Sacred Site (1986) User Reviews

Great film

[jshhmr · 10/10 · 16 June 2009]

I have contacted the makers of this film, and it appears the cost of transferring a 70mm film to DVD for a 7 minute film isn't plausible. I do have the soundtrack, and I am attempting to recreate the film in the West Texas skies. Even though there is no comet, I think I can at least come close to the grandeur that this film had. The skies are dark and I now have a great camera that can do time lapse. For those of you that are Ron Fricke (Baraka, Chronos) and Michael Stearns fans but haven't heard of this film, I saw this for the first time in the late 90's at my local IMAX theater. It was a double feature that played Sacred Site, then Chronos. That is when I was introduced to the whole genre at the age of 14. It literally changed my life. It takes place at Ayers Rock, Australia during Halley's Comet in 1984, and is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. I am listening to the soundtrack right now!

This masterpiece needs to be preserved.

[SydneySi_43 · 10/10 · 6 August 2019]

Ron Fricke's IMAX short is nothing but incredible. If you had the chance to see this short in the 80s you would know why I rate this film so highly. It is a stunning portrait of Hayley's Comet passing over the skies of the Northern Territory of Australia. Uluru is the backdrop for this masterpiece of cinematography. You will never see time lapse astrophotography like this anywhere else to date. Shot with IMAX cameras on 70mm film stock, the narrative is remarkable. From dusk to dawn in 7 minutes with a gorgeous interweaved soundtrack by Michael Stearns, Sacred Site leaves you breathless. This movie has since been lost to the vaults and by all accounts will never resurface again unless someone saves it. I5 should be restored and remastered in UHD before it is too late and the film stock becomes irreversibly damaged. If anyone in the industry knows the whereabouts of the masters and has the finances to remaster this short, please, please put up the finances before it's too late. Do this and preserve this masterpiece and allow it to see the light of day once more alongside a 4K release of Samsara or Baraka. If I had the money to finance the mastering I would gladly do so, but unfortunately I am only a fan of cinema and not wealthy enough to do so. Don't let this piece of cinematic history be lost forever. A huge Ron Fricke fan in Australia.