Bali in Film

Posted by admin on July 17th, 2009 filed in Travel

For travelers who like adventure and recreation, the time spent at a Bali beach resort would have to rank high on anyone’s list.  Our resorts offer a whole range of possibilities, with accommodations to suit everyone.  There is so much to see and do in Bali.  The beaches, of course, are legendary, and there’s really nothing in the world like white sand between the toes.  The culture is extremely lively and fascinating, and their are many tours that can introduce one to some of the traditions and art forms on the island.  There are also a number of dance and theatre groups performing traditional as well as contemporary works of art.  Between nature and culture, there are many exciting adventures here.

Bali in the popular imagination has had a long and complicated history.  Most of the work that has been done on Bali in the 20th century tends toward romanticizing and exoticizing the people.  There have been excellent studies done by very accomplished anthropologists, like Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, whose film based on their studies, Karba’s First Years: A Study of Balinese Childhood, is a classic.  Their other film on Bali, Trance and Dance in Bali, is also considered to be a landmark in the field of ethnographic film.  These are very interesting studies, and still seem to demonstrate the limited range that Bali is presented to the world.

On the one hand, there is the social investigation into the life and customs of the natives; on the other, investigation into the secret magical practices.  While there are parallels in these films to a contemporary Bali, it is a much more complicated place.  One of the great joys of traveling the world is to experience other cultures, languages, and points of view, and Bali certainly offers this opportunity to experience life on the ground.  It is always interesting to have stereotypes fade away for lack of evidence, or for experience that proves another truth.  There are also excellent organizations, such as the Bali Film Center, who are involved in the production and distribution of contemporary films about Bali.  Here, the ideas of the past can fade away as the living stories of a living culture find their way into global consciousness.