Soul" hoping to be able to show Sufi whirling dance to my students. There is just a few minutes of the ceremony with whirling dervishes presented on the cover. The voice and presence of Simon Broughton fills the whole DVD (even the sacred places which he does not seem able to respect much), except for the extras of little interest for me.
For beautiful Sufi music, I recommend "Ocean of Remembrance" by Oruç Güvenç and Tümata,now in CD, and I am still looking for a Sufi dance and music ceremony DVD.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent short comprehensive documentary, April 16, 2009

By 

watchthelightdie (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam (DVD)

A friend lent this to my husband. We watched it--was great for those first getting an introduction to sufi music. Ended up buying it for my husband as a gift. Documentary shows forms of sufi music across Africa, Europe, and Asia. Great for those who enjoy studying religion and/or folk music.