The Qatsi Trilogy

Non-narrative film lovers will certainly welcome The Qatsi Trilogy, which compiles all three dialogue-free visual essays directed by Godfrey Reggio and memorably scored by Philip Glass. 1983's Koyaanisqatsi (a Hopi word, roughly translating as "life out of balance") is thematically the strongest of the trio, as the camera moves from the austere majestic landscapes of the American West to the metropolis, where time-lapse photography and slow-motion sequences capture the joy, sadness, and monotony of factory work and city life. 1988's Powaqqatsi ("life in transition") shifts the attention from industrial America to the Third World—Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Peru, and Nepal. During 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, the spotlight is on the cities, as we watch wave after wave of sometimes shuffling, sometimes bustling humanity. 2002's Naqoyqatsi (“life in conflict”) is not quite in the same league: heavily focused on war, the film bombards the viewer with hypnotic and disturbing visuals of marching troops, military action, and half-destroyed buildings, but doesn't say much about the horror of war beyond the fact that it is horrible. Somewhat paradoxically, The Qatsi Trilogy points a critical finger at encroaching technology, yet also manages to find the beauty inherent in some of the most dehumanizing of environments. Remastered for DVD and debuting on Blu-ray, the set features extras including Reggio's 1992 documentary short Anima Mundi, a demo version of Koyaanisqatsi (with a soundtrack featuring poet Allen Ginsberg), behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, a new video afterward by Reggio, a 2003 panel discussion on Naqoyqatsi, and a booklet with essays. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)