Baraka
November 2008 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: Blu-ray	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

According to the producers, "baraka" is a word from the ancient Sufi language that can be translated as "the thread that weaves life together." In the case of this Blu-ray release, Baraka means "the best looking home-video title that I have ever seen." It is a must-own for any serious home-theater buff.

The movie itself might be considered on several different levels. To some it will merely be a travelogue with music but without narration. Others might consider it a spiritual experience, while still others could look at it as a global warning. Cinematographer and director Ron Fricke spent 14 months filming in 24 countries, then another 16 months in the editing process. Producer Mark Magidson describes Baraka this way: "The goal of the film was to reach past language, nationality, religion, and politics to speak to the inner viewer."

Baraka is an extraordinary treat for the eyes. There is not one scene in it that could be described as "ordinary." Using real-time exposure coordinated with time-lapse photography, Fricke has created new visions of locations and people around the world. Some have been seen before, while some are going to be entirely new to the viewer. All evoke a sense of wonder. It’s like National Geographic with soul and spirit.

The restoration of this movie for release on Blu-ray Disc is as exceptional as its original filming. The process took 16 months and began with a 65mm five-perforation negative (the movie was originally released in the Todd-AO process). This negative was completely restored using the latest in digital technology. Ron Fricke personally supervised the color timing, and a 65/5p interpositive was created. This was scanned, not at the usual 2k or 4k resolution, but at 8k. An 8k scan contains 16 times as much data as a 2k. One hundred forty thousand frames were scanned at 13 seconds per frame.

The result is worth all the effort. The 2.21:1 aspect ratio is rock solid from beginning to end. There is no shimmer, no edge enhancement, and no motion artifacts. You can pause any frame in the movie and get a steady image devoid of the usual telltale blur. Colors are rich and accurate. There are no distracting filters used in this film; the colors are true to the scenes being filmed. Definition is simply awesome; one is always aware of the texture of things, and background details are as good as those in the foreground. Excepting the rapid-motion scenes resulting from time-lapse photography (which are smooth and steady, by the way), most of the shots of fantastic faces and places create scenes that stay on the screen for a while. After an initial impression, one’s eye is free to wander the frame looking for little details, and those details are there.

There are no throwaway scenes in this 96-minute film, but a few stood out for me. The opening shows a hot spring in the snow with red-faced snow monkeys enjoying the surroundings. One of the monkeys plops down in the water and proceeds to act to the camera. The expressions are so human and subtle, they’ll take you aback. In another scene a Zen monk is moving slowly down a city street while other people weave in and out behind, around, and in front of him to make something like a moving thread of humanity. In a rapid-motion scene created with time-lapse photography, people are filmed from above as they traverse a busy crossing. They appear as so many leaves swept on by a crisp fall wind. If the scene makes one feel insignificant, I think that’s the idea. In southern Iran, the crew filmed the interior of a mirrored mosque, created a sparkling image that will push your monitor to its resolution limits.

The soundtrack was composed by Michael Sterns and it is head and heels above those by Philip Glass for the Koyaanisquatsi series of movies that preceded Baraka. Rather than just have music wash over one, Stearns actually makes music that relates to what is happening onscreen. For instance, the aforementioned monk is ringing a bell as he moves along snail-like and oblivious to the hustling crowds. Stearns reproduces this on the soundtrack. He also uses some interesting artists and styles of music. The six-track master for the film had been damaged, so for the Blu-ray Stearns did a remix from the 24-track tape masters. It has wide frequency range and uses surround sound sparingly but effectively. The DTS tracks are the best.

There are only two extras. There’s "Baraka: A Closer Look," a nearly one-and-a-half-hour documentary that treats the filming in depth, and "Restoration," which discusses the process by which the film was restored and transferred to Blu-ray Disc.

Using the Video Essentials disc, or something similar, be sure that your monitor is properly adjusted for color, hue, and contrast, fasten down anything in the room that might vibrate to sustained low frequencies, sit back and prepare to be astounded. Perhaps someday Hollywood films will be transferred with this much care. Baraka surely points the way.

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