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Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey

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Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey
Remastered DVD cover
GenreDocumentary film
Written byLawrence Blair
Directed byLorne Blair
StarringJohn Chang
Narrated byLorne Blair
Lawrence Blair
ComposerMason Daring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5(8)
Production
Executive producersDavid Fanning
Chris Blair
Robin Gurney
ProducersLorne Blair
Lawrence Blair
Production locationIndonesia
Running time56 minutes x 5
Production companiesWGBH-TV
SavEarth Media LLC
Original release
NetworkPBS (US)
BBC (UK)
Release6 June (1988-06-06) –
18 July 1988 (1988-07-18)

The Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey is a series of five documentary films following the decade-long Wanderjahr[1] of the filmmaker/sibling partnership Lorne and Lawrence Blair.

Background

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With financing from investors including the BBC and Ringo Starr, the Blair Brothers arrived in Indonesia from England in 1972. At that time, the Indonesian archipelago offered isolation for Neolithic cultures and their indigenous beliefs. The Blair brothers spent over two decades documenting the relationships between island ecology and their peoples.

Production

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Originally edited from 80 hours of 16mm film in co-production with WGBH-TV, Boston, Ring of Fire was produced, directed and photographed by Lorne Blair[2][3] and co-produced and written by Lawrence Blair.[4] The executive producer was Frontline's David Fanning. The films have been shown in more than 60 countries.[citation needed] A 2021 digital remaster was produced by SavEarth Media, an impact media company.

Series as five documentary films

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No.TitleLength
(minutes)		Original air date
1Spice Island Saga58[5]1987 (1987)
The Blair brothers follow the footsteps of naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on a Bugis sailboat in search of the bird of paradise to the Aru Islands near New Guinea.
2Dance of the Warriors58[6]1987 (1987)
The brothers sail to the islands of Komodo where they encounter the Komodo dragon, Sumba where they witness human sacrifice, western New Guinea where they meet the Asmat, and finally Bali where they build a home in a village.
3East of Krakatoa58[7]1987 (1987)
The Blairs descend into the active volcano Anak Krakatoa and meet the legendary 116-year-old artist Lempad. They also meet the neigong master, John Chang, known as “Dynamo Jack” and witness the funeral rites of the king of the Toraja people of the Celebes.
4Dream Wanderers of Borneo61[8]1987 (1987)
The brothers go in search of the nomadic Punan Dayaks.
5Beyond the Ring of Fire561996 (1996)
Lawrence Blair returns to a lost paradise at the outer edge of the known world eight years later in a retrospective voyage to many of the islands first visited and others never previously filmed.

Series as TV episodes

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No.TitleLength
(minutes)		Original air dateRerun Date
1East with the Boogiemen256 June 1988 (1988-06-06)[9]13 August 1990[10]
2Spice Island Saga2513 June 1988 (1988-06-13)[11]20 August 1990[12]
3Here Be Dragons2520 June 1988 (1988-06-20)[13]3 September 1990[14]
4Dance of the Warriors2527 June 1988 (1988-06-27)[15]10 September 1990[16]
5East of Krakatoa254 July 1988 (1988-07-04)[17]17 September 1990[18]
6Beyond the Shadow Screen2511 July 1988 (1988-07-11)[19]24 September 1990[20]
7Dream Wanderers of Borneo2518 July 1988 (1988-07-18)[21]10 October 1990[22]
8Beyond the Ring of Fire-1996 (1996)-

Release

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Ring of Fire aired in weekly installments from May 16, 1988 at 8 p.m. on Channels 28 and 15 as part of the PBS “Adventure” series.[23]

One result of the work was a PBS-distributed multimedia package: an oversized picture book, alongside the Emmy-nominated BBC/PBS television series titled Ring of Fire. A book of the television series was published in 1988 and republished in 2010. A digitally remastered DVD was released in 2003. In 2021, in celebration of 50 years since filming began, Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey was digitally remastered (both picture and sound) and is now available on iTunes (US, UK, AUS and CAN)[24] and Vimeo On Demand.[25][26]

Reception

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In the Los Angeles Times, Steve Weinstein called the series an "incomparable adventure teeming with thrills, chills, mystery and the bizarre".[23]

Awards

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  • Emmy award in 1988.[27][28]
  • Silver Apple award in 1989 from the National Educational Film and Video Festival (NEFVF).

References

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  1. ^ Blair, Lawrence; Lorne Blair (1 April 1988). Ring of Fire. Bantam Books. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-553-05232-9.
  2. ^ "Lorne Blair in Bali". Sophia Anastasia (his life partner). 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Lorne Blair, 1945-1995: A short biography of Lorne from a brother's perspective". www.drlawrenceblair.com. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Dr Lawrence Blair - Bio". www.drlawrenceblair.com. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Adventure; Ring of Fire: Spice Island Saga". openvault.wgbh.org. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Adventure; Ring of Fire: Dance of the Warriors". openvault.wgbh.org. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Adventure; Ring of Fire: East of Krakatoa". openvault.wgbh.org. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Adventure; Ring of Fire: The Dream Wanderers of Borneo". openvault.wgbh.org. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  9. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 1: East with the Boogiemen". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 6 June 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 1: East with the Boogiemen". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 13 August 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  11. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 2: Spice Island Saga". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 13 June 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 2: Spice Island Saga". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 20 August 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  13. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 3: Here Be Dragons". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 20 June 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  14. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 3: Here Be Dragons". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 3 September 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  15. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 4: Dance of the Warrior". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 27 June 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 4: Dance of the Warrior". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 10 September 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  17. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 5: East of Krakatoa". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 4 July 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  18. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 5: East of Krakatoa". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 17 September 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  19. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 6: Beyond the Shadow Screen". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 11 July 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  20. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 6: Beyond the Shadow Screen". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 24 September 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  21. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 7: Dream Wanderers of Borneo". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 18 July 1988. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  22. ^ "BBC Programme Index - 7: Dream Wanderers of Borneo". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 10 October 1990. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  23. ^ a b Weinstein, Steve (14 May 1988). "Adventurers in the 'Ring of Fire'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey - Apple TV". Apple TV. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  25. ^ STUDIOS, SAVEARTH (13 December 2022), Watch Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey Online | Vimeo On Demand, retrieved 14 March 2024
  26. ^ Team, NOW Bali Editorial (25 June 2021). "Fantastic Documentaries 'Bali: Island of the Dogs' and 'Ring of Fire' Now Available on iTunes". NOW! Bali. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  27. ^ Team, Qraved (1 July 2013). "Meet Lawrence Blair". Indonesia Expat. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Ring of fire : an Indonesian odyssey / directed by Lorne Blair; written by Lawrence Blair; edited by... - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
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