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Baraka
By: M. Enois Duarte, 3.3.2009
The Movie Itself:
When developing the concept for Baraka, director and photographer Ron Fricke thought the word perfect for the title. It accurately captured the idea Fricke wanted to express in his series of moving pictures because of its use in various languages. It's a ceremonial blessing in Judaism. In Islam, it is the wisdom and blessing emitting from Allah. For other Arabic nations, it simply means "blessings." In the Sufi language, it translates to "the thread that weaves life together", as well as "a blessing, or the breath, or the essence of life, from which the evolutionary process unfolds." Unfortunately for most Americans, the word is the name of a character from the Mortal Kombat video game. But fortunately for the sake of this film, the ancient Sufi meaning is the one that attracted Fricke the most for his outstanding nonverbal film of the world's beauty, both natural and artificial.
After parting ways with Godfrey Reggio on their revolutionary film Koyaanisqatsi, Fricke joined forces with producer Mark Magidson to create the abstract film Chronos. For their second project, they invented the time-lapse camera system used for those marvelous images where the movement of time is played back in a matter of seconds. Baraka was also the first feature in over twenty years to be photographed in the Todd-AO format, where the 65mm negative print is transferred to 70mm for projection, and as far as I know, it is the last to do so. Consisting of images from 24 countries, the film lacks a conventional plot, but contains an eloquently subtle narrative. Fricke presents us with a cultural perspective of the everyday life of the best and worse aspects of human existence.
standard definition DVD on top
high definition Blu-ray on bottom 
The order of the photography is not meant simply to condemn humanity and praise the natural world, as much as it is suggestive of how the two intersect and affect one another. Taken as a whole, they intimate our planet's fragility without appearing heavy-handed and create a sense that all life is a cyclical existence. The film opens with panoramic landscapes and follows the morning routines of various cultures, lightly implying the inherent tranquility of living in such expansiveness. About midway --- or in the logic of the narrative, about midday --- civilization becomes more confining and destructive, not only towards Nature, but also to itself. Suddenly, we see the ancient ruins of Cairo, funeral pyres at the Ganges River, the concentration camps of Auschwitz, and the disheartening halls of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. But with a monk's ringing of a bell, life and nature have gone full circle to start anew.
Baraka is a difficult film to summarize and explain. One must simply watch it to understand the deep emotional impact the series of images generates in its audience. Of how they create a lasting impression of our planet's delicate state and the thin thread which binds us all. Ron Fricke does a marvelous and ingenious job at composing a narrative that is poignantly haunting and poetically magnificent. The sequel, Samsara, is scheduled for release later this year, and one can only hope for something as equally exhilarating.
Rating: 9/10
The Presentation:
Honored with being the first and only film to be mastered at 8k resolution from the original 65mm film negative, this VC-1-encoded transfer of Baraka is simply jaw-dropping gorgeous and by far, the most breathtaking picture quality ever released on Blu-ray. Having already seen the film several times in VHS, LaserDisc, and two DVD versions, I never expected anything such as this on high definition.
Shown in its original theatrical presentation of 2.20:1, the video showcases a flawlessly astounding and inspiring image that is razor-sharp and richly detailed. Objects and architectural details in the background are just as clearly visible as those in the foreground, with clean, resolute lines exposing the smallest, intricate feature in the distance. Contrast is pitch perfect and revealing, with varying levels of the grayscale, creating a beautifully consistent three-dimensional depth from beginning to end. While various hues in the color palette are vivid, richly saturated, and extraordinarily accurate, facial complexions and texture appear natural and realistic. Black levels are deeply precise and absolute, but allow for details to show in the darkest shadows. The image is an outstanding reference quality presentation, and even if you don't care for the film, this Blu-ray edition of Baraka belongs in every HD enthusiast's library simply for demonstration purposes.
Without a single word uttered or a moment of explosive action, this DTS-HD Master Audio track is all about the music and some environmental sounds. Fidelity is at its finest, with excellent imaging and separation within the front soundstage, feeling wide and immersive. Dynamic range is equally fantastic, penetrating the room with clear, precise instrumentation. Rear speakers are continously active, enveloping the listening area with Michael Stearns's musical score and random atmospheric details. Low-frequency effects also contained wonderful directionality and added some realistic weight to those scenes which required it. Except for a short moment of high-end distortion early on, this lossless soundtrack is excellent and only adds more power to the film's exquisite imagery.
Rating: 10/10
The Extras:
This Blu-ray edition of Baraka comes with the same supplements found on the Special Edition release, except that they are all presented in high definition.
- Baraka: A Closer Look (76 min.)
A comprehensive documentary on the making of the film, technical aspects, and its origins.
- Restoration (7 min.)
Technicians at FotoKem explains the process of transferring the film into an 8k digital scan.
Rating: 5/10
Overall:
Considered a masterpiece of the genre, Baraka continues to be as awe-inspiring as when it originally released. This Blu-ray edition of the film only increases the emotional magnitude of the images displayed by being the most breathtakingly and exhilaratingly beautiful video presentation ever captured on any format. In the words of Roger Ebert, the picture quality of this disc "is sufficient reason to acquire a Blu-ray player."
Rating: 8/10
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