Classic Movie Monday: Baraka

Welcome to Classic Movie Monday. Every Monday, I watch a film at least 25 years old (exception in this post) that I have never seen before. I will then write my comments on the film, telling you what I thought of it. This is an attempt to beef up my classic film knowledge as well as highlight some forgotten gems of Hollywood's heyday. So without further ado...

Baraka
Released: September 15, 1992
Directed by: Ron Fricke

Plot in a Nutshell:
A collection of evocative imagery telling the story of humanity and the planet on which it resides.

What I thought:
I'm going to point out that this film does not meet the criteria I've set for my Classic Movie Monday Column. But I think rather than sticking to my hard rule of a classic film definition (more than 25 years old), I'm going to highlight this fantastic film, simply because it deserves it. And in my mind it has already achieved a classic status based on its renown and following.

So what is this film? That's a hard question. There is no narrative, no plot or story structure. There is no voice over, no interviews, and no interruptions. This is simply a collection of imagery that speaks to the human spirit, condition and I daresay the soul in all of us.

Shot in 65 mm film (more than double the size of your standard run-of-the-mill film), the film is shot with such detail and care for its subjects, that even without a story, you find yourself becoming immersed in the power of it all. The shots presented here are far beyond complex. Some of the time lapse photography just boggles my mind at how long it had to have taken to create. In fact the accompanying documentary reveals that many night time time lapse shots ran for the entire night, and only a third of the tries came out exceptional or even usable. And some of these shots simply cannot be described by words alone.

I am a bit of a film junkie. I love the technical aspects of creating film, the cinematography mostly; lighting, shot placement, framing, subject positioning, etc. In Baraka all of those aspects shine bold and bright. But what I think is the real strength of the picture is it's subjects. The filmmaker's selection of where to shoot, who to shoot, is impeccable. They have no problem showing you the natural beauty of a mountain top village in the warm and crisp morning light, and then later they show you the machinations of thousands of factory workers rolling cigarettes like robots.

Often times my jaw would drop at the juxtaposition of certain elements. One scene in particular was a monk in Tokyo slowly walking down a sidewalk, one tiny step at a time. With every step he rang a little bell and chanted a prayer. While this monk is doing this meditation the hustle and bustle of the major metropolitan area of Tokyo moving all around him like a river goes around a strong rock. The way in which it was shot and put together was simply breathtaking, and that is only one of many powerful moments in this film.

One of the things I must point out is that I was watching this on blu ray with a hi def TV. Save for going to a full-on 70mm screening on a very big screen, there is no other way you can watch this picture except on blu ray in hi def. Part of the beauty of this film achievement is in its detail. Shot on 65mm film and scanned at an unprecedented 8k resolution (to put that in perspective, most films today are scanned in at a 2k resolution, few at 4k), Baraka is unmatched in crystal clear clarity and detail.

This is an incredibly moving portrait of humanity. It's a fantastic and wondrous portrayal of the planet and its inhabitants that is unmatched in any documentary or series that I have ever seen. If you have a HiDef tv and blu ray, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. If you don't, stop by my place and I'll show it to you, it deserves to be seen.

Bottom Line:
With no definitive story or plot, Baraka succeeds in every possible way as a triumph of humankind in all its varieties.

A

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