Sunday, March 17, 2013

Samsara 2011


     A documentary similar to Baraka of 1992, this film shows very dramatic visual images depicting humanity as individuals and working together.  Also, spectacular images of the natural features of the Earth are shown in an effort that took almost five years to film.  Samsara is a Tibetan word that means “the ever-turning wheel of life.”  The Tibetan prayer wheel is a visual symbol illustrating this concept.  Samsara is a form of quiet, guided meditation leading to transformation of the self.  We inhabit the Earth but we cannot escape the rhythm of Earth.
     This film draws you in with wonderful colors and interesting images of the features of different people.  Some are not real people but they seem to be!  I found some of the industrial processes disturbing, individuals are reduced to the uniformity of mass groups resembling robots.  I don’t agree with the treatment of the animals in several of the agricultural practices shown.  As a personal philosophy, I feel they are not ethical and beneath us because we can do much better.  This could be watched multiple times to get the full impact of the images.  3* (This movie is OK)
 
102 min, Doc directed by Ron Fricke, concept and treatment by Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke, Marcos Luna, Hiroshi Ishiguro, Oliver De Sagazen Kikumaru, Crisanto Neire.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 1/2*, imdb 8.3 out of 10, 77% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

No comments:

Post a Comment