of their respective owners.
Pick here to go back to main page.
***** of only ****
Rated: G
Length: 87 minutes
Credits:
Produced & Directed by Godfrey Reggio
Written by Godfrey Reggio and Ken Richards
Director of Photography: Ron Fricke
Edited by Alton Walpole Ron Fricke
Music Composed by Philip Glass
Cast: No One, every One
Language: None, All
Definition:
ko.yaa.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi language) n.
1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life out
of balance. 4. life disintegrating. 5. a state
of life that calls for another way of living.
For 160 x 120 size with more images in a 1,298 KB file, go here.
For a 320 x 240 size with the greater number of images in a 3,928 KB file, go here.
The image of an ancient Hopi cave painting is obliterated by the fireball of a rocket igniting. The ancient rock formations are flown over, and canyon like rocks are viewed from the ground. The clouds flow in their natural patterns. Stormy weather arises as the powerful surf is seen. Mining is seen as the veiw shifts to energy production and distribution. The human guiding of nature is poetically repeated in many ways of mass production and mass transit. The canyon like city streets guide people and products to their assigned destinations. You see people. A rocket ignites into flight, blows up in failure, and the rocket motor plummets back to the earth. The image of another ancient Hopi cave painting is shown.
Review:
A fascinating visual poem, and an original film. The opening will brighten your aura, but by the end it will be colors rarely seen, made sick as the heart of all human potential returns nothing. None of these images are staged. They depict real life as it is, and much of the film is stock footage. The new footage is more of natural scenes and speed adjusted scenes to show elements at their essence. The part that make this truly haunting is that everything is real. There is no room for denial. The film creator's ambition was a success. The approach of the contemporary Apocolypse Now was to tear apart the meaning of being human by progressively stepping the characters down into the animal world, and showing that we are only pretending to be any better. Godfrey Reggio shows the problem with humanity in Koyaanisqatsi as our attempts to rise above nature as hopelessly futile and in the end, cruelly self destructive. The consequences of the clash between technology, mankind, and nature are inevitable. The composition and editing is extremely effective in building each chapter in this deconstructive poem of imagery. The time for letting images soak in works well for preparation for the onslaught of seemingly mundane daily events at a rapid and rhythmic pace. Koyaanisqatsi focuses on the effects of technology on human society in the northern hemisphere.
It is a very good film to see for it's image and technique. If you understand the thesis, this G rated film is far more distressing than the conspicuously brutal NC-18 Requiem For A Dream. This could perhaps be described as society's theatrical therapy!
The music is a very key driving force in this film. The mood changes are clearly defined by the accompanying songs. The songs are deceptively simple to the ear, but the rote nature of these entrancing rhythms drives the whole experience deeper in you. Hindu chant is said by the producers to be the starting point from which these songs were developed. Philip Glass has performed this music live with at least one special screening of Koyaanisqatsi.
If you ever get a chance to see this in a theater, do it!
Soundtrack Album, digitally remastered and re-released in 1998:
Koyaanisqatsi (3:28)
Organic (7:43)
Cloudscape (4:34)
Resource (6:39)
Vessels (8:05)
Pruit igoe (7:53)
Grid (21:23)
Prophecies (13:36)
73 minutes total
APPENDIX:
SOURCES FOR OBTAINING THE QATSI SERIES MOVIES:
The home viewing distribution rights are being disputed, which makes this rare film very difficult to come by. Previous releases were on VHS and LaserDisc.
1) It always helps to know someone that has a copy of the film.
2) Your local public or college library may have a copy.
3) Some video rental stores may have a copy. I found two rental stores that had Powaqqatsi.
4) Online auctions do have these movies, but they are expensive. On ebay, the VHS goes for $US 75-105, and the LaserDisc goes for $US 180. Yahoo is much cheaper than ebay. When the dispute is resolved and distribution begins, prices will plummet.
5) There is an autographed limited edition DVD that may still be available through the Official Site for $US 180. $155 of this is a charitable tax deduction. There are no extras with this DVD.
6) Campaign your local cinema! Local art houses, classic movie houses, and colleges would be the place to go. The first movie made good box office. With the third movie, Naqoyqatsi, likely coming out in two years, They may be interested in preceding the opening with a prior movie. The committee of students choosing movies can be very flexible.
REFERENCES:
Koyaanisqatsi (1983) Life out of Balance
Powaqqatsi (1988) Life in Transformation
Naqoyqatsi (2002+) A way of Life as War
Apocolypse Now (1979)
Requiem For A Dream (2000)