Baraka - Beauty in Blu

[Hep]

I haven't seen any discussion on this forum regarding the new blu pre-order for Baraka (and yes I did a search). This has been one of my more anticipated BD releases. Anyone else out there a fan?

For those not familiar, Baraka (meaning: the essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds) is a beautiful piece of cinematic art. It was filmed over 5 years, in 24 countries around the world on Todd-AO (70mm) film. It is a dialogue free film that aims to make the barrier of language irrelevant. The film plays out as an essay on our planet, the beauty of human diversity, and the sometimes destructive impact of humanity on the earth. The lack of dialogue does not mean this film is not destined for a great lossless sound track. It has a magnificent original score, which in many circles turned out successful as a stand-alone album (I have known a couple of people who owned the soundtrack without even realizing it was a film).

The 70mm source material should make for a killer BD. It has brilliant panning shots, and time lapse sequences that surely must have been an inspiration for the makers of Planet Earth. Highly recommended.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CDLATE?tag=bluray-060-20


Baraka Blu-ray.com Review

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[Heart_Collector]

Man, that sounds incredible.

[Cromlech]

This sounds right up my alley! Thanks mate.

[EricJ]

Although "Chronos" wasn't bad either.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Although "Chronos" wasn't bad either.

Agreed. Ron Fricke did both films, and while I enjoyed Chronos - finding it visually pleasing - at the end of the day I don't consider it in the same league as Baraka. Where Chronos is 45 minutes of cinematography, Baraka takes it to the next level, expanding it to a full length feature (96 min), organizing the visuals into a non-verbal thesis on human kind.

I felt the pacing of Baraka, in concert with the fantastic score, kept my interest more effectively than Chronos. The images form a puzzle to be pieced together to fully comprehend the message, albeit a message subject to our own perspectives.

[alexakajeff]

Buy-ing!

[Deciazulado]

I've seen a few scenes of the HD transfer on a 30+ foot wide screen, if the Blu-ray looks like that people are going to be very happy
A film element was scanned 16 times higher quality than BD. Oh and for the grain observing crown, no grain.

This is the kind of film that can only be appreciated best on Blu-ray. DVD would not do it justice as a Blu-ray can, having to see it on a smallish screen while on BD you can see it on a big screen just like a 70mm film should and appreciate the detail and multichannel soundstage that goes with it.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

I've seen a few scenes of the HD transfer on a 30+ foot wide screen, if the Blu-ray looks like that people are going to be very happy . A film element was scanned 16 times higher quality than BD.

This is very good news. Baraka will be a triple dip for me, and looks like it will be worth it. Thanks for the heads-up Deci.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

I've seen a few scenes of the HD transfer on a 30+ foot wide screen, if the Blu-ray looks like that people are going to be very happy
A film element was scanned 16 times higher quality than BD. Oh and for the grain observing crown, no grain.

Excellent.

Now MGM needs to announce Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi.

[beb]

I am a huge fan of Baraka, have owned it on DVD since it was first released, and first saw it when I was in high school and was blown away. I have turned many people onto it by showing them the wonderful Balinese "monkey chant" scene. I am thrilled to see this coming to Blu-Ray. It sounds like they did it justice. 70mm films are ideal for BD transfer if done right!

I also own all of the QUATSI trilogy on DVD, and have always been disappointed with the PQ of Koyaanisqatsi (After years of searching I found a bootleg copy of the limited-edition IRE DVD release, which is better than the sub-standard MGM DVD, but still has lots of dirt and other visual issues).

I have searched high and low and can't find any plans for Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, or Naqoyqatsi to be released on BD, but I would be beside myself if they ever do. I know it has to be expensive to do a good BD transfer of films that have a rather limited audience, but it seems like some wealthy fan might be able to sponsor the task. If I had the $$ to spare, I'd do it in a heartbeat! Or if some loyal fans could rally MGM to release them?

Does anyone know who to contact at MGM to make requests that actually don't just get filed in the round file?

-beb

PS funny synchronicity, I forgot my forum password, and so I had it send me a reset email, and when I checked my email, literally two minutes before the blu-ray.com email, I got an email from the Spirit of Baraka mailing list, announcing the Blu-ray release:

http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/baraka.aspx

[fronn]

Baraka is one of those titles I've been wanting since Blu-ray came out... I'm definitely excited for it.

While Chronos did okay holding me over, Baraka is way better.

Let's hope it's transfered well and the soundtrack is lossless.

[Dubstar]

here's the cover art:

[MosHighDef]

haha, i thought i was the only one who knew of this. Its amazing.

[Dubstar]

I can't wait for his next 70mm opus Samsara that's coming out next year.

[WriteSimply]

Hmmm, interesting. 70mm scanned at 8K then downrezzed to 1080p. Should be nice and hopefully restored blemish free. The Imax version of TDK used 8K as the DI I read somewhere here.


fuad

[Bobby Henderson]

Baraka certainly has the potential to deliver the highest levels of "reference quality" video on Blu-ray by virtue of the ultra-high resolution 5-perf 65mm original cinematography. I watched this movie years ago via a 70mm presentation and it really looked stunning.

Blu-ray and 1080p doesn't have anywhere near the capacity to show off all the intricate visual detail of Baraka. However, the down-sampled imagery should look really sharp -enough for the imagery to "pop" on the screen.

[tvted]

Originally Posted by Grubert

Excellent.

Now MGM needs to announce Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi.

Grubert,

I know you are also a fan of shorts so if you like the above then if you ever get the opportunity give the films of Arthur Lipsett a look.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Lipsett

Structurally and philosophically, his work *has* to have influenced Reggio though Lipsett worked from found footage (basically having invented the compilation film form).

ted

[diamondfoxxx]

Why does it say '8K Ultra Digital HD' on the cover? Isn't this purposely misleading us to believe we are watching 8K resolution when Blu-ray is only 1080p?
Or are they saying the negative was scanned at 8K?


51zioF9-IhL._SS500_.jpg

[stockstar1138]

that is misleading, i agree.

[SpaceDog]

I guess it means they can re-use this master if there should ever be 4k players and tvs.
Lots of DVDs say "mastered in high definition". Just means that the source master was superior to the capabilities of the final product. Not a bad thing.

I'm still going to buy it.