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Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.0, Stereo (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Languages: English
Subtitles: None
Widescreen: 2.35:1 / 1.78:1
16:9-Enhanced: No
Macrovision: Yes
Disc Format: DVD 9
Price: £29.99
Extras:
Baraka: 'Making of' feature, Crew interviews, Behind the Scenes clips, Trailer
Chronos: Behind the Scenes, Audio Commentary, Location Subtitles
Director/Cinematographer:
Ron Fricke
(Baraka, Chronos)
Producers:
Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson
Writing credits:
constantine Nicholas and Genevieve Nicholas
Music:
Michael Stearns
Baraka
translates as 'a blessing' or 'breath of life' and was shot over 13 months in 24 different countries.
It feels like a 90-minute snapshot of all walks of life and we see many different religions and beliefs
covered throughout.
Notable landmarks featured include the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station in New York, Ayres
Rock in Australia and the Grand Canyon and when it comes to bringing up the various practices used in modern
life, there's even a piece about battery hens that makes you think, as we see the rather nasty process they
go through before being consigned to their workday fate.
It even features the River Ganges with everyone having a good wash, but I couldn't help but think "Verruca City",
since it really is the world's biggest bathtub! Yes, I understand how that might sound disrespectful to some,
but when you realise how many people in your workplace can't even be bothered to wash their hands after they've
been for a No.1, it did turn my stomach somewhat. That said, after all the wonderful sights around the world
have been seen, it ends with a look at the stars above, as if you say, "And that's only *this* planet!"
Baraka is a good film, but even at 87 minutes before the closing credits kick in, it's still too long
to take it all in in one sitting, particularly given that there's no points of reference along the way, nor are
we told at the time what we're looking at, so there's a feeling of it 'going on a bit'.
There's no problems whatsoever when it comes to the pictures and sound. The spectacular visuals are backed up
nicely with the terrific anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer, which makes it somewhat baffling that the trailer which
accompanies this disc is presented at around 14:9 letterbox and looks dreadful. The sound comes in Dolby Digital
5.1 and delivers a fantastic experience to complement the images on view, courtesy of composer Michael Stearns,
and it's also quite often loud which was a help to me as there's something not quite right with the actual
disc I received in this boxset which rattled round noisily in my DVD player - something I've never experienced
before and, I checked, wasn't happening after this movie had been in my machine.
When it comes to extras, we have the aforementioned Trailer (2:34), a 'Making of' featurette
(8:07), in 4:3 with letterbox 2.35:1 film clips, with the director, composer, plus supervising producer Alton
Walpole and others all talk about what went into the concept and reality in how they filmed everything.
Fricke comments how everyone is connected to each other and that he was invited into this life, as was everyone
else, and that "Life didn't ask anybody to approve the guest list", so we're all in it together.
The Crew interviews (6:43) answer several queries including how the film was written, what the reaction
to Baraka was like and why there were no location IDs, the latter Fricke telling us that it's not about
where you are, but how you feel about it... Well, I felt like location subtitles should have been optional.
Finally, the Behind the scenes clips show the camera crew at work in a few different places,
but when it came to both this and the interviews, the rather knackered disc I'd received wasn't helping when
it kept stop/starting. I couldn't even get towards the end of these clips, but it seemed that it couldn't last
any more than about five minutes.
The menus are static and silent and the 20 chapters break up the film just right. As mentioned, sadly, there
are no location subtitles here which Chronos has, so you're left wondering the exact details about a
scene if you're unsure or simply have no idea. How disappointing. There is, however, a full list of the
locations available at:
this link on IMDB.com,
although it's not really feasible to keep stopping the film to check the list as you'd lose the flow.
Shot in IMAX, Chronos
is an exercise in time-lapse photography that effectively takes you from morning, through the day and
into the night.
Through the course of the brief running time we take in the sumptuous visuals of Lake Powell in Arizona,
Stonehenge, busy New York streets, the pyramids of Egypt, the Sphinx, English castles, French castles and
cathedtrals, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and so many more places that if I were to list them all you'd
think you'd clicked on to a text-based world atlas by mistake.
It's incredible to see things like the temples of Egypt in such a state of disrepair, but then you see
the scale of them and can't begin to imagine how they ever got built in the first place.
To review this DVD based on its film content is rather a difficult one because what's put in front of
you is a must-see. After all, it's the closest most of us will get to seeing the world's wonders and the
way all the images are intercut and put to music has to be seen to be believed. It's incredibly clever
and as it runs for 42 minutes there's absolutely no reason not to make time in your busy schedule
for it. It certainly knocks spots off anything normal telly could throw at you of an evening.
The picture is mostly spot-on perfect. I say mostly because, for some unknown reason, when fast motion
occurs there's a slight jitteryness as things pass by you quickly, such as a 'flight' through the
Grand Canyon and the aforementioned Lake Powell. Maybe this was a combination of how it was filmed and
of the process of transferring it to DVD since it was shot with the intention of being played on a
screen that fills the wall of the cinema and would be a treat to behold. That said, the fast-motion
sections that are affected by this don't happen too often.
The music is a triumph with everything blending together seemlessly and coming across at times as
if Rick Wakeman's been taken back to the '70s and given all his favourite keyboards to play at once
while dropping a few happy pills. It's a bit odd that the sound is just Dolby Digital 5.0, so there's
no subwoofer channel as that would be the icing on the cake, but what we have here is already a delightful
treat.
According to
IMDB.com,
composer Michael Stearns used a instrument called the Beam to generate many of the sounds for this film,
which is 12 feet long made of extruded aluminum with 24 piano strings from 19-22 gauge. The original
instruments it was based upon were made from cast iron and difficult to move around.
I haven't seen the films always mentioned in the same breath as this one, Baraka, also directed
by Fricke, plus Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, but I've got the last two
on DVD so I'll have to make time to watch those.
When it comes to the extras, the Behind the Scenes (30:59) section is split into four parts,
starting with a look at all the artists pointing their cameras and how they got the job done. This is
shown by showing static pictures while a commentary on this is given by Ron Fricke, production manager
and co-editor Alton Walpole and composer Michael Stearns. The other three parts go into more
detail about the Beam, Michael Stearns and Alton Walpole.
There's also a feature-length Audio commentary from the same three guys and, finally, the
Location Subtitles option is certainly one worth turning on as it's used in every scene
and tells you what and where you're looking at so that'll eradicate any traces of "Ooh, what's
that place. It looks familiar" happening in your household.
It may not seem like there's a massive amount of extras but there's plenty to be going on with and
for the film that you get on this disc, plus the fact most discounted sites like Amazon are selling
it for less than a tenner, it's a must-buy.
There are 9 chapters to the short film which is fine for the length here and the main menu has a short
piece of music from the film played over a static image of several shots from the film blended together,
part of which can be seen on the cover.
Note that the boxset is simply the two indivudual DVDs put together, so if you already have them on separate
discs then you'll get no more additional material with this release.
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Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Baraka
translates as 'a blessing' or 'breath of life' and was shot over 13 months in 24 different countries.
It feels like a 90-minute snapshot of all walks of life and we see many different religions and beliefs
covered throughout.
Shot in IMAX, Chronos
is an exercise in time-lapse photography that effectively takes you from morning, through the day and
into the night.
