Koyaanisqatsi
Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance
(1982)
From
start to finish, Koyaanisqatsi is a
visual spectacle. It is often times loud and thundering, yet it can also be
considered quiet as the only sound in the entire film comes from its
soundtrack. If I hadn’t seen the intro credits, I would have thought it was
made by Stanley Kubrick whose films always favored astonishing imagery over
dialogue. Furthermore, the power of this film comes from a symbiosis of two
very important elements.
Firstly,
it is the use of captivating and awe-inspiring video. Grand physical features and
stunning natural vistas line the first 5-10 minutes, which the rest of the film
replaces with shots of machines, cityscapes, cars, and thousands of people going
about their lives. A good portion of the movie is in very fast motion, followed
by slow motion and a quiet finale. The whole movie is not shot from any kind of
person’s point of view. Because of this, the nature of many aerial shots, the lack of a narrator
and an overall quality of objectiveness, the film looks more like an alien’s
observation of the human race than anything else.
The
second element is its use of music. Before there is anything on the screen, the
viewer is greeted by an eerie chant (koyaanisqatsi) that slowly grows and
grows. Then the movie switches into the man-made world and the music turns to a
light operatic tone with orchestral music. Whenever the shots start moving
faster, the music follows with a faster beat and a bellowing sound. When the
video switches to slow motion in the latter half, the music switches to a slow
organ.
Perhaps
the most interesting part comes at the very end when the viewer is confronted
with a cave painting. The realization that this humongous fast-paced society
with all its technology and wonder started here, in a cave with some finger
paints.
With
that said, I liked the movie. The incredible visuals of natural and man-made
landscapes impressed me, even with today’s technology and movie magic. Its
theme of society’s negative impact is interesting, but I think its most
important accomplishment is the near perfect relationship it establishes with sight
and sound.
