DVD Review: Born of Fire
Born Of Fire (1983)
Studio: Mondo Macabre
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Directed By: Jamil Dehlavi
Cast: Peter Firth, Suzan Crowley, Stefan Kalipha, Nabil Shaban & Oh-Tee
Review By: Annie Riordan
Following hard on the heels of a full solar eclipse and the eruption of a long dormant volcano in Turkey, a young flautist is driven to a remote area of the Mideast after his mother’s dying words – “The Master Musician” – prompt him to investigate the untimely and mysterious death of the father he never knew. His search leads him into a mythological Muslim world of Djinn’s, a deformed half-brother and an ancient demon who challenges him to a duel of flutes with the fate of the world in the balance.
Okay, somehow I lived in ignorance of this film for 26 years, not knowing that it even existed. How the hell did that happen? I’d never even heard the slightest rumor of the faintest possibility of this flick having been conceived, let alone born and passing through adulthood, but in retrospect I’m glad I didn’t see it as a teenager. I probably would have hated it.
Much like 1992’s Dust Devil, Born Of Fire is a desolate fairy tale that makes up for in disturbing and gorgeous imagery what it lacks in a coherent story. I admit, I have no idea what the hell this movie was about, but I really didn’t care. The astonishing visuals kept me hooked from start to finish, and the movie follows Herzog’s wise lead by casting the landscape as a main character. Barren deserts, ice blue pools of cascading water, deep dark caves, ancient churches…just – “WOW!” It’s a smorgasbord of deep dark psychological archetypes, Freudian sexual horror and a story that Scheherazade might have woven had Ali Baba been transplanted to the 20th century.
There’s not much else I can say about this movie without completely robbing it of its mystery and raw shock value. You simply must experience it for yourselves, for this is not a movie that can merely be watched. It’s a mindblowing experience, as beautiful as it is horrifying.
Brutal As Hell Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
