The
following are some thoughts on the movie “Koyannisqatsi”, a 1982 film directed
by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron
Fricke. As part of my Photography II class, I was asked to watch this movie
with keeping in mind the formal use of light, color, music and composition
throughout the film. The movie lacks any narration or spoken dialogue. The theme
of the movie is driven by strong visuals and minimalistic electronic music.
Throughout
the film, the juxtaposition of aesthetically similar yet thematically different
images build the tension between nature and Man. For example, we are presented
macro shots of circuitry boards, which have a serpentine labyrinth of conductive
tracks and pads. From there we are shown aerial shots of developments of houses
and cities, doubling the aesthetic of order out of chaos. Many contrasting
shots can be found throughout the movie. From the onset, we find eerie cave
paintings of ghost-like human images painted on a cave wall. The lighting is directional
and casts deep shadows through the cave. The scene is soft lit and of a monochrome,
earthy nature. We are then snapped out of this quiet intimate scene to be
barraged by the lift-off of a rocket, (though investigation I found it to be footage
of the May 1962 explosion of the first Atlas-Centaur). This sequence is loud
and well lit, as light literally explodes from the scene.
The
use of time is evident in the movie. Slow motion and time lapsed sequences are
throughout the sequences. One sequence shows a mass of people waiting on line
at what looks like to me as a racetrack. The scene is sped up and the people
looks as ants going about their day. While another sequence shows close-ups of
single subjects walking on the street in slow-motion. Technology and mechanization
are prevalent in the latter portion of the movie, as we see images of hot dogs
being made and people being moved by escalators. The theme of human
encroachment on nature is evident by the conclusion of the movie.
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