Burning Man – Beyond
Black Rock (Documentary)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C+ Documentary: C+
Damon Brown’s Burning Man – Beyond Black Rock is a
gathering of older counterculture types with the new generation that thinks
they are the next in line to that culture, but this always comes instead with
bad populist politics and no real political power or influence. Such events are so marginalized and ignored
by the media, that it makes it more so.
However, it takes all kinds of work to make the annual event possible
and that is what this documentary is about.
The difference is that this event creates a city in the
middle of the desert and the “burning man” may seem as “pagan” as The Wicker
Man, but no one has been sacrificed or killed yet. However, whether you like the idea or not of
such a gathering, it is popular enough to keep happening. The issue here is whether this documentary
works. In a word, not much, because it
just drags on and on and on and on with Brown not knowing where to edit or
create a work with the most impact to show why the participants think it is so
exciting. As a matter of fact, it takes
what might be some kind of excitement and energy and makes it boring. By the time we get to the night of the
event, it is one big yawner.
The 1.33 X 1 image was all shot on amateur analog NTSC
video, which shows, but is made worse by its over-digitalization throughout and
into all the extras. The Dolby Digital
is very simple stereo at best, but plays back at a weaker volume than usual and
turning it up only shows more audio flaws.
On what was intended as a two-DVD set is a flip disc, with one side
having the feature with some extras, then the rest on the other side. They include an outtakes reel, more
interview segments including text in each interviewee and deleted scenes, plus
a 16 minutes long video short misidentified as a short film. If the main program is not enough, you can
OD on these extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
