| | |  | INDIA & SUBCONTINENT | Home » » Ile Aiye (The House of Life) - A Film by David Byrne | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | ILÉ AIYÉ is David Byrne's breathtaking 1989 documentary on Candomblé, the African-influenced spirit cult of the Bahia region of Brazil. ILÉ AIYÉ explores the ways in which Candomblé has influenced the daily life and culture of the people of Brazil in music, art, religion, theater, food, dance, poetry and more. ILÉ AIYÉ uses experimental film techniques, music, and cultural observation to express the life and rituals of Candomblé and the symbolic manifestation of the Orishás, the deities which represent the wide range of natural and spiritual forces. The rhythms of the sacred drums and bells, a dance of spiritual ecstasy, offerings and sacrifices, divination and the visitation of the Orishás through trance are all part of the color and life of Candomblé. Complemented by the original score from David Byrne recorded with Bahian musicians, the music in ILÉ AIYÉ includes ritual music recorded during ceremonies as well as popular Brazilian songs influenced by Candomblé. | | | Product Details: | | | Director:
| David Byrne | | Format:
| Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Subtitle:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Plexifilm | | Run Time:
| 51 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| August 31, 2004 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 4 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 I'm not sure what exactly to write?Feb 14, 2010
Maybe "Ile Aiye" is some kind of code for David Byrne took his camcorder to some of the most remote parts of South America and filmed lots of dancing, drum playing and trance like singing.
No Talking Heads, no David Byrne, no subtitles, no translation, no music you would even understand... You're on you own on this one and you'll find yourselves looking numerous times at your airline tickets saying "when does this jet depart so I can get the hell out of here?"
Unless the theme of this video is something you are ABSOLUTELY familiar with, don't waste your time or money.
You can save your money and watch programs like this on the "foreign culture channel".
0 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 I love David Byrne but this was a bit tedious.Mar 15, 2009
I watched this once and yawned. I love David Byrne but this didn't do much for me.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Then They Had a Party For the Gods and the Gods CameDec 03, 2007
To me, Kandomble represents one of the best ways to experience and share religious feeling - a spiritual path where the entire body celebrates through music, rhythm and trance. Clearly, Byrne has been hooked as well.
This DVD represents a collage of images, syncopations, sweaty bodies, images of saints and possessed old ladies, filmed and collated with affection and deep sympathy. At times I thought I glimpsed a sparseness in the spaces between the narrative and the image, a holding back from being swept from holding the camera into the dance frenzy, that sort of reminded me of Werner Herzog. Ile Aiye's narrative is removed out of the ordinary into a place which is neither here nor there. Some might attribute such an approach to lack of concern with craftsmanship, but Byrne pulls it off relatively well. This film makes me want to BE THERE, in Salvador de Bahia, moving together with those bodies that were designed to move and to worship, to celebrate the ecstasy of being filled with the force of life. The words themselves, Oshun, Yemaya, Exu, Xango, Omulu... dance away effortlessly from the tongue...
Well worth seeing.
24 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Let yourself be possessed by the rhythmOct 30, 2004
I remember vaguely seeing this film on PBS back in the mid to late '80s when it first came out. Seeing it now, I obviously didn't remember much. This is a great, great documentary. You will learn about the religion of candomble, which is a blend of catholicism and African rituals in Bahia, Brazil. This was a big influence for David Byrne during the "Rei Momo" period(and probably continues to be). The rhythms and dances these people do are nothing short of the DNA of rock and roll. You will also learn more about what makes David Byrne tick. As an example, it suddenly makes perfect sense why he would choose Whitney Houston's "I just wanna dance with somebody" as a cover song in concert. Finally, I dare say, you'll learn about life.
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