Koyaanisqatsi (1983) DVD

Koyaanisqatsi

First-time filmmaker Godfrey Reggio's experimental documentary "Koyaanisqatsi" from 1983 - shot mostly in the desert Southwest and New York City on a tiny budget with no script, then attracting the support of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas and enlisting the indispensable musical contribution of Philip Glass - delighted college students on the midnight circuit and fans of minimalism for many years. Meanwhile, its techniques, merging cinematographer Ron Fricke's time-lapse shots (alternately peripatetic and hyperspeed) with Glass's reiterative music (from the meditative to the orgiastic) - as well as its ecology-minded imagery - crept into the consciousness of popular culture. The influence of 'Koyaanisqatsi', or "life out of balance," has by now become unmistakable in television advertisements and music videos and this DVD provides the uninitiated the chance to see where it all started--along with an intense audiovisual rush.

Director	Godfrey Reggio
Studio	MGM HOME ENT. (EUROPE) LTD.
Certificate
Genres	Documentary
Language	DVD: English
Released	DVD: 13 Jan 2003 Production year: 1983

Critics' reviews (2) of Koyaanisqatsi
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An offbeat, and often off-beam, documentary-cum-meditation about the decline of western civilisation, using the difference between the untamed American wilderness and hysterical, rush-hour Manhattan as its crux. Director Godfrey Reggio shuns narration in favour of powerful, repetitive music by minimalist composer Philip Glass to match his striking visuals. Made in the early eighties when ecological warnings were starting to take hold, it was, for all its vacuity, a surprising success. The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning “life out of balance”.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
A wildly charitable viewer might describe this as an ecological documentary. Less than 90 minutes transport us from the... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful member's review of Koyaanisqatsi
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12 out of 13 people found this review helpful

brilliant art movie

the music is great and the video images sometimes overly long will last long after you see this, philip glass soundtrack some of the best theme music ever ... more

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- - ronald kitching from England
  - Posted 09 Jun 2004 20:42
Most recent members' review of Koyaanisqatsi
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

Not To Be Missed

The title of the film apparently originates from a Native American Hopi word meaning, in essence, that the human race is experiencing an increasingly collective... more

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- - Peter Hurley from England
  - Posted 16 Mar 2007 09:26