Not having much to do a few nights a go, I decided to wander down in the basement and root through some old videos. I had forgotten that I had an old copy of Godfrey Reggio’s film “Koyanisqaatsi” and decided to watch it again. I’d forgotten what an amazing film it is; completely agaist the grain of what the typical “Hollywood” film is supposed to be.
A lot of people didn’t like it; thought it was all just special effects and that the Philip Glass score was just monotonous and grating, but the overall effect for me is completely mesmerizing.
Does anybody else wax as orgasmic over this film as I do?
Yeah, Euty, it is a cool flick. I especially like the rocket that blows up at the end (in slow motion). Way cool! There is also POWASQUATTSI (sp?), same crew, same format, just more of the same.
Philip Glass wrote the score? Cool. (I love Philip Glass.)
I am not familiar with the film; can you give a little more info or a link? - when was it released, basic plot, etc.
When I was in college, my neighbors were in a group that used to show films on campus every weekend. They got the films ahead of time, and during the summer, we would preview them in the back yard, on the back wall of my neighbor’s garage. Right behind us was my neighbor’s extensive (ahem) herb garden. Had no idea what to expect when they told me we were going to see Koyanisqaatsi. But now I remember it as one of my favotrite movie viewing experiences ever.
Screech - no plot, no dialogue. Essentially the crew set up cameras viewing phenomena from unusual perspectives, at unusual speeds. For example, I believe it begins with a series that you can’t really tell what it is other than some kind of fire or explosion. Eventually, however, you realize you are viewing an extremely close up of a rocket lift off viewed in revers in super slow motion.
Another scene has a car driving through Manhattan, with the camera pointed directly up and run at a fast pace.
Yet another shows the patterns that emerge as people pass through a commuter station, line up for, and board and disembark trains.
And the haunting images of that abandoned public housing development in St. Louis.
Yeah, what Dinsdale said. No plot, and I’ll admit, I couldn’t have come up with the name “Godfrey Reggio” if my life depended on it. I’ve just always considered it a Philip Glass vehicle. In fact, if you think of it as a music video, you won’t be far off the mark.
Eutychus, thank you for bringing up this film! My logic instructor at CTY years ago showed it to our class – and I’ve been trying to figure out what it was called for the past year or so.
::goes to check one more item off her “Things I Really Need to Remember” list::
I agree, Eutychus, this is an amazing film. I haven’t seen it in years, though. I kind of doubt that I’ll be able to find it where I’m living now (small-town Alberta.)
Another Koyanisqaatsi fan here, although I prefer the cityscape scenes to the nature scenes; just listening to the soundtrack is cool too. I thought Powaqaatsi much less interesting musically.
dewt and I were just discussing this film yesterday
In college, we had a film prof who was in love with this film, showed it every semester along with ‘Eraserhead’ and other obscure and bizarre films.
of course, this prof would be up in the projection booth, toking his brains out, and would invite ‘select’ students whom he felt would be open to ‘expanding their consciousness’…LOL
I loved that man.
it is one of my all time favorites, followed by "Baraka"
OK, two more films to add to the list. I’ve seen a trailer for Powaqqaatsi and immediately knew this was a film to watch whilst toking my brains out. Then when I found out there was Koyanisqaatsi that just made it all the more imperative to see the both of them. I doubt Blockbuster’s got 'em but maybe I can order 'em from Amazon or some such place.
Oh, anyone ever hear Peter Schickele’s Glassifying of Bach’s Prelude No. 1 from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier? He’s in the background chanting “coy hotsy-totsy”… nearly pissed myself laughing when I first heard it.
Seen it several times- you really need to see it on a big screen, regular TV wouldn’t cut it.
My favorite parts were the switching back and forth between water flowing over rocks and clouds in slow motion flowing over mountains- they look the same. Also switching between satellite views of cities at night and microscopic views of computer chips; again, different but the same.
Ron Fricke worked as cinematographer on Koyanisqaatsi. His later works, Chronos and Baraka, have more of a forceful tone. Also, he’s quite caught up in religious imagery. While I’m a fan of Fricke’s work, he never manages to capture the glory that is Koyanisqaatsi. The absence of Philip Glass doesn’t help.
My brother is a rabid Koyanisqaatsi fan, and he got me to watch it about 6 months ago. I’d been kinda put off by what he’d told me about it, but I was still willing to give it a chance. I’m quite glad I did.
I have a copy of K. as well. I especially love the sequence near the very end where you see a S-L-O-W motion rocket takeoff, followed in an unbroken shot by the rocket exploding, and the largest flaming piece falling for a very long time to earth.
This film came out while I was in Salt Lake City, and it played for a very long time at one of the first-run movie houses – NOT an art movie house, I note. (Although it did become a standard at The Blue Mouse art cinema after that.)
For what it’s worth, I don’t think this film makes its intended point well – rather than showing the craziness of modern life in contrast with the beauty of nature, everything – Civilization as well as Nature – seems to have a surreal beauty to it.