Baraka

Via Blah3, I see that Baraka has been made available on Google Video. Baraka is one of my favorite films, which I first saw in the theater over a decade ago; I walked in not knowing what to expect of a film with no plot, no actors, and no script, which was described by friends who recommended it as stunning, poetic, life-changing. It was all of those things. I own the film on DVD and watch it at least once a year; its soundtrack is as close a thing to hymns as music gets for someone like me—the hum of the world and the people in it.

Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." For many people Baraka is the definitive film in this style. Breathtaking shots from around the world show the beauty and destruction of nature and humans. Coupled with an incredible soundtrack including on site recordings of The Monks Of The Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery.

Baraka is evidence of a huge global project fueled by a personal passion for the world and visual art. Working on a reported US$4 million budget, Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, with a three-person crew, swept through 24 countries in 14 months to make this stunning film.

One of the very last films shot in the expensive TODD-AO 70mm format, Ron Fricke developed a computer-controlled camera for the incredible time-lapse shots, including New York's Park Avenue rush hour traffic and the crowded Tokyo subway platforms.

Watch this film. You’ll be glad you did.