December 14, 2011 @ 6:18PM

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance

Not A Typo! A Classic!

By John Neel

There are many things to consider this holiday season. Inspirational if nothing else! I would hope and pray for more!

Koyaanisqatsi - A Cult Classic

Koyaanisqatsi (pronunciation: /koʊjɑːnɪsˈkɑːtsiː/) also known as Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, is a 1982 film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke.

"Koyaanisqatsi is the first film of the QATSI trilogy. The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance." Created between 1975 and 1982, the film is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds -- urban life and technology versus the environment. The musical score was composed by Philip Glass." - koyaanisqatsi.org

"The film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse footage of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and music. Reggio explains the lack of dialogue by stating "it's not for lack of love of the language that these films have no words. It's because, from my point of view, our language is in a state of vast humiliation. It no longer describes the world in which we live."In the Hopi language, the word Koyaanisqatsimeans "unbalanced life". The film is the first in the Qatsi trilogy of films: it is followed byPowaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). The trilogy depicts different aspects of the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. Koyaanisqatsi is the best known of thetrilogy and is considered a cult film." - Wikipedia

Link to the full movie on Hulu - http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3856793625/

MOVIE INFO

"An art-house circuit sensation, this feature-length documentary is visually arresting and possesses a clear, pro-environmental political agenda. Without a story, dialogue, or characters, Koyaanisqatsi (1983) (the film's title is a Hopi word roughly translated into English as "life out of balance") is composed of nature imagery, manipulated in slow motion, double exposure or time lapse, juxtaposed with footage of humans' devastating environmental impact on the planet. Starting with an ancient rock wall painting, the film moves through sequences depicting clouds, waves, and other natural features, then into man-made landscapes such as buildings, earth-altering construction machinery, and cars. The message of director Godfrey Reggio is clear: humans are destroying the planet, and all of human progress is pointlessly foolish. Also notable for its intense, atmospheric score by new age composer Philip Glass, Koyaanisqatsi (1983) was a labor of love for Reggio, who spent several years filming it. The film was followed by sequels, Powaqqatsi (1988), Anima Mundi (1991) and Naqoyqatsi (1999). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi." http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/koyaanisqatsi_life_out_of_balance/