Baraka (movie)
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Baraka (1992) is an experimental documentary film directed by Ron Fricke, cinematographer for Koyaanisqatsi and the other Qatsi films by Godfrey Reggio. Often compared to the experimental documentary Koyaanisqatsi, Baraka's subject matter is in fact similar--including footage of various landscapes, desolate cityscapes, fields of jets, and industrial areas. The film also features a number of long tracking shots through various settings, including one through a former concentration camp turned into a museum honoring its victims: over photos of the people involved, past skulls stacked in a room, to a spread of bones. While Koyaanisqatsi makes comparisons between natural phenomena and between technological phenomena, Baraka makes comparisons between cultures: for instance, following a shot of a prostitute with one of a geisha and then one of Kabuki dancers, or following a shot of an elaborate tattoo with one of tribal paint.
The movie was filmed in color 70mm film in 24 countries on 6 continents. It contains no dialogue or narration.
The title Baraka comes from a word in the Arabic language meaning essence or blessing.
The score provided by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard (from Dead Can Dance) and Michael Stearns is noticeably different from the minimalist one provided by Philip Glass for Koyaanisqatsi.
The film was produced by Mark Magidson, who also produced and directed the film, Toward the Within, a live concert performance by Dead Can Dance.
External links
- Spirit of Baraka (http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/). A reference site for films such as Baraka, Koyaanisqatsi and the people who made them.