Arlene Ashman

212817474
MUSI 1200
Donna Boucher
Baraka Film Review
A typical documentary usually consists of a narrated description of the activities being
executed which allows all viewers to experience the documentary in the same way. Filmmakers
have control over what information and details they want to include in order to portray their
desired message exactly how they wish for it to be received. What if one were to eliminate the
aspect of narration entirely? This would enable the viewer to draw their own conclusions and
ideas from the work as opposed to being limited to that of the filmmaker. An example of this
type of documentary is Baraka, directed by Ron Fricke. This work has no form of dialogue,
narration or speech, but instead uses sound and music to contextualize what is being shown on
screen. There are several aspects of The Big Picture which are present within this work including
modernism and the idea of beauty being unquantifiable.
One of the main themes in Baraka is modernism and how it affects culture and society.
The beginning of the film puts emphasis on natural landscaping and various religious and
cultural rituals. It shows how unique different cultures around the world can be and how
significant those practices are to the people of those nations. Fricke then juxtaposes this idea with
clips of people from different ethnicities and cultures, all assimilated into Western culture as the
result of modernism. In comparison to the cultural imagery in the beginning which was bright,
vibrant and refreshing, the qualities of the present day clips were more monotone, dreary and
repetitive. Fricke also includes clips from factory assembly lines to metaphorically show how
modernism has caused a loss of individuality and uniqueness among different people and
different ethnic backgrounds. The clips that show the chicks being tossed through an assembly
line and branded is a representation of people within Western culture and how we are incited to
be the same.
In addition, Baraka also exemplifies the idea of the immeasurable nature of beauty. The
beginning portion of the film shows people from many different ethnicities and their traditional
and cultural attire and physical characteristics. A few examples from the film include a clip of a
Rastafarian man with waist length dreadlocks, a Buddhist man in his traditional garment and
several other cultures that associate body markings, beads and piercings as part of their identity.
Each of these different cultures has their own definition of what beauty I which is what makes it
so universal and immeasurable. Fricke also expresses this theme with the different landscaping
show throughout the film. In the beginning of the film there are different shots of natural,
landscapes like the mountains, jungles and canyons. Fricke then goes on to show more industrial
and commercial images such as moving traffic, billboards and busy cities. One might argue that
natural undisturbed land is more beautiful than an urban city which also ties into postmodernism
and the thought that anything could be true depending on the individual and how they perceive
life.
Furthermore, music is used to contextualize the themes in Baraka. Throughout the
landscape scenes, the music is slower and unmetered and there are even a few instances of white
noise. On the other hand, in the city and factory scenes, the music becomes a lot more upbeat and
rhythmic. These techniques are used to emphasize the stark contrast between the peace and
serenity of the landscapes and the hustle and bustle of the city.