Baraka

Some American (Ron Fricke? Us neither) (certainly not Hollywood) has spent a long time getting footage together from some of the most spectacular places on earth, places of genuinely astounding and awe inspiring beauty. He has then somehow contrived to make an idotically poor film out of this heaven-sent material.
And how spectacular some of that material is. It simply wouldn't be possible to foul up some of the waterfalls, animals, clouds and so on. Indeed, once every four or five shots does work out well, we do have an image of this outstanding beauty, and we see the possibility of an astonishing, astounding film. But then....let us pick throught the problems.
First we have the cuts. Mr Fricke does not likde images, he has no respect for them. He cuts the pictures way too soon, letting no story come out. No image is left to develop, but is just quickly consumed and left to be moved on. There is no love for the image. Fricke mirrors the very lifestyle he presumably opposes.
Secondly, why in these horribly shortened images must the camera be moving. With no stillness, constant interference, no story is left to be told. They're not animals, or people, just shapes and colours to be manipulated. Maybe some of the overhead filming technqiues demanded this, but that is little excuse.
The music is particularly offensive. When we have a Westerner controlling the sound, again we are manipulating and using the people/landscape, not letting it be or letting it unfold in its own autonomy. This shows a genuine lack of respect especially for the tribepeople filmed. This is the story of the film basically; somebody comes in and films all this great stuff, but inserts their own agenda over the top of it and thus means we never have any true 'realism', we never have any real access.
Such possiblities, so utterly squandered. A very poor attempt.