Koyaanisqatsi

This uneventful, warm Saturday night I happened to channel surf and stopped on MGM (channel 82). The title of the show read Koyaanisqatsi and I was intrigued. Weird name, I have to watch. There were stunning visuals of clouds, rivers, the play of light moving across the surface of the Earth, the raging sea, cityscapes, the movement of traffic and people, assembly lines, circuit boards, buildings being blown up, explosions, people on the street and at a train platform and much more, all set to music and singing. No narration, no explanation.

Beautiful perhaps even haunting visuals, most set at super quick speed with music. Sort of like a really long music video. The traffic and assembly line scenes, and those of people in transit and in restaurants made us seem like ants scampering about in oddly routine motion. It was also interesting that the nature visuals didn't show any growth or birth though, just the passing of things through time. I sat through the film quietly, though I smiled at the juxtaposition of people moving up a set of escalators to a hotdog assembly line. The timelapsed night time sequences are amazing too. Traffic at night is like blood through a city's arteries.

The end of the 1983 film has a frame that explained the title - Koyaanisqatsi means 'life out of balance' in the Hopi language, a native North American tongue. The term is part of the Hopi Prophecies, a list of things that happen before the world resets itself.

Not for everyone (my Mom went into her room after 5 mins), the film is worth talking and thinking about. It was nominated for the Golden Bear in 1983, and won stuff for the soundtrack. Turns out it took 6 years to make. Old skool cool in my book.

Here are the Wikipedia and IMDB links, and below, a 10min clip from Youtube.