Browse Titles - 4 results
The Great Ceremony to Straighten the World
directed by Jann Pasler, 1951-; produced by Jann Pasler, 1951- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1994), 56 mins
Caught between the seduction of prosperity and the threat of cultural disintegration, the people of Bali engage in ceremonies. Through them, the Balinese attempt to maintain balance with God, nature, and one another, and also to turn the recent prosperity from the booming tourist trade into a way of invigorating t...
Sample
directed by Jann Pasler, 1951-; produced by Jann Pasler, 1951- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1994), 56 mins
Description
Caught between the seduction of prosperity and the threat of cultural disintegration, the people of Bali engage in ceremonies. Through them, the Balinese attempt to maintain balance with God, nature, and one another, and also to turn the recent prosperity from the booming tourist trade into a way of invigorating their culture. This insightful documentary depicts one of Bali's most important ceremonies, one not enacted for nearly 100 years. The ce...
Caught between the seduction of prosperity and the threat of cultural disintegration, the people of Bali engage in ceremonies. Through them, the Balinese attempt to maintain balance with God, nature, and one another, and also to turn the recent prosperity from the booming tourist trade into a way of invigorating their culture. This insightful documentary depicts one of Bali's most important ceremonies, one not enacted for nearly 100 years. The ceremony addresses a modern world gone seriously out of balance; it is also meant to remind the Balinese of their history and to engage them in its re-enactment. The video captures highlights of the ceremony while Balinese of varying backgrounds comment on its religious, environmental, cultural, and political meaning. The video will stimulate discussion and analysis in courses in cultural anthropology, religion, Asian and Balinese studies, and ethnomusicology. It was produced by Jann Pasler, Prof. of Music, University of California, San Diego.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Jann Pasler, 1951-
Author / Creator
Jann Pasler, 1951-
Date Published / Released
1994
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Folklore, Religious rites and ceremonies, Music, Balinese
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1994 Berkeley Media
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Kahyangan: The Balinese Journey of the Soul
produced by Eli Hollander, fl. 1982 and Linda Burman-Hall (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2010), 54 mins
This remarkable and at times mesmerizing documentary explores the full cycle of Balinese death rituals that support and protect the soul's journey in its endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The specific ceremonies, which vary according to social and economic level, family tradition, and individual circumsta...
Sample
produced by Eli Hollander, fl. 1982 and Linda Burman-Hall (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2010), 54 mins
Description
This remarkable and at times mesmerizing documentary explores the full cycle of Balinese death rituals that support and protect the soul's journey in its endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The specific ceremonies, which vary according to social and economic level, family tradition, and individual circumstance, are linked through Hindu-Buddhist tradition and the centrality of various Balinese forms of gamelan and vocal music that validate...
This remarkable and at times mesmerizing documentary explores the full cycle of Balinese death rituals that support and protect the soul's journey in its endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The specific ceremonies, which vary according to social and economic level, family tradition, and individual circumstance, are linked through Hindu-Buddhist tradition and the centrality of various Balinese forms of gamelan and vocal music that validate the rituals, protect the deceased, and guide the soul on its journey.Tied together by the shadow-play story of Cupak, a mortal who traveled to the land of the dead to find his father (Lord Brahma/God), and shaped by Meluasan (a visit to a traditional psychic to determine the wishes of a deceased for their upcoming ceremonies), the film documents elaborate ceremonies for persons of wealth and social distinction along with equivalent ceremonies for commoners. The ceremonies aim to return the body to the five elements: earth, water, fire, space, and wind, and to reunite the soul with God.The ceremonies examined include body washing and beautification, burial, mass exhumation, individual and mass cremation, arranging of bones, releasing ash into streams, reclaiming purified souls from the sea, introducing the spirit to the Gods, and bringing the spirit home to the family temple. Viewers are provided with a rare opportunity to witness both public and private ceremonies captured with unflinching attention to detail.Kahyangan is the second film (see also Kawitan: Creating Childhood in Bali) in a projected cycle of documentaries portraying the principal life and after-life ceremonies in Balinese Hindu-Buddhist religion and culture. The film is a collaboration between ethnomusicologist Linda Burman-Hall and director Eli Hollander, both of University of California Santa Cruz. It will stimulate thought and discussion in a wide range of courses in Asian and Balinese studies, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, and religion.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Eli Hollander, fl. 1982, Linda Burman-Hall
Date Published / Released
2010
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Death, Religious rites and ceremonies, Burial customs, Balinese
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2010 Berkeley Media
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Kawitan: Creating Childhood in Bali
directed by Eli Hollander, fl. 1982; produced by Linda Burman-Hall and Eli Hollander, fl. 1982 (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2002), 56 mins
This informative and compelling documentary systematically examines the key Balinese early-life ceremonies at every social level in South Bali. Through ceremonies, Balinese culture and performance are linked, with specific musical expression as a common characteristic. The focus of the film is both ethnographic an...
Sample
directed by Eli Hollander, fl. 1982; produced by Linda Burman-Hall and Eli Hollander, fl. 1982 (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2002), 56 mins
Description
This informative and compelling documentary systematically examines the key Balinese early-life ceremonies at every social level in South Bali. Through ceremonies, Balinese culture and performance are linked, with specific musical expression as a common characteristic. The focus of the film is both ethnographic and ethnomusicological as it explores the relationship between Balinese music, movement, ritual, and identity.To illustrate the centralit...
This informative and compelling documentary systematically examines the key Balinese early-life ceremonies at every social level in South Bali. Through ceremonies, Balinese culture and performance are linked, with specific musical expression as a common characteristic. The focus of the film is both ethnographic and ethnomusicological as it explores the relationship between Balinese music, movement, ritual, and identity.To illustrate the centrality of performance to Balinese belief and ritual, the film opens with a compact prologue in "wayang" (shadow-play) and sacred song, recounting the creation of the universe, the five elements, and the first humans. In the first early-life ceremony, a pregnant woman bathes where sacred springs meet. This provides for a safe delivery, and associated ceremonies transform sexual energies into parental devotion.The film shows daily offerings to spirits surrounding a newborn, and depicts in detail the protective calendrical ceremonies: past-life debts are released in a holy-water purification at six weeks; a first step on the earth is celebrated at three Balinese months; a first haircut and naming ceremony take place at one Balinese year; and an elaborate ceremony to strengthen the spirit guardians is held on a child's third Balinese birthday. The symbolism and significance of the ceremonies are explained by the distinguished priests who actually officiate.In addition, the film affords a rare view of a family consulting a traditional psychic channeler to learn which ancestor has reincarnated in a newborn child, and follows a six-year-old as he commits to serious music study. Renowned musician I Wayan Suweca comments on the intergenerational transmission of artistic power ("taksu") in Balinese life.Kawitan is the first film (see also Kahyangan: The Balinese Journey of the Soul) in a projected cycle of documentaries portraying the seven life ceremonies and seven after-life ceremonies in Balinese Hindu-Buddhist religion and culture. The film is a collaboration between ethnomusicologist Linda Burman-Hall and director Eli Hollander, both of University of California Santa Cruz. It will stimulate thought and discussion in a variety of courses in Asian and Balinese studies, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, and religion.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Linda Burman-Hall, Eli Hollander, fl. 1982
Author / Creator
Eli Hollander, fl. 1982
Date Published / Released
2002
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Social customs, Buddhism, Religious rites and ceremonies, Balinese
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2002 Berkeley Media
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Yangon Film School, Lady of the Lake
directed by Zaw Naing Oo, fl. 2011; produced by Yangon Film School, in Yangon Film School (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 2014), 22 mins
Governments – even decades-old military regimes – may come and go but, like many rural communities in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), the lives of the villagers of Pyun Su on the banks of Moe Yun Gyi lake are pervaded by deeper traditions – above all the lively cult of the nat.
Sample
directed by Zaw Naing Oo, fl. 2011; produced by Yangon Film School, in Yangon Film School (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 2014), 22 mins
Description
Governments – even decades-old military regimes – may come and go but, like many rural communities in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), the lives of the villagers of Pyun Su on the banks of Moe Yun Gyi lake are pervaded by deeper traditions – above all the lively cult of the nat.
Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Yangon Film School
Author / Creator
Zaw Naing Oo, fl. 2011
Date Published / Released
2013, 2014
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Yangon Film School
Topic / Theme
Supernatural, Religious rites and ceremonies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2014 Royal Anthropological Institute
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