Baraka (1992)

Director:

Ron Fricke

Writers:

Ron Fricke (concept) &
Mark Magidson (concept) ...
(more)

Release Date:

November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Tagline:

A world beyond words.

Plot:

A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.

Plot Keywords:

Prayer | Nature | Destruction | Water | Factory

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Directed by
Ron Fricke

Writing credits
Ron Fricke		(concept) &
Mark Magidson		(concept)
Ron Fricke		(scenario) &
Mark Magidson		(scenario)
Genevieve Nicholas		(treatment) &
Constantine Nicholas		(treatment) &
Ron Fricke		(treatment)

Produced by
Mark Magidson	....	producer
Alton Walpole	....	supervising producer

Original Music by
Michael Stearns

Cinematography by
Ron Fricke

Film Editing by
David Aubrey		(as David E. Aubrey)
Ron Fricke
Mark Magidson

Sound Department
David Brownlow	....	location sound recordist
David Brownlow	....	sound
Craig Huxley	....	soundtrack (as Craig Hundley)
Matthew Iadarola	....	supervising sound re-recording mixer
John Morris	....	sound designer
Jennifer Myers	....	foley artist
Margie O'Malley	....	foley artist
Jeffrey R. Payne	....	sound transfer
Joseph Piantadosi	....	sound transfer
Miguel Rivera	....	dialogue editor
John Rotondi	....	sound engineer: Y4
Michael Semanick	....	foley engineer
Tom Sherlock	....	sound transfer
Steve F.B. Smith	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Michael Stearns	....	location sound recordist
John Joseph Thomas	....	sound effects editor
Eric Thompson	....	foley engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Mitchell	....	assistant camera
Lee Parker	....	cinematography consultant
Richard Vetter	....	cinematography consultant
Ali Salim Yasar	....	electrician

Editorial Department
David Bartholomew	....	post-production consultant: 70 mm film assembly
Gay Browning	....	first assistant editor
James Sheridan	....	negative cutter
Christopher Kulikowski	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Michael Stearns	....	musical director

Other crew
Kimber Hightower	....	production assistant
Babak Mansouri	....	location liaison
Robin Smith	....	location researcher

Production Companies

• Magidson Films

Distributors

• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Rézo Films (1994) (France) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The (1993) (USA) (theatrical)
• Al!ve AG (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Bunyik Entertainment (1993) (Hungary) (all media)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)
• Look Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Mayfair (UK)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Crest Digital  post-production
• Skywalker Sound  sound transfers

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Spain:T | UK:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Rajasthan, India

Company:

Magidson Films

Trivia:

Baraka was the first film in over twenty years to be photographed in the 70mm Todd-AO format, an extremely high definition wide-screen film format developed in the mid 1950s. The previous film filmed in this particular format was The Last Valley (1971).

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the closing credits where filming locations are listed by country, Vatican City is listed as a location in Italy when technically it is a country in its own right. Although Vatican City is physically totally contained within Italy, it is an independent nation.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Politics (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

Rainbow Voice

Transcendant

To do describe this work of art simply as a "movie" would be inaccurate and unjustified. More akin to a tone poem Baraka is.

Is this what the world would look like to a god, a being who experiences time differently than we do?

While Koyaanisqatsi effectively drilled its message, "Humans are destroying the planet!", into our hypnotized minds, Baraka lets you ponder and meditate its multiple meanings. Are humans just another part of the ecosystem, behaving as any other organism would with our capabilities? Or are we different, even alien, to this world?

10 out of 10.