During the early period of my discovery and exploration of all things related to Philip Glass, I stumbled upon a remarkable movie called Koyaaniaqatsi. Actually, its not what most would call a traditional movie by just about any definition, outside of qualifying as a feature film in length. Truth is, this is more of an artistic audio-visual meditation than a narrative film telling a story. There’s no plot, no characters, no dialogue or even any story at all. The closest you could get would be to say the film has an underlying message its attempting to convey, and that it surely does. However, even this “message” is entirely open to the individual viewer’s interpretation. The best way I can describe this film, in short, would be to say this: Imagine you’re walking through a massive gallery, very dimly lit except for the distinctly intentional spotlighting of several hundred captivating color photographs on display in vivid color and detail. As a viewer of these images, you’re propelled along through this gallery on a people-mover (like those in the airport), effectively removing your ability to navigate this gallery of images at your own pace. On top of this, the entire journey is accompanied by a mesmerizing instrumental score by Philip Glass, utilizing the musical apparatus of various cultures combined brilliantly to evoke the most hypnotizing sense of power and emotion. Now, do you “really” need a plot to experience something as unique as that?
Continue reading Immerse Yourself in Godfrey Reggio’s “Qatsi” Trilogy