1 Giant Leap Reviews

• Eyes that See and Ears that Hear

  
  By A35BSZORDA51XD on 2005-02-02
  This isn't a film for intellectual critics, technocrats, comparative reviewers, or mind gamers. This is a film for the Heart. It takes one closer to the place of realising the inherent truth of what is being said. Anything that brings one closer to the Tao/Light/Center cannot be rated or berated. Without eyes that see and ears that hear, no artform will penetrate the shell of the ego's defenses. If this film does not reach one's Heart, perhaps it is not the film that is wanting, but one's own.
  
  

• Truly a Giant Leap!

  
  By A2HEOT5QOYD3EO on 2002-09-23
  I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the first public preview of this DVD last month at Yerba Buena Gardens, in San Francisco. This DVD is so incredible! It didn't take long to recognize the creative alchemy and authenticity that went into this work. The result is a treasure of profound beauty and thoughtful wisdom.

  The music, the imagery, the story-telling and spoken word, all fused brilliantly with inspired arrangements... I've not seen anything else quite like it--1 Giant Leap is as thought-provoking as it is beautiful to watch. The information is densely packed, throughout. The DVD is initially set to let you play just one chapter at a time. This is to allow viewers to take it all in and evoke discussion. There is also a 'jukebox mode' to let the viewer create their own viewing experiences, as well as a 'loop mode' to play the whole thing in its entirety.

  One Giant Leap is a a real treasure, and I whole-heartedly recommend it!
  
  

• a rarity amongst media pieces

  
  By A2HIZ2PGGKTJZ0 on 2004-09-16
  Every year, there are a few media projects that capture the imagination, and provide wider perspectives on "life, the universe, and everything."
  Here you have one. Or two. The Music is inspirational and poignant.
  The arrangements draw from many cultures, with the musical performers being some of the best on our globe. Baaba Maal, Asha Bhosle, Brian Eno, and many, many more. The PASSION obvious in the screen production of the "1 Giant Leap," DVD is a joy, and a reality-check. Both. Throughout.
  Some of the speakers are rarely heard outside of the books they write.
  There are strong moments, as some in this arena have mentioned before. See it first before your children do, or as the DVD is segmentalized into "concepts," one can choose the parts appropriate for any particular audience.
  The DVD is not a completely "light" feeling production, at times, but it is sparkling, at others. Highly recommended.
  Can you tell...?
  
  

• A beautiful leap...

  
  By A1IXCFLWXZBBMH on 2003-08-29
  Having travelled to many of the locations featured in this beautiful film, and getting a very real chance to relive some of those experiences by viewing this DVD, I can only say buy it-it is real. This is NOT a film about RACE as -myopically- stated by an earlier reviewer and it is NOT a new age look at the world - it is about SO many things-consumerism, religion & God, sex, love, life, mortality, music...it is REAL. This review is not based on whether this movie was conceptually, an original idea, but on the thought provoking content.
  I could go on & on. Wonderful.
  
  

• Mildly interesting, but mostly a disappointment

  
  By on 2003-10-30
  A great deal of hard work and technical and artistic expertise have gone into making this ingeniously-designed film, but IMHO it was mostly to no avail. While the film contains some beautiful imagery and some beautiful music, its philosophizing is truly lame, and I found several of the speakers who appear in the film to be enormously pretentious, stupid, and irritating. This is MTV-style pseudo-philosophy of the shallowest kind.
  
  
• Interesting...sort of.
  By on 2002-09-24
  A melange of quick-cut, commercial-style, mostly third-world images (think Powaqqatsi on fast-forward, but without the thematic cohesion) set to a pan-Indian/African flavored soundtrack (similar to the band Deep Forest), interspersed with occasionally insightful, sometimes banal philosophical and political observations by mostly non-academics (actors, musicians, etc.) on a variety of themes (time, death, money, etc.) at one theme per chapter. Each chapter is accompanied by its own song, and each song is a skillfully assembled montage of the voices and instruments of musicians from around the world, recorded on location and later interwoven. The sound quality is good (excellent 5 channel separation), but suffers from a certain sameness throughout (compare the soundrack to Baraka, for example, which has greater variety and remains truer to place and theme). Shots of the skillful musicians performing are surprisingly uninspiring and prosaic (the film needs a good cinematographer). Editing is frenetic, lacking the visual poetry of Baraka or even the vastly overrated Godfrey Reggio films, and half of the too-short and frequently repetitive scenes in each chapter aren't well contextualized and could just as easily have been in another chapter. Unfortunately, the frequent speaking parts impede the film's success as a good ambient video (at a party for example), and because the speaking parts aren't voiceovers, it also fails when used in that manner with your own music instead of the film's own soundrack (who wants music to an ordinary talking head, even of ex-pornstar Sharon Mitchell). Eh.
  
  
• Leap into now
  By A224XPQ325NIM7 on 2004-09-20
  This thought provoking film is like nothing else. By truly capturing the universal essence of creative thinking, 1 Giant Leap takes you on a musical and philosophical journey around the world and explores the very essence of human nature. The captivating beauty of its' music provides a catalyst for hopeful contemplation while the dialog challenges the viewer to move beyond limited thinking. This amazing work erases the borders we create in our minds and asks us to move into a wider landscape of human experience where the things that we share far outweigh the things that seperate us. When men first set foot on the moon and looked down; they saw the world for the first time as it truly is, without borders. 1 Giant Leap, in a similar way, shuttles us out of our prejudices and egos and asks us to see ourselves as part of a universal community of humankind. This movie is not meant to be watched, it is intended to be experienced. In the viewing, you will be invited to participate in the marelous possibility of a world without physical, spiritual or creative borders. If you accept the invitation, you will be connected to the extended family of humankind; and if you are honest, you will connect with yourself. 1 Giant Leap is sublime.
  
  
• Enlightened, Encouraged & Energiized
  By A18DNJNAFS6OYV on 2003-01-08
  For more than 2 months a local, independently owned theater here in Durango showed 1 Giant Leap to sold out audiences. In a time when peace, tolerance, acceptance, and unity are so desperately needed throughout our world everyone should experience the incredible results of Duncan and Jamie's ambitious undertaking. I cannot conceive of ever tiring of listening to the CD or viewing the DVD and am committed to spreading the word of 1 Giant Leap in my world. To Duncan, Jamie and all those who participated, many, many thanks for sharing your creativity!
  
  
• Beautiful
  By A3ICRTAAT4KWA8 on 2004-12-15
  I'm not going to wax philosophic about this DVD and accompanying CD. I'm just going to say BUY THIS, BUY THIS, BUY THIS - stunning, beautiful, inspiring, thought-provoking, heartwrenching, amazing. The music is transcendent and the imagery is gorgeous. Ignore the guy from Ithaca - obviously one of the 51%....
  
  
• Take One Giant Leap
  By A2BNK084CST0JC on 2004-03-14
  In order to thrive, ecologies need diversity. Functionalism has proven itself in the wild. What seems bad to us, if removed causes disturbance in the equilibrium of nature. As immune as we might feel, our cultural ecology is not excluded from the rule of diversity.

  What can you say in two hours that will move your audience to action, thought and consideration? Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman wondered the same thing three years ago. They packed a grip (i.e., laptops, digital video cameras, and high-quality microphones) and hit twenty-five locations in twenty different countries in search of the voices of cultural diversity. The sounds, images and spirit they documented along the way they aptly titled '1 Giant Leap.'

  Maintaining focus on the words, visuals, sound and spirit of some of the world's most significant thinkers, musicians, artists, authors, actors, and scientists, 1 Giant Leap is a cerebral, musical, visual extravaganza. It's an album, a movie, a documentary, and a work of art. Among the minds melded here are Stewart Brand, Michael Franti, Tom Robbins, Brian Eno, Grant Lee Phillips, Speech, Michael Stipe, Kurt Vonnegut, Dennis Hopper, Ram Dass, and Neneh Cherry. Diversity incarnate.

  Take two hours and take a trip that will change you. Take 1 Giant Leap.
  
  

• Around the world in 80 ways...
  By A3HQX3URAE45JT on 2002-10-15
  If you liked the CD of the same name, or you heard the singles and liked those, chances are you will love this DVD.

  It adds a whole other dimension to the music, and packs a hell of a lot into one DVD. If anything this superb exploration of music, culture and philosophy leaves you wanting more...

  It comes with a nicely presented booklet with background on some of the artists encountered on their travels, and their experiences in far-flung places. The navigation on the DVD also gives you a number of options to interact with the material, and delve into the background of the recordings.

  Beautifully done!
  
  

• 1 Giant loss
  By on 2003-04-27
  If you have seen Baraka, then pass this one up.
  It is a cheap, over produced, myopic, new-age attempt at racial relations.
  If this is what you're looking for, then buy it.
  If I could return a dvd based strictly upon content, I would have done so.
  
  
• Absolutely Outstanding!!!
  By AWDQVLC9ALAOU on 2005-11-22
  This is a film that opens your eyes wider to the world community. It does so in such a beautiful,alluring and gratifying way. It entertains you with stunning music,visually striking and beautiful scenes and spoken dialogue while it initiates deeper thought about so many human issues that need to be dealt with individually and collectively as a human race. At moments you go "wow" at other moments you say "deep" and then at others you sigh and say the truth cannot be held back and we as a human race must do something....
  
  I love this dvd and plan it as a gift for all adults I plan gifts for. That's how important I feel this film is. A "must see" and "must experience" musical and visionary experience.
  
  
• One Giant Leap (DVD)
  By A1NUMM523HG2H2 on 2006-01-30
  this is one of the best musical documentaries i have ever seen. the only reason it didn't get 5 stars is that somehow, the origional copy of this DVD is flawed. every copy i have seen of it, (one rented from my local library, one purchased through amazon, sent back and purchased another one, and one my friend bought from Borders Books) has been flawed in the same places. bummer.
  
  -K.
  
  
• An Absolute MUST SEE!!
  By A207TD7FRP0EP8 on 2002-12-11
  This revolutionary film is a fusion of spoken word, musicians, sounds, rhythms and images from all around the world. It's a celebration of diversity and humanity and it shows that despite our surface level differences "the things that divide us are far outnumbered by the humanity which unites us". A absolute must see for everyone who is a citizen of the earth and a member of the human family!
  
  
• A Breath of Fresh Air!
  By on 2003-03-09
  1 Giant Leap shines above the cookie-cutter, formulated music & visuals that are thrown at consumers these days. It's beautiful to look at, thought provoking and moving to listen to.
  
  
• A Masterpiece
  By AJSHYTSQGEL49 on 2003-08-18
  A beautiful blending of philosophy and world music put together with loving care. Can be watched again and again.
  
  
• Incredible
  By on 2003-10-17
  This is one of the most inspiring videos I've ever seen, and the music is so gorgeous (and dance-able) that I had to go out and buy the CD too. Thank you, thank you to the creators of this spirit-filled, intelligent, moving and unique work of art. One Giant Leap has provided me with food for thought and for my hungry soul.
  
  
• One Giant Must Have
  By ADVSYKVNQMTNW on 2006-03-21
  A giant adventure in music, travels and spirituality. If you think What the Bleep was any good, this will inspire and enchant. Listening to Ram Das, Kurt Vonnegut and Dennis Hopper speak may be the closest many of us get to hearing from the likes of a chi gung grandmaster or a yogi guru personally. Pair that with visions from around the world and music inspired in nature and humanity. This is a must have.
  
  
• Great music, pointless film
  By A1K9KNLTSJF7Q9 on 2008-01-19
  Two young white guys went around the world and recorded lots of musical performances in India, Thailand, New Zealand and Africa. They put it all together and made some great music that might remind you a bit of Deep Forest or other such world beat projects.
  
  That would have been enough.
  
  But they decided to make a film. Which they didn't do as well. It seems that perhaps they had no particular agenda, that they went around talking to whoever would agree to an interview and then later in the editing process put pieces together that seem to fit a thematic whole. Much of it is just arm-chair philosophizing, and from perhaps not too astute philosophers such as former porn star Sharon Mitchell and actor Dennis Hopper. Authors Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robbins and activist/business woman Anita Roddick make some pointed observations, but the rest could have been left on the cutting room floor.
  
  If you have a choice, skip the DVD and buy the CD instead.
  
  #
  
  
  
• Astounding, beautiful, poetic, uplifting...
  By on 2002-09-27
  What an amazing film, or 'Film Album' I should say. The blending of philosophy (with rare interviews from Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robbins) and music and imagery is so original and inspiring - you really get that feeling "everyone should see this".
  The film-makers' idea was to celebrate the unity in the diversity while making us laugh, cry and dance and boy did they succeed. Heartfelt and real, if only more projects dared to bear their souls like this.
  
  
• Truly eye-opening.
  By AEGEURVRCBTI4 on 2002-10-01
  Everyone should watch this DVD at least once. It provides an eye-opening view of our relation to all of humankind. The images are amazing. The music is incredable. And the editing is first-rate. It's broken up into chapters (money, masks, culture, inspiration, God(faith, blasphemy, unity), sex, time, confrentation, death, happy). These make it easy to pick and choose what you want to watch again... and again.
  
  
• ULTIMATE MUSICAL/CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
  By A3TL42JWS05QSU on 2005-10-03
  A must have for intellectuals. You do not have to love music as much as I do. Just pay attention. The minute you see this video, you will have travelled the planet called earth and fallen in love with all its peoples. Welcome to a planet earth without borders, without a dress code, and no language barrier. Warning to visitors, leave your preconceptions at the door. Learn something new. You are not in China, India, Pakistani, Europe, Africa, America or some undiscovered planet. Finally Atheists, Christians and Muslims can come together as one people in this celebration of humanity. You are here as one of us;a human.
  
  Enjoy
  
  
• A Giant Loop
  By A3PMKRBWJWFD64 on 2005-08-03
  Imagine taking musical and spoken voices from around the world and blending them into a poetic, sonic mix. A Giant Leap is a Giant Loop of planetary sounds and soulful reflections on everything from Sex to the Sacred. Here's a production you can re-visit from time to time and uncover finer nuances of meaning or wilder currents of emotion.
  
  
• 1 Giant Leap
  By AXW37XVT3VNIT on 2005-11-14
  Not for the shallow, worldy mundane. A true blessing for those who understand how the world and its inhabitants operate outside of the box.
  
  
• Misleading and disappointing
  By A3PZGJRQV8CIS6 on 2007-09-08
  I came to this DVD after having heard the music CD first. I anticipated it being about the making of the music and the musicians involved. Some of that is shown (although NONE of the musicians is identified!), and to be sure, the music is great.
  
  Othewise, this is a bunch of rambling nonsense, an anti-modern, anti-Western amalgam of New Age nonsense and just plain stupidity masquerading as profundity. Eastern and aboriginal religions get reverent regard, even the Hindus bathing and worshipping in the sewage-choked Ganges, but Christianity is the only religion help up to specific criticism. It merely proves the old saw about "tolerance" and naive multi-culturalism: It's ABC--anything but Christianity.
  
  Some of the speakers (again, all unidentified in the film; you'll have to go to the special features and hunt deeply to find out who SOME of them are) bring up good points about materialism and exploitation, but they offer no solutions. An unidentified Maori decries how American rappers such as Tupac Shakur now have more influence on Maori youngsters than their own traditions, but the only real example of Maori music we get is--wait for it!--a Maori rapper a la Tupac! Another speaker actually favors killing humans to spare cows!
  
  Buy the CD and enjoy the great music. Skip the nonsensical DVD unless you need a good laugh.
  
  
• yet another one, much better, exists
  By A5HWACJQG64H9 on 2003-02-17
  you all probably didn't see swedish 'lucky people center international'

  go find it and you will forget about this leap

  'lucky people..' is a real masterpiece of 'koyaanisqatsi' level, much much more clever, nice and driving
  
  

• 1 Giant leap
  By A1DLIUGU7B12FN on 2006-03-12
  Para mi uno de los mejores documentales sobre la actualidad que se ha podido rodar.
  Para reflexionar sobre las importancias Reales de la Vida Misma.
  Solo puedo recomendarlo con la maxima categoria de estrellas,se lo reciomiendo a todo el mundo.....,Sobre todo a los que estan al poder en la Actualidad!
  
  
• got Spirit?
  By A3VCW0ZJRGV11H on 2006-11-04
  This film is what I would call a spiritual adventure. Great music, great imagery from all over the world, great insightful interviews with people of all different faiths. It's the kind of film that keeps giving something new everytime you watch it! I love it, and would highly recommend for anyone who is seeking truth.
  
  
• Truly a Giant Leap!
  By A2HEOT5QOYD3EO on 2002-09-23
  I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the first public preview of this DVD last month at Yerba Buena Gardens, in San Francisco. This DVD is so incredible! It didn't take long to recognize the creative alchemy and authenticity that went into this work. The result is a treasure of profound beauty and thoughtful wisdom.

  The music, the imagery, the story-telling and spoken word, all fused brilliantly with inspired arrangements... I've not seen anything else quite like it--1 Giant Leap is as thought-provoking as it is beautiful to watch. The information is densely packed, throughout. The DVD is initially set to let you play just one chapter at a time. This is to allow viewers to take it all in and evoke discussion. There is also a 'jukebox mode' to let the viewer create their own viewing experiences, as well as a 'loop mode' to play the whole thing in its entirety.

  One Giant Leap is a a real treasure, and I whole-heartedly recommend it!
  
  

• 1 Giant Leap
• Baraka
• Dances of Ecstasy
• Waking Life
• Koyaanisqatsi / Powaqqatsi (2 Pack)