Samsara

Summary: Samsara tries to provide closure to a trilogy over decades of work and learnings from director Ron Fricke. Unfortunately, some errors after more than a decade of waiting overshadow the director's work. This feature film, in its final product, presents no novelty and even seems to reuse some previous shots used in Chronos. Moreover, some of the locations used in his previous films are also present here. This wears the novelty, considering the excellent work done by its composers in some of these scenes.Format: Samsara was released on Blu-Ray in 2011. It could be said that at a visual level, it is even more elaborate than Baraka. Filmed in 70mm and scanned at 8k, Quality leaves nothing to envy, surpassing even its predecessor. From the analyzed extras - a very good documentary that compensates for the lack of comments from the director - it is possible to understand more the vision of the work. Fricke considers it a guided meditation work.Direction: Samsara seems on paper, as the director explains it, to have the most mature vision of his three films. A guided meditation channeled through music that complements the selected scenes frame by frame. The latter is remarkable since both Baraka and Chronos were worked in reverse, which means that photography had to fit previously composed music.It is a shame to see the director reuse shots and locations having enough material that he could have used. Another situation that is not clear in the direction goes hand in hand with the first act of the film. During the first thirty or forty minutes of the movie, it seems some scenes are disconnected from each other. We could even say, this makes it feel a little forced in its development towards the second act. Their cuts and transitions are abrupt and do not generate the same impact as the ones in the second half. The positive fact is that Fricke performs a third act that wraps it properly giving closure in a way that it leaves the viewer satisfied. The latter is learning embodied in the film because it culminates in a better way when compared to his two previous movies.At a direction level, Samsara is a film that surpasses his previous works in concept but not in execution. It's a very mature film in relation to Baraka, it offers an excellent conclusion for the viewer, but it also brings some failures that discolor its achievements.Photography: One of the highest points of this film is photography. It was filmed in multiple locations in the world and the variety between them and similarities that portrays raises a criticism of society itself that Fricke exploits greatly. To say that it is more of the same is to give less credit to the work of this director because it visually demonstrates his own evolution in a very safe environment. Thus, his portraits are more elaborate, shorter time-lapses shine away but there's no risk-taking. The transition in moments of accelerated music is the best the film presents.The first part as previously mentioned is weak and does not convey the same coherence as the rest of the film. Opposite case the third act, where the director manages to tie all the emotions transmitted in his scenes to conclude the film masterfully.Soundtrack: Samsara's soundtrack is the highest point of the film. Subtle, with beautiful transitions that do not feel abrupt to the ear, the accompaniment he makes of photography is exquisite beat by beat.Unlike the criticism carried out in Baraka, the crescendo of the composition ends in a better way and allows the viewer to be better directed to reinforce the feeling that the director has sought. The originality of the music is also very promising. By not remind the viewer of Baraka, the music stands in its own.Probably, the change in the composition strategy had an impact on this, but the truth is that whatever the reason had been, it was for good.Narrative: The director takes us on a trip that he himself calls a guided meditation. However, unlike his previous works, the criticism, the symbolism, and meanings of many of his shots are not so clear. This does not mean that the work is not profound or relevant for analysis. On the contrary, some shots alone pose strong social criticism in our current society. The problem lies here in the fact that the shots cannot be reviewed alone. They do not cohesively tie-in and certainly this is a big miss compared to their previous work.The director should not guide the viewer completely, that is true, however, at the very least he must ensure that his work cohesively conveys the vision that he shares. This is where the main flaw of this film lies. It must be analyzed on its own and by doing so, the viewer could feel disoriented or simply satisfied to see "beautiful shots" but bored. The work, I am sure, was designed for much more, but fails to be consistent throughout its 100 minutes.Uniqueness: Samsara is a beautiful return to the genre that Fricke explored decades ago, but it's just that. It is a great advance in terms of editing where the film flows more harmoniously with the soundtrack. It's a very safe formula that the director repeats but even so, the narrative escapes through the tiles of its very foundation. It is a work of art that every cinephile should observe, and of course, anyone who appreciates photography should see the Fricke trilogy. However, moving from that to saying that the work poses a sociological-philosophical critique similar to what Baraka proposed and what's been done by Reggio, or stating that its narrative complements the auditory and visual part is an achievement this film cannot receive as it is.

Terrific camera work set an amazing and beautiful locations around the world. Looks great even on a regular size TV!

Another great video by Ron Fricke

Early in the 1960s, the world film market began expandinginto American consciousness. In addition to Fellini andBergman, there was a small sub-genre masquerading as"documentary." I remember being much taken by MONDO CANE,WOMEN OF THE WORLD, and most esp. MALAMONDO (1963), asomewhat artificially constructed piece which made meaware for the first time of the jazzy, haunting music ofone Ennio MorriconeNot many films of this type followed (it was a sub-genre,after all). Fellini tried it off and on - most successfullywith FELLINI'S ROMA - his affectionate, ironic view of theEternal City he lived in. The clash of culture - "modern vs. ancient"- was never more effectively captured than in the Iron Mole sequence,where our polluted air destroyed long-buried Roman paintings.In the 80s, thanks to Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass,we tumbled into the thoughtful, oft disturbing rabbit hole ofKOYAANISQATSI (Life Out of Balance), which used stunningtime-lapse images to show how the ever-increasing pace oftechnology might be carrying us to a most unwelcome place.Ron Fricke worked on this one. POWAQQATSI (Life inTransformation) carried this message/warning even further.In 1992 Ron Fricke released his own stunning BARAKA, the perfectblend of image, music and transcendental mood: a landmarkin the the slow development of the "image" documentary. NowFricke's follow-up - SAMASARA - has been released. It's a "trip"through gateways of color and beauty. It broadens the themes ofBARAKA with even more mind-blowing images, all tied togetherat beginning and end by monks constructing/destroying an ornatesand painting. (It's the "journey", you see...)Give SAMSARA a try. Disconnect your electronic whee-devices,turn out the lights, and melt into yourself as you let its incredible rainbowworld wash over you. You'll be surprised how mellow/wiseyou'll feel afterwards. Wine optional.

In 1986 I attended a screening of "Chronos" in the then new IMAX format at the NYC Museum of Natural History. A shorter film that set the stage for "Baraka" and finally "Samsara". The transition to 70mm from IMAX limitations is explained by Ron Fricke in the blu- ray bonus materials of both films. It gives you a sense of the labor involved in location scouting, preproduction, filming, editing and post production. Not to mention the ordeal of lugging a Panavision 65mm camera around the globe. The footage of all the gear in a remote airport gives you an idea the struggle the team of five doing every task together. As Ron says "We opened the plane door and there it was-Everest" on the "Baraka" bf. Also, Michael and Lisa's music was just as important to the films as Mark's production, Ron's direction and cinematography. When adding the years involved in the production of these films, it's almost a full career. Kind of like Robert Caro''s LBJ biographies! Anyway, the point being if you have any interest in film, or just want a better understanding of what you saw, check out the bonus features on both films. This team put other mortal filmmakers to shame !

Maravilloso, uno de los mas bellos videos que he visto. En una tv 4k se ve aun mas bonito. Ojalá hagan un siguiente capítulo o la hagan serie.

・視聴・再生用のソフトが要るなんて・・・・モニターはデジタル対応が必要だなんて・・・・リージョンが解って、観られてほっとしましたｗ

Cómo se dice "breath taking" en español? Esa sería la descripción adecuada para esta película. La fotografía de esta película es grandiosa.

Outstanding quality and a mesmerising film

「バラカ」 を撮った監督等による続編なので怒るに怒れません(笑)。前作では、満員電車で通勤する日本人と養鶏場の鶏を対比させたりして、毒の様なものを孕んでたのですが、本作では、そう云う部分は控えめになってます(でも、タイの改造手術済みな人達のゴーゴーバーの場面の音楽が "Geisha" って題名なのは…)。砂曼荼羅を制作するチベットの僧侶の場面の前後に、中国障害者芸術団の舞踏を配した事は、中国のチベット侵攻と併せて考えると、毒なのかも知れません。 「バラカ」