Koyaanisqatsi; Powaqqatsi

"Environmental film, ode to technology, piece of shit…." Director Godfrey Reggio not only acknowledges but celebrates the fact that the non-narrative films in his "qatsi" trilogy (the latest, Naqoyqatsi, was released theatrically this fall) invite multiple interpretations. But those who appreciate the Reggio-directed, Philip Glass-scored films Koyaanisqatsi (a Hopi word, roughly translating as "life out of balance") and Powaqqatsi ("life in transition") all agree that they are stunningly beautiful to look at and listen to. Koyaanisqatsi is the thematically stronger of the pair, as the cameras move from the austere majestic landscapes of the American West to the metropolis, where time-lapse photography and slow-motion sequences capture the joy, sadness, monotony, as well as the eerie patterns of city life, factory work, commuting, or simply walking the streets. In an accompanying 25-minute documentary "Essence of Life," built around interviews with Reggio and Glass, the former argues that Koyaanisqatsi documents the transition to the age of technology (not that we use technology or live with technology, but that we are no longer conscious of it's presence). Presented with a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (which sounds great; I was fortunate enough to catch a performance of the film in the late '80s when Glass was performing the soundtrack live), the opening film in Reggio's trilogy remains a powerful experience nearly 20 years after its initial release. In Powaqqatsi, Reggio turned his attention from industrial America to the Third World--Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Peru, Nepal. Over the first half of the film, we see a lot of feet, hands, and backs: people working the earth. In one wonderful overhead-shot sequence, a woman tosses wheat toward the sky while others rhythmically wave hand fans to blow away the chaff (a beautiful scene, reminiscent of a Busby Berkeley routine, except that the choreography here is totally natural). In the second half of the film, the spotlight shifts from the fields and mountains to the cities, as we watch wave after wave of sometimes shuffling, sometimes bustling humanity. As in Reggio's previous film, the director is focused on the encroachment of technology on the world's indigent cultures (which he's been accused of romanticizing), yet his poetic cinematic style lends a visual grandeur to all: the brown feet of a man with a bale of hay on his back methodically trudging down a dusty road and the fire and billowing smoke from a pollution producing factory. In addition to the beautiful transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, the disc also features an original 20-minute documentary, "Impact of Progress," built around interviews with Reggio and Glass. Both titles are highly recommended. (R. Pitman)