Baraka (Blu-ray)
(MPI Home Video, 10.28.2008)Seeing this globe-spanning 70mm feature by Ron Fricke (DP and co-editor of Godfrey Reggio’s similarly non-verbal/non-narrative doc Koyaanisqatsi) in high-def yields new appreciation for its montage of moving images. Baraka goes way beyond the limits of mere travelogue, offering a reflection on nature, culture and spirituality unlike any other. This disc also highlights Fricke’s distinctive voice as a director, cinematographer and editor, each more remarkable here than in Reggio’s superb, yet preachier, Qatsi trilogy. The only thing lacking is an iconic Philip Glass score (in his place, we have fantastic -- if slightly dated -- work by Michael Stearns).
