What some people don't know about that the Kecak ritual (the one with the waving fingers, featured in phrontist's link), is that it is a bunch of Muslims performing a telling of Hindu mythology as choreographed and arranged by a German Christian in the 1930's, with the primary theme based on a Pagan exorcism ritual. You can't get much more postmodern. posted by idiopath at 10:54 PM on May 31 [6 favorites has favorites]
What some people don't know about that the Kecak ritual (the one with the waving fingers, featured in phrontist's link), is that it is a bunch of Muslims performing a telling of Hindu mythology as choreographed and arranged by a German Christian in the 1930's
You got most of that right except for the part about the Balinese being Muslim. That is the only major island in Indonesia to retain a majority Hindu population. posted by Burhanistan at 11:26 PM on May 31
Burhanistan: and here I was wondering if I could find Jewish, Buddhist, VooDoo and Shinto elements to the ritual. posted by idiopath at 11:37 PM on May 31
My honeymoon was in Bali and we took in a Kecak show for the tourists. Inexplicably, a bunch of old men who weren't involved in any of the dances of the main show came out at the very end and began aggressively poking themselves with blunted daggers. It's a big mess of a show and the fact that it features so prominently on "Baraka" indicates to me that the filmmakers were wannabes. But yeah, they were all Hindus peforming. posted by Burhanistan at 11:43 PM on May 31 [1 favorite has favorites]
I actually just watched Koyaanisqatsi last night and was already all hopped up on fast-forward versions of contemporary society. posted by HeroZero at 4:20 AM on June 1 [1 favorite has favorites]
I never really understood all the love for Baraka. Perhaps it's because that, by the time I first saw it, its New Orientalist fetish for anything "indigenous" as somehow being more authentic or real than human experiences in the developed world (so typical of Western pop culture in the early 90s) was obvious and laughable.
I kept expecting Bono to swan on-screen, scoop up a little naked Amazonian child and hang a Yoruba necklace around its neck while awkwardly bouncing to Real Native Drums. posted by xthlc at 6:27 AM on June 1 [3 favorites has favorites]
Inexplicably, a bunch of old men who weren't involved in any of the dances of the main show came out at the very end and began aggressively poking themselves with blunted daggers
This would be the part where people are demonstrating their magical powers to avoid being cut, much like Shaolin show off stuff like getting hit with logs or breaking a spear (point first) with their collarbone. Luckily for you, it wasn't the more extreme stuff like actual painful piercing of the face, setting oneself on fire, or any of the other, much more scary demonstrations people do. posted by yeloson at 8:50 AM on June 1
Luckily for you, it wasn't the more extreme stuff like actual painful piercing of the face, setting oneself on fire
Oh, there was some rolling around in a pile of gasoline soaked burning bananas. But now I can't recall if that was the Kecak or the Barong dance since we saw both performed by the same company. posted by Burhanistan at 8:57 AM on June 1
"Baraka" indicates to me that the filmmakers were wannabes.
I couldn't get passed the pronunciation of baraka as ba-RA-ka rather than BAA-ra-ka. Pretty much summed up the movie to me: the appropriation of other people's stuff for cheap thrills. posted by BinGregory at 10:58 PM on June 2
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posted by phrontist at 10:42 PM on May 31