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Baraka
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - MPI Home Video Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon & Noor Razzak (27th December 2008). |
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The Film
 In today's technologically-pervasive world, it's hard to think of anybody living without a computer, electricity or even running water. Even many cities don’t have all that much technology to populate their houses with. Whether living with or without technology is better is up for debate, and this movie presents the stark contrast that exists between the two. 'Baraka', made back in 1992, is somewhat even more relevant today, as technology has improved much more since 1992. The differences would be much more striking now. The movie contrasts the serenity of nature and people living without technology with the jarring, fast-paced urban world of today. Animals enjoy the outside, playing and resting as they choose. Monks and other people choosing to live a 'simpler' life sit and contemplate, while people living in the city deal with the hassle of other people, confined spaces and noise. 'Baraka' is told without dialogue and is from start to finish a sensory experience. Gorgeous cinematography by Ron Fricke (who also directed) and a striking new age score by Michael Stearns, along with select sound effects such as waves hitting the shore and chainsaws cutting through trees to highlight certain moments are the means by which the movie communicates. It is to be taken in. Contemplation is for later; in the moment, you have to absorb it. There is one particularly interesting montage of images that I have to point out. The crew went to Tokyo, and through time-lapse photography shows how many people walk through Shibuya, and take the subway. These moments are intercut with scenes of chicks, on a conveyor belt stuffed beyond capacity, going down the chicken chute to be sorted. With this, you see many commuter stuffed into a subway coming in and out of various stops. Technology has its advantages, but it's clear with this segment what Mr. Fricke wants to say. A few more highlights in terms of visuals: a monkey lounging in a hot spring, a vast (and I mean vast) field of bomber airplanes, a wall of portraits, and endless clouds rolling through the sky. It's astounding how captivating a movie without words can be. From start to finish, the imagery is great and really sucks the viewer into the experience. The music helps heighten the mood and convey the proper emotion. Much, much discussion is possible with this movie, as it is no doubt many things to many people. Mountains, guns, animals, theatre, travel, and many more images are shown on screen, creating an incredible layering, meant to espouse many ideas at once. The movie is probably meant to enlighten people and to make them realise there is a world around them they aren't aware of. There's a world beyond their city and beyond their country. People around the world may be the same, but their situations are different. Living in the city does have its advantages, but knowing how things are outside the city is more important.
Video
This is the first time this film has been released oh home video in High-definition, the image is presented in its original theatrical ratio of 2.21:1 and mastered in 1080p 24/fps using VC-1 compression. The film has been given a new transfer struck from the original 65mm elements and scanned in 8k resolution for this incredible image on disc. If there's any one Blu-ray disc that deserves the top prize for exceptional image quality, it's "Baraka" and MPI has not only outdone themselves but has raised the bar in terms of the limits this technology can deliver. The film used to make this film was 65mm, a large format film that retails a lot more detail, and thus that detail makes an appearance on this striking image, every landscape, every person, every single droplet of rain or texture is represented here. The colors are also incredible, vivid, bold and dynamic from the colors of the clothing on the various people portrayed to the lush wonders of the natural world. Blacks are deep and the image is sharp. This for lack of a better word is awesome. While the film itself can be described as eye candy with a brain this transfer is purely and simply eye candy, reference quality stuff that should be used by anyone to show off their HD set-up!
Audio
Much like the image the audio itself is impressive, two options are included in standard English Dolby Digital 5.1 or a mind blowing English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track mixed at 96kHz/24 bit. The sound is spacial, dynamic, aggressive when it needs to be and subtle as well. The range is terrific and fills the sound space while the film's music adds a further layer to the overall depth of the mix. The audio makes a terrific accompaniment to the images as they immerse the viewer in every single frame of this film. It's fantastic. The film does not feature any optional subtitles.
Extras
MPI has included a documentary and a featurettes on this release, below is a closer look at these supplements. First is the "Baraka: A Closer Look" documentary (76:20). It's a great piece, and is basically all behind-the-scenes stories. The beginning has a few of the major crew talking about the movies that led up to "Baraka" and the ideas and reasons behind the movie. Then, you have tons and tons of great behind the scenes stories. The crew go through the various locations and you hear some great stories about how they shot some of the more impressive moments. The music is also talked about near the end, but its mostly stories from the set. Next and last is "Restoration" featurette (7:04). It's all about the work that went into making this transfer. They talk about why they went with 8k scanning, and how the process works. It's a very simple featurtte with a simple subject, but it's very nice to hear these people talk about the work that went into making this transfer what it is. You also see a few before-and-after of the old transfer and 8k restoration, and the differences are striking.
Packaging
This disc is packaged in an eco-friendly cardboard case.
Overall
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