1982 - KOYAANISQATSI - life out of balance = pretentious

Astutely described by legendary film critic Roger Ebert as a "glorified music video."  Koyaanisqatsi is a silent film with music and at times stunning photography.  The film according to its creator, Godfrey Reggio is about "how we live technology," whatever that gobbly gook means.

 The film starts out with stately images of the American Southwest desert where all is calm and mellow.  As the camera moves past these images the viewer gets a lot of time lapse photography of human beings racing all over a Metropolitian city like a colony of ants on speed.  

 

It all comes to a crashing end with stock footage of a rocket blowing up as the camera follows pieces of it falling back to the earth.   What does it all mean?  In the end should we abandon our fast paced and out of control lives for a more simpler existence in the southwest desert trying not to get bit by scorpions? Or is the film just a bunch of interesting locations tied together by at times stunning photography and editing that achieves a visual impact on the viewer?

One thing is for sure the minimalist film score by composer Phillip Glass is an important contribution to the film and kind of saves the day.

The film was written such that it is by Ron Fricke, Michael Hoenig, Godfrey Reggio and Alton Walpole.  The running time is thankfully under 90 minutes.  A little of this stuff goes a very long way.