Toward the Within (1994)

thank you for this performance. i felt my soul upraised. i don't understand why you are called the promo tors of the "dark wave". probably because you treated the problem of death. i think (and all my friends also) that you treated the problem of attitude in front of the death, with the soul full of life!! i think that death is an aspect of life, and all the comments near the death problem are parts of life. my people (romanian people) have a history of minimum 4000 years. all along the way, we change our point of view about face the death. for the beginning, we burn our deaths and finalize the evolution by buried them, like any other Christian. but the feeling in front of death was the same: no fear. in the beginning (about 2500 years ago) we believed in a god named "Zamolxe", a man who "lived" seven years in a "living grave" (a hole in the earth) and after these years, he came out full of wisdom of God, knowing the meanings of life and death. after he promoted his knowledge, the people had no any more fear of death. our wars, in that time, with the roman empire, were very important to the history (in Rome, still exists the "Traian Columna") a sculpture that reveals the war between my ancient people and the roman empire (lead by the emperor Traian). i know that you are very interested of ancient history (not only music history), that is i am telling you that. we are feeling very close of your creation because our fearless in front of death. our original culture is treating death just like a transgression to a different way of life. i listen the songs of "dead can dance" in the show "toward the within" and i felt really refreshed. thank you Lisa Gerrard, Brendan Perry, Robert Perry and friends. keep going!!

When I originally voted for this film, I gave it a 10 because it is a truly captivating film if you enjoy this type of music (folk/celtic/Middle Eastern...the unique combination that is Dead Can Dance). This was after I viewed a VHS tape of the film. Now that I own the DVD (comes with the DCD box set), I have had a chance to see it in a different format. The DVD video quality should be better than it is. The film was probably recorded in standard (vs. widescreen) format, so that is the only way it is viewed. The picture is a little grainy on the DVD (just as the VHS was). For all my gripes about how ARTISAN should have cleaned up the picture, this is still a great DVD. The sound is excellent and the extra features are there (although there aren't too many).

A DVD copy of TOWARD THE WITHIN is included with the DEAD CAN DANCE 1981-1998 boxed set, along with other videos. This boxed set might be the only chance to get a DVD of this performance. By the way, Mark Magidson also produced BARAKA (1992), and the DVD offers excerpts from the film in which Dead Can Dance music was featured.

This is truly a fine movie. What we have here is app. 90 minutes with music from Dead Can Dance live from the Mayfair Theatre in Santa Monica. Between the songs Lisa and Brendan comments about the songs and other stuff. To hear and see the great music is really the best thing to do if you have a bad day.Filled with music from their entire career you get every thing that you ask for. Buy it now, or regret it later.