One of the best opening sequences ever. The wall painting depicts a large figure surrounded by smaller figures. Presumably, this represents a ruler and his subjects. In other words: hierarchy. We go from that to rockets launching people into space, all in the space of a few thousand years. It's remarkable and frightening. And the music contributes to this meaning. Perfect.
This film had a huge impact on me. I saw it in theater in 1983, on acid. Two friends and myself would go every weekend to this little arthouse theater tripping and just purposely walk in and watch whatever was playing without having any ides what it was. This one left us speechless, as well as the audience afterwards. One of the very few films where as the lights came on and the credits played the 20 or so people in the theater just sat, stunned, not talking for an extended period of time. Excellent analysis, appreciate the review.
I love love love this film and everything Ron Frinke (the cinematographer) has made since. Baraka is my favourite one of them, but Koyaanisqatsi started it all.
I first saw this film in around 1982. Then in 1984 I saw the Philip Glass Ensemble performing the score, live to the film. I had a bunch of opium with me, and when I pulled it out this woman next to me recognized it, so I gave some to her as well. We sat there watching Koyaanisqatsi live high as hell on opium - and it was incredible.
It was amazing. It was in a smallish theater in San Antonio, Texas… and a bird got into room, somehow, and chirped and sang through most of the show. Philip ignored it and carried on… but, it added an odd, yet beautiful musical layer.
Knock knock. Who's there? Knock knock. Who's there? Knock knock. Who's there? Philip Glass. (Old joke.) (The rocket tumbling was like an enthralling tragic modern rendition of the Icarus myth.)
+Warren Fahy Good one. Btw, I forgot all about that falling rocket. That thing just seemed to fall forever. I believe that original file footage is on TH-cam somewhere.
I saw an interview with the director and he said some see this film as an “ode to technology” and he feels that is a valid way of looking at it. For me KOYAANISQATSI is both an ode and an alarm. I personally love natural wonders and unspoiled environments but I also love the engineering feats of freeways and skyscrapers. I don’t think it has to be an either/or situation. Both can be ugly and beautiful simultaneously.
I saw this in an arthouse theatre when it came out and years later with the director Rodrigo giving insight afterwards I have been to many of those remote Southwest landscapes. I’ve seen Glass in concert as well, the last two films are lacking. There is a scene of an old man in a run down city landscape - pure melancholy then a coral voice that is uplifting
Amazing review. And yes - that “Grand Illusion” shot is the so powerful. Has always been my favorite. I'd be interested to hearing your thoughts on Vanilla Sky. To me, it's one of the most beautiful movies ever made and one of the few movies that delivers an impact similar to Koyaa, so bubbling within human experience... making one deeply aware of the struggle between one's soul grasping at life, pulling itself into its own dream, and yet the utter mystery, transience, and ineffable eternity of it all... where all one really wants is to live "a real life", to be back where they started, to be human. Very similar to the last 20 minutes of Koyaa.
This kind of films has its ancestry from as early as the 1920s. Check out "Manhatta" from 1921, a silent short film that shows a montage of urban landscapes in Manhattan, with shots that aim to achieve some sort of artistry, rather than just duplicating reality. This sort of "artistic documentaries" were unheard of at the time.
I'm one of the only people I know that doesn't find a single note in Philip Glass' best music dull. The music for Mishima, his operas Akhnaten, Satyagraha, the Cocteau Trilogy, and of course the early minimalist pieces and Einstein on the Beach, really are some of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard. His piano concertos are incredible too. For a deep Glass cut, check out Paul Barnes' piano arrangements for Orpheé and the 2nd piano concerto.
Your parents served you well in taking you to the symphony. I think one of the reasons college students today might be put off by this is because contemporary pop culture (pop music, video games, genre movies) is much more compulsive. It does all of the work for us. This film acts more like nature, which is rarely compulsive. I'm not so sure it correlates to eastern meditation, the emptying of the mind. I'd say it it more like western meditation, the focus upon something, the reflection of the mind. Godfrey Reggio's idea was to get us to pay attention to what has happened to us, how we now live within technology, and to question it. (He states exactly that in his interviews.) But letting it wash over you is a good way to put it. A great film. Thanks. And thank your parents sometime for helping you develop a decent attention span.
I came across your review as I started to look up Koyaanisqatsi because of a related video on the turmoil of today. I came across this video over 25 years ago and at first could not appreciate the direction of the movie. Over the years I have grown to appreciate the film and how it related to the concept. I'm very appreciative of your review and thus adding more to my pespective of this movie. I grew up on the Hopi Reservation in Northern Arizona and this played a part in my intial review of the movie. I couldnt get the correlation between the film and the concept. Now, i highly recommend this movie.
The opening scene and especially the ending really hit me when I first watched it many moons ago. Who can forget the droning voices of the men's choir repeating the title of the film over and over again. Once you hear it, you'll never forget it. KOYAANISQATSI and 2001 A Space Odyssey are my all time favourites. You can say a lot without saying a word in these two classics. For those of you who are admire the works of Phillip Glass, check his collaboration with Brian Eno and the late David Bowie on an album called "Low." (David Bowie produced the original album on vinyl in the late 1970s)🌙
Thank u for spreading the word on this fantastic movie. I first saw it as a rental. Now I have it on blu-ray and it is amazing in HD on a 55 inch set. Baraka is another great one to watch.
Great review! I like the movie, and I agree that Philip Glass's music sits well in it. There are some great passages here, but I also think that this music in general is nothing more than arty. Take a (possibly) interesting phrase, put it in an endless loop, add some modulation occasionally, and voila: minimalist music.
Watched it on PBS in the late 80s. I was into avant guarde type films and I saw a promo. It did not grab me but I toughed it out until 'The Grid ' sequence. It starts off with a calm three notes and the moon slowly being eclipsed by a skyscraper. Each passage shifts gears in mania... from hopeful tones, industrious loops, on through until the music is a layered cacophony with high speed images to complement it. It beautifully illustrates our noble ideas turned against us. That sequence caused me to rewatch it many times and really think about the images and music.
Its still my favourite 'trying to get to sleep' movie. And I mean that in a good way. Some mesmerisimg imagery, haunting music, and fantastic editing. I don't think I could see it in a cinema, I'd be out in five minutes.
I remember when I was dancing at Sunday Skoool, it was part of the set to have a movie going on in behind the DJ. This is the first place I saw this movie....
Great and fair review! At least you understood what this is, unlike some other youtubers’ reviews. I saw it in college and like you, I was the only one who was mesmerised by it. Everyone else was bored, laughing or thought wtf.
Hello Deepfocuslens, I'd like to know what you think of the film "The Place Beyond The Pines", have you seen it before or have you never heard of it???
one of the most powerfull moments in cinema history for me personally is the shot of the challenger rocket exploding. it wasnt even shot for the movie, its just this very cold, archived testiment of mankinds highest ambitions, being reduced to ashes. trying to reach the stars only to burn and fall like icarus trying to touch the sun. I cry every time i see it. And every time i hear the perfect score.
it was a great movie, longing to rewatch again, very thought provoking really focuses the issues of life and existence of the human unlike most modern action movie with crap story and character writing easily forgettable but only good for entertainment value and that's about it.
I saw this when I was pretty young and it was sort of a gateway for me to explore different types of movies instead of the disposable stuff I regularly watched.
Me paso exactamente lo mismo, en mi instituto tambien pusieron fragmentos y yo fui el unico que se quedo con ganas de mas, asi que pedi el nombre de la pelicula, en cambio los demas alumnos solo pusieron malas caras.
Well, I just got caught by my boss checking out this review so, I might as well take a bold opportunity while I'm still employed and in a good mood and say what I've always wanted to say to you which is, you have really nice teeth.
Hi Maggie I have seen this move and found it very boring the way you review a movie makes it far more interesting than what it actually is , without a doubt you are one of the best reviewers. I have been following Chris Stuckmann for quite a while your in depth knowledge about the films are much better keep up the excellent work always. Maggie I am very curious to know your top three most favourite actors of all time I have seen one video of your top five favourite performances but I am more interested in knowing your top 3 most favourite actors of all time based on acting skills I hope you don’t mind me asking you this question but I will be extremely happy if you could please reply.
I remember seeing it in college when it first came out. It turns out my English professor was sitting behind me after the movie and I didn't know what to say to him. I ended up saying " it wasn't very optimistic". That- I remember, the movie itself I can't remember.
Your thoughts of the film are quite similar than mine. You said this movie should be approached like a painting, which I found very good allegory, probably because I am visual artist myself. Never the less, I think I like this film because I found it in my early thirties when I began to be more accepting to this sort of visual storytelling and overall ambiguity. If I had seen this on my twenties, I would definitely been bored and possibly labeled this as something that I would not want to see again (because it is boring). I guess you could say that this is film for more patient and perhaps mature audience. This is why I feel conflicted about the facts schools of all sorts show this to young audience. Most of them just don't have patience and/or life experience to be open for this film, making the showing pretty pointless. Unless - of course - you think it is a win to reach that one single person of that class, the kind of person you obviously are.
I think you missed the mark with you analysis, I don't think the movie is saying that humanity is a "contamination to the natural world", like you said. The film is objective and non-judgemental in its tone. I merely shows the unfolding of civilization and its "ascension". Remember that rocket taking off? That is the ascension that is implied: at a certain point humanity will ascend and perhaps start another cycle. We must try not to project our prejudices on the film.
Holy shit I saw this in stadium seating for a film study class in college also! : ) This movie made a huge impression on me when I first saw it. Pretty bleak and depressing, but also very powerful. I became an instant Glass fan. I wonder if this still gets screened at arthouse theaters. Seeing it on a big screen seems essential. My views on environmentalism are probably the only political value of mine that hasn't changed at all since I was a kid. If we can't get a handle on our destruction of the natural world, we will certainly destroy ourselves. Why that isn't transparently obvious to people I'll never understand. In a modern world bent on convenience and instant gratification, it feels like we are only getting further and further away from our evolutionary connection to the earth and the ecosystem. The man was a homicidal bastard and totally immoral, but Kaczynski was on to something. #TedWasRight.
I'd say it's more anthropocentric- more about what happens when humans are deprived of a natural existence than about just man's ruination of nature (though it's somewhat both).
l've never seen this movie, but I've heard of it and seen it around the place and if l do see it aroung again, l'll try and watch it, good movie review about it though.
While I'm in sympathy with the central thesis, I think the movie is a bit simplistic and new agey in its execution. It washed over me in a ho-hum sort of way, and I think that now it would look very dated. I think films that settle on specific aspects of our problems are more weighty and telling.
That's pretty harsh, but probably true. The world is an incredibly complex thing, and our relationship with nature tenuous. We can only survive by moving forward, because there's certainly no going back, unless by catastrophe.
One of the best opening sequences ever. The wall painting depicts a large figure surrounded by smaller figures. Presumably, this represents a ruler and his subjects. In other words: hierarchy. We go from that to rockets launching people into space, all in the space of a few thousand years. It's remarkable and frightening. And the music contributes to this meaning. Perfect.
My dad was the general manager of a huge theater. When I was 8 he made me see this during a midnight screening. It was awesome. I drooled
This film had a huge impact on me. I saw it in theater in 1983, on acid. Two friends and myself would go every weekend to this little arthouse theater tripping and just purposely walk in and watch whatever was playing without having any ides what it was. This one left us speechless, as well as the audience afterwards. One of the very few films where as the lights came on and the credits played the 20 or so people in the theater just sat, stunned, not talking for an extended period of time. Excellent analysis, appreciate the review.
I love love love this film and everything Ron Frinke (the cinematographer) has made since. Baraka is my favourite one of them, but Koyaanisqatsi started it all.
I first saw this film in around 1982. Then in 1984 I saw the Philip Glass Ensemble performing the score, live to the film. I had a bunch of opium with me, and when I pulled it out this woman next to me recognized it, so I gave some to her as well. We sat there watching Koyaanisqatsi live high as hell on opium - and it was incredible.
I saw it once with the Philip Glass Ensemble performing the score, live. 😜
That must have been a legendary experience.
It was amazing. It was in a smallish theater in San Antonio, Texas… and a bird got into room, somehow, and chirped and sang through most of the show. Philip ignored it and carried on… but, it added an odd, yet beautiful musical layer.
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Philip Glass. (Old joke.)
(The rocket tumbling was like an enthralling tragic modern rendition of the Icarus myth.)
+Warren Fahy Good one. Btw, I forgot all about that falling rocket. That thing just seemed to fall forever. I believe that original file footage is on TH-cam somewhere.
this is one of the best reviews I have ever seen about one of the best films I have ever seen
Seeing you pop up in my recommended list, makes me smile. :)
I saw an interview with the director and he said some see this film as an “ode to technology” and he feels that is a valid way of looking at it. For me KOYAANISQATSI is both an ode and an alarm. I personally love natural wonders and unspoiled environments but I also love the engineering feats of freeways and skyscrapers. I don’t think it has to be an either/or situation. Both can be ugly and beautiful simultaneously.
I saw this in an arthouse theatre when it came out and years later with the director Rodrigo giving insight afterwards I have been to many of those remote Southwest landscapes. I’ve seen Glass in concert as well, the last two films are lacking. There is a scene of an old man in a run down city landscape - pure melancholy then a coral voice that is uplifting
Amazing review. And yes - that “Grand Illusion” shot is the so powerful. Has always been my favorite. I'd be interested to hearing your thoughts on Vanilla Sky. To me, it's one of the most beautiful movies ever made and one of the few movies that delivers an impact similar to Koyaa, so bubbling within human experience... making one deeply aware of the struggle between one's soul grasping at life, pulling itself into its own dream, and yet the utter mystery, transience, and ineffable eternity of it all... where all one really wants is to live "a real life", to be back where they started, to be human. Very similar to the last 20 minutes of Koyaa.
One of my top 10 films of all time. The time laps photography was revolutionary for 1982.
This film started an entire genre of film making.
This kind of films has its ancestry from as early as the 1920s. Check out "Manhatta" from 1921, a silent short film that shows a montage of urban landscapes in Manhattan, with shots that aim to achieve some sort of artistry, rather than just duplicating reality. This sort of "artistic documentaries" were unheard of at the time.
I'm one of the only people I know that doesn't find a single note in Philip Glass' best music dull. The music for Mishima, his operas Akhnaten, Satyagraha, the Cocteau Trilogy, and of course the early minimalist pieces and Einstein on the Beach, really are some of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard. His piano concertos are incredible too. For a deep Glass cut, check out Paul Barnes' piano arrangements for Orpheé and the 2nd piano concerto.
Your parents served you well in taking you to the symphony. I think one of the reasons college students today might be put off by this is because contemporary pop culture (pop music, video games, genre movies) is much more compulsive. It does all of the work for us. This film acts more like nature, which is rarely compulsive. I'm not so sure it correlates to eastern meditation, the emptying of the mind. I'd say it it more like western meditation, the focus upon something, the reflection of the mind. Godfrey Reggio's idea was to get us to pay attention to what has happened to us, how we now live within technology, and to question it. (He states exactly that in his interviews.) But letting it wash over you is a good way to put it. A great film. Thanks. And thank your parents sometime for helping you develop a decent attention span.
I came across your review as I started to look up Koyaanisqatsi because of a related video on the turmoil of today. I came across this video over 25 years ago and at first could not appreciate the direction of the movie. Over the years I have grown to appreciate the film and how it related to the concept. I'm very appreciative of your review and thus adding more to my pespective of this movie. I grew up on the Hopi Reservation in Northern Arizona and this played a part in my intial review of the movie. I couldnt get the correlation between the film and the concept. Now, i highly recommend this movie.
The opening scene and especially the ending really hit me when I first watched it many moons ago. Who can forget the droning voices of the men's choir repeating the title of the film over and over again. Once you hear it, you'll never forget it. KOYAANISQATSI and 2001 A Space Odyssey are my all time favourites. You can say a lot without saying a word in these two classics.
For those of you who are admire the works of Phillip Glass, check his collaboration with Brian Eno and the late David Bowie on an album called "Low." (David Bowie produced the original album on vinyl in the late 1970s)🌙
Thank u for spreading the word on this fantastic movie. I first saw it as a rental. Now I have it on blu-ray and it is amazing in HD on a 55 inch set. Baraka is another great one to watch.
Great review! I like the movie, and I agree that Philip Glass's music sits well in it. There are some great passages here, but I also think that this music in general is nothing more than arty. Take a (possibly) interesting phrase, put it in an endless loop, add some modulation occasionally, and voila: minimalist music.
Watched it on PBS in the late 80s. I was into avant guarde type films and I saw a promo. It did not grab me but I toughed it out until 'The Grid ' sequence. It starts off with a calm three notes and the moon slowly being eclipsed by a skyscraper. Each passage shifts gears in mania... from hopeful tones, industrious loops, on through until the music is a layered cacophony with high speed images to complement it. It beautifully illustrates our noble ideas turned against us. That sequence caused me to rewatch it many times and really think about the images and music.
I was literally watching this film this morning.
#top10 Films
1. Wonder Woman (2017)
2. Ugetsu (1953)
3. La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928)
4. Mirror (1975)
5. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
6. Spirited Away (2001)
7. Rear Window (1954)
8. The Life of Oharu (1952)
9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
10 City Lights (1931)
Its still my favourite 'trying to get to sleep' movie. And I mean that in a good way. Some mesmerisimg imagery, haunting music, and fantastic editing. I don't think I could see it in a cinema, I'd be out in five minutes.
I remember when I was dancing at Sunday Skoool, it was part of the set to have a movie going on in behind the DJ. This is the first place I saw this movie....
I eagerly await the day I see a deepfocuslens review of "Baraka" and "Samsara."
Great and fair review! At least you understood what this is, unlike some other youtubers’ reviews. I saw it in college and like you, I was the only one who was mesmerised by it. Everyone else was bored, laughing or thought wtf.
Hello Deepfocuslens, I'd like to know what you think of the film "The Place Beyond The Pines", have you seen it before or have you never heard of it???
Great review! :)
As you were describing the movie I was thinking "this sounds like Baraka...", which I love. I'll have to check this out.
The cinematographer for "Koyaanisqatsi" directed both "Baraka" and "Samsara".
It's visually appealing. Love it.
one of the most powerfull moments in cinema history for me personally is the shot of the challenger rocket exploding. it wasnt even shot for the movie, its just this very cold, archived testiment of mankinds highest ambitions, being reduced to ashes. trying to reach the stars only to burn and fall like icarus trying to touch the sun.
I cry every time i see it. And every time i hear the perfect score.
this film was incredibly prophetic. it was made in 1982, the challenger explosion was in 1986...
it was a great movie, longing to rewatch again, very thought provoking really focuses the issues of life and existence of the human unlike most modern action movie with crap story and character writing easily forgettable but only good for entertainment value and that's about it.
Just watched the trilogy at the cinema, the first one is a masterpiece, the second one is great and the last one is dreadful
How did I miss this? I love Ron Frinke's Baraka & Samsara films. I gotta find this movie!
My fave of the three is Koyaanisqatsi, which I actually saw in a theater during its initial release.
00:28 when people say that Koyaanisqatsi has no plot, I immediately understand that they haven't understood much of the movie itself.
Brilliant Film.
I saw this when I was pretty young and it was sort of a gateway for me to explore different types of movies instead of the disposable stuff I regularly watched.
Me paso exactamente lo mismo, en mi instituto tambien pusieron fragmentos y yo fui el unico que se quedo con ganas de mas, asi que pedi el nombre de la pelicula, en cambio los demas alumnos solo pusieron malas caras.
Well, I just got caught by my boss checking out this review so, I might as well take a bold opportunity while I'm still employed and in a good mood and say what I've always wanted to say to you which is, you have really nice teeth.
Fun Fact the score was composed before they did any shooting. They shot the film to go with the music.
Have you seen Mandy? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Hi Maggie I have seen this move and found it very boring the way you review a movie makes it far more interesting than what it actually is , without a doubt you are one of the best reviewers. I have been following Chris Stuckmann for quite a while your in depth knowledge about the films are much better keep up the excellent work always. Maggie I am very curious to know your top three most favourite actors of all time I have seen one video of your top five favourite performances but I am more interested in knowing your top 3 most favourite actors of all time based on acting skills I hope you don’t mind me asking you this question but I will be extremely happy if you could please reply.
I Maladaptive daydreaming to this song its beautiful
I remember seeing it in college when it first came out. It turns out my English professor was sitting behind me after the movie and I didn't know what to say to him. I ended up saying " it wasn't very optimistic". That- I remember, the movie itself I can't remember.
Your thoughts of the film are quite similar than mine. You said this movie should be approached like a painting, which I found very good allegory, probably because I am visual artist myself. Never the less, I think I like this film because I found it in my early thirties when I began to be more accepting to this sort of visual storytelling and overall ambiguity. If I had seen this on my twenties, I would definitely been bored and possibly labeled this as something that I would not want to see again (because it is boring). I guess you could say that this is film for more patient and perhaps mature audience. This is why I feel conflicted about the facts schools of all sorts show this to young audience. Most of them just don't have patience and/or life experience to be open for this film, making the showing pretty pointless. Unless - of course - you think it is a win to reach that one single person of that class, the kind of person you obviously are.
Hello, l love your reviews. Could you please review Doctor Zhivago or perhaps Mozart and the Whale. Two great movies. Thank you, a new subscriber.
Def. You nailed it!
What I wouldn't give to see you do a Bane impression Maggie.
I think you missed the mark with you analysis, I don't think the movie is saying that humanity is a "contamination to the natural world", like you said. The film is objective and non-judgemental in its tone. I merely shows the unfolding of civilization and its "ascension". Remember that rocket taking off? That is the ascension that is implied: at a certain point humanity will ascend and perhaps start another cycle. We must try not to project our prejudices on the film.
It's almost as though the earth is better off without humans.
Holy shit I saw this in stadium seating for a film study class in college also! : ) This movie made a huge impression on me when I first saw it. Pretty bleak and depressing, but also very powerful. I became an instant Glass fan. I wonder if this still gets screened at arthouse theaters. Seeing it on a big screen seems essential.
My views on environmentalism are probably the only political value of mine that hasn't changed at all since I was a kid. If we can't get a handle on our destruction of the natural world, we will certainly destroy ourselves. Why that isn't transparently obvious to people I'll never understand. In a modern world bent on convenience and instant gratification, it feels like we are only getting further and further away from our evolutionary connection to the earth and the ecosystem. The man was a homicidal bastard and totally immoral, but Kaczynski was on to something. #TedWasRight.
Stop the Philosophical Zombies totally agree
I'd say it's more anthropocentric- more about what happens when humans are deprived of a natural existence than about just man's ruination of nature (though it's somewhat both).
Sin duda fue mi mejor experiencia a los 11 años en 1991
Doctor Zhivago 1965 version.
Taught in Film Schools..
*So I guess this movie is like "Baraka" (1992) or "Samsara" (2011): with all three having had the same cinematographer, Ron Fricke.*
l've never seen this movie, but I've heard of it and seen it around the place and if l do see it aroung again, l'll try and watch it, good movie review about it though.
I'm in love and that's all that matters...
Mags, what are you going to do when you hit 10k Subs??
Q&A probably
@@deepfocuslens You should do a livestream & rake in donations ☺
This film is what aliens would be seeing if they landed on earth.
Phillip Glass 👌🏼
That's racist!
While I'm in sympathy with the central thesis, I think the movie is a bit simplistic and new agey in its execution. It washed over me in a ho-hum sort of way, and I think that now it would look very dated. I think films that settle on specific aspects of our problems are more weighty and telling.
That's pretty harsh, but probably true. The world is an incredibly complex thing, and our relationship with nature tenuous. We can only survive by moving forward, because there's certainly no going back, unless by catastrophe.
It's pronounced Koi-ya-ni-scott-see. NOT Kai-yana-sat-ski. Nice review though
I wish the image wasn't flipped be to "mirror."
how can you tell this image is flipped
The book titles on the shelf are all reversed.
ooohhh yeaaaaaahh. Thanks for replying.
id love to watch this movie with you
Get stoned and watch this movie