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Koyaanisqatsi
Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi (1983)

79% User Rating
1h 26min
Documentary
Drama

"Life out of balance"

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

Godfrey ReggioDirector

Cast

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Ed Asner

Ed Asner

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown

Self - On TV (archive footage, uncredited)

Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Movie Database

Marilyn Chambers

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr.

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Lou Dobbs

Lou Dobbs

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Linda Ellerbee

Linda Ellerbee

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Movie Database

Jerry Falwell

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Mark J. Goodman

Mark J. Goodman

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ted Koppel

Ted Koppel

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

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Bill Tush

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Reviews (3)

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Peter McGinn
Peter McGinn
Rating 50%

September 20, 2020

This is an art film of sorts, eschewing dialogue or narration or a recognizable plot for a visual and musical banquet of images and scenes. So if you are into art films (or want to appear like you are), this is the film for you. The photographic techniques remind me of nature films, which may not be a coincidence since the subject matter seems to Focus on what is seen as being against nature. So it is all here: explosions and collapsing of buildings, a bridge, about five times, even what looked like a nuclear blast; then time lapse photography of city and highway traffic and masses of people walking; plus slow motion clips of masses of people walking; and shots of tenements and abandoned building and kids playing in water from fire hydrants — well, you get the idea. I like Philip Glass’s music, but there were times I didn’t think what they used quite fit what was being shown on the screen. But like he apparently told the producers more than once before they convinced him to take it on, movie scores weren’t his thing. So as the William Hurt character says in The Big Chill, just let the art flow over you. If nothing else, check out the dress and hair styles of folks in the wacky 1980s!

Media

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Koyaanisqatsi (1982) 35mm film trailer, flat open matte, 2160p

Koyaanisqatsi (1982) 35mm film trailer, flat open matte, 2160p

Recommended

View All Recommended
Powaqqatsi
Tender Mercies
L.627
Classmates
Men and Women
Scandal
It All Starts Today
Wall Engravings
Nerkonda Paarvai
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
Wheels
Beans
Over the Hills
Evil in the Woods
When Lambs Become Lions
Christ Stopped at Eboli
Lemon Popsicle
Beauty and the Dogs
Funeral in Berlin

Collection

Qatsi Collection

Part of

Qatsi Collection

Includes: Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi