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                       An 88 minute New Age Music video

In the mid-80s I remember watching Siskel and Ebert [1] review Koyannisqatsi
(Life out of Balance) [2] and each giving it a good recomendation (their
trademark “thumbs up/thumbs down” started a few years later). The clip they
showed looked intriguing but it wasn't until about five or six years later in
college that I got to see the film.

Or rather I somewhat saw it.

My friend Bill and I were taking Music Appreciation at FAU (Florida Atlantic
University) [3] and towards the end of the semester the instructor had us
watch “Koyaanisqatsi” because the score was done by Philip Glass [4]. Now,
it's hard to say if it was the actual film itself or the setting, but I
certainly don't remember much of the film as I fell asleep. I think the
entire class, with the execption of the instructor, fell asleep watching the
film. The Philip Glass score is … mellowing (for lack of a better term). New
Age moderism on steroids.

Fast forward over ten years. Spring [5] has signed up for Netflix [6] and
given access to her account, I slipped it into the queue. Why not give it
another try? It had arrived the other day and was sitting on my desk waiting
to be watched (primarily by me alone—Spring wasn't sure of the viability of
this film).

It's hard to say what the film is about, other than contrasting the
structures of man and nature, along with the droning Philip Glass score. But
this time (perhaps frame of mind, perhaps setting) I was able to sit through
the 88 minute film without once falling asleep. It's visually stunning with
some inovative camera work, although at times it does seem to flow slower
than 2001: A Space Odyssey [7]. And certainly not everyone's cup of tea.

Not by a long shot.

Although the previews for the sequels, Powaqqatsi (Life in Transformation)
[8] and Naqoyqatsi (Life as War) [9] were enough to get Spring interested in
seeing those.

[1] http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/siskelandeb/siskelandeb.htm
[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/
[3] http://www.fau.edu/
[4] http://www.philipglass.com/
[5] http://www.springdew.com/
[6] http://www.netflix.com/
[7] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/
[8] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095895/
[9] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145937/

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