Koyaanisqatsi ( * * * * * )
You have seen part of this movie. Maybe not the whole thing, or even a trailer, but if you've ever seen time-elapsed photography on TV, they probably ganked a scene or two from this film. Made for Bell Labs and released in 1983, and culling over 8 years of footage, Koyaanisqatsi is a movie unlike any other...yes, even unlike its awful sequels Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi, also by monk-turned-director Godfrey Reggio. It is a documentary with no narration that nevertheless captures the scope of our planet's complex, trying existence and man's "life out of balance" on it. There are two types of Koyaanisqatsi viewers, those who watch it in rapt awe the first time, and those who openly blabber about "What city is that?" and "is that Death Valley?" because it has no conventional actors, plot or dialogue to interrupt. Koyaanisqatsi (pronounced COY-on-UH-scot-see) is not even a real word, but a word devised by Godfrey Reggio based on the Hopi language to mean, variously, "Life out of balance" and "a way of life that calls for another way of living" among other shades of meaning.
The Acting: Well, some people clearly get photographed without prior knowledge, and judging by the looks on some of their faces, didn't stick around to fill out any consent forms. There's not acting in a tangible sense, but people are asked to pose for the camera at various times. Mostly people are seen in slow-mo or time-elapsed crowd scenes.
The Story: While there's no literal narrative, there are themes that, when understood, have the capicty to squeegee the third eye about human existence, the truth of fractals and chaos theory, and you find yourself thinking things like, "You know, cities really are just big organisms, and the cars are the bloodstreams..." and "clouds look just like water at that speed" and "computer chips are just tiny city blocks" and shit like that. Or, you can just laugh at the hubris of Seventies clothing, or cheer at epic scenes of buildings being demolished, planes dropping bombs, television sets exploding and men in lab coats tending time-lapsed hotdogs like surgeons operating. Ever wanted to see a twinkie factory? Check. Ever wanted to go spelunking in a place where a bat's wing catches a ray of light through a donut-shaped hole in the roof of a cave? Check. Or just watch a nun sipping water in a mall at a thousand miles per hour? Check. There's a mind-boggling array of images to absorb in this film, and it's relevance is not restricted to any time or culture. Anyone in the world can watch it and come away with the same feeling. It's the story of the world.
The Director: Godfrey Reggio came from a Christian order of monks where he left regular society for most of his adult life and as such came to this film with a truly objective view. It is a haunting film of immense complexity, made supercharged and steamlined by a Phillip Glass soundtrack.
Overall: The cinematographer Ron Fricke went on to make the documentary Baraka, which was superior to Reggio's follow-up films, but in a different category altogether from this one. There's nothing else like Koyaanisqatsi, and there never will be. Thanks to Cliff Biggers, who screened this movie in his creative writing class, which is where I first saw it many years ago.
Tredekka Rules:
The Acting: Well, some people clearly get photographed without prior knowledge, and judging by the looks on some of their faces, didn't stick around to fill out any consent forms. There's not acting in a tangible sense, but people are asked to pose for the camera at various times. Mostly people are seen in slow-mo or time-elapsed crowd scenes.
The Story: While there's no literal narrative, there are themes that, when understood, have the capicty to squeegee the third eye about human existence, the truth of fractals and chaos theory, and you find yourself thinking things like, "You know, cities really are just big organisms, and the cars are the bloodstreams..." and "clouds look just like water at that speed" and "computer chips are just tiny city blocks" and shit like that. Or, you can just laugh at the hubris of Seventies clothing, or cheer at epic scenes of buildings being demolished, planes dropping bombs, television sets exploding and men in lab coats tending time-lapsed hotdogs like surgeons operating. Ever wanted to see a twinkie factory? Check. Ever wanted to go spelunking in a place where a bat's wing catches a ray of light through a donut-shaped hole in the roof of a cave? Check. Or just watch a nun sipping water in a mall at a thousand miles per hour? Check. There's a mind-boggling array of images to absorb in this film, and it's relevance is not restricted to any time or culture. Anyone in the world can watch it and come away with the same feeling. It's the story of the world.
The Director: Godfrey Reggio came from a Christian order of monks where he left regular society for most of his adult life and as such came to this film with a truly objective view. It is a haunting film of immense complexity, made supercharged and steamlined by a Phillip Glass soundtrack.
Overall: The cinematographer Ron Fricke went on to make the documentary Baraka, which was superior to Reggio's follow-up films, but in a different category altogether from this one. There's nothing else like Koyaanisqatsi, and there never will be. Thanks to Cliff Biggers, who screened this movie in his creative writing class, which is where I first saw it many years ago.
Tredekka Rules:
- Rule 6: Over The Top Acting Award--in a very real sense, the backgrounds of most movies become the subject of this one, and they steal the show. +2 stars go to Mother Nature. Now show us your tits. (It's a seventies movie, come on.)
- Rule 12: Dodged The Pretentious Bullet Award--this movie is like that cave on Dagobah; what you find there depends entirely on what you bring to the viewing. +1 star.
- Rule 24: Exploding Buildings Are Good, +1 star. They blows ups all kinds of shit.
- Rule 29: Any Film Shorter Than 86 Minutes Is For Pussies...good thing this is 87 Minutes.
- Rule 33: Any Documentary Gets A Pity Star For The Effort. +1 star.
Tredekka Score: ( * * * * * )
posted by Tredekka at 4:17 AM
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