I fell completely in love with this film. I’m a sucker for any kind of abstract film, especially when it has as a complex and hypnotizing score as Koyaanisqatsi does. Something, in particular, that struck me about this film was how much it explicitly states without saying a word. It makes it completely clear, through camera angles/effects and music, that what humans are doing to their environment is wrong, destructive, and will lead to an inevitable doom. This is not an thesis with which I am unfamiliar, but it usually is presented in the form of shocking statistics and dramatic pleas of those who have already been affected by our “koyaanisqatsi”, if you will.

The parallels it drew between clouds & water and machines & humans were beautifully done visually and musically. I was entranced by all of the shots and transitions from visual to visual. The natural shots were incredible, sensual, dramatic, and complex. They weren’t the usual nature scene. The beginning natural shots displayed life in clouds which was nicely juxtaposed to the life-less clouds that were later shown coming out of smoke stacks and explosions. The pervasive irony of cacophony during the first sped up highway scene and then complete silence when cut to a city scene forces the viewer to reevaluate every learned association that they’ve had with cities. The movie does that in many other ways, as well. By using the same musical theme in the scenes with the commercial airplane and the fighter jet, we’re forced to reconcile the obvious destruction that fighter planes cause with the atmospheric destruction in which everyone participates when they travel via air. It put things side by side that we normally wouldn’t see in that fashion and ties cinematographic and musical threads through those things so that we are faced with direct comparisons that show us uncomfortable truths.

The thesis of this film, which I mentioned briefly above, is that we are living in an unbalanced life and, if we continue in this fashion, the beautiful natural scenes and lively clouds in the beginning will recede into machine-like life which, sped up, will display routine, boring patterns as opposed to the organic, unique patterns of the natural world. The lively beauty of natural clouds will descend into depressingly deliberate dark, poisonous clouds that are only an externality, rather than a phenomenon to be appreciated intrinsically. This argument is made through the artistic juxtaposition of things that we wouldn’t naturally put side by side and the emotional music placed over things that we wouldn’t normally associate with the implied emotion. The film uses musical and cinematographic techniques such as discordant notes, odd-time signatures, heavy bass, unsettling speed, sped-up and slowed-down visuals, and unusual camera angles to place emotions upon common visuals and make us reevaluate our associations with these visuals. This reevaluation causes us to understand how the meaning of the Hopi proverbs relates to our current path of consumption, routine, and destruction.

As for the question, “can art help us save the world?”, my answer is of course. I don’t think we can save the world without it. People are trained from an early age on how to face a verbal argument that challenges their beliefs. They are less equipped with how to handle truth that is presented more abstractly. Then, when they do “get it”, it tends to hit them in a much more emotional way. Emotions, in my opinion, can sometimes be much more strong than reason.

This film made me uneasy. This feeling of discomfort developed as a result of the juxtaposition of scenes of calm, peaceful nature to scenes of frantic human activity, vast development, and destruction. Not only did the content of the images and footage displayed give me this feeling, but the ways in which these scenes were presented gave me this feeling as well. While I cannot say the anxious feelings I had while viewing the film were enjoyable, I would recommend this film as I feel it effectively conveys a meaningful message. I believe this message was effectively relayed to me due to this uneasy, unsettled feeling it provoked in me.

The message I surmised from this film was the koyaanisqatsi, “life out of balance,” of our world currently is troubling and out of hand. The uneasy, unsettled feeling this film provokes demonstrates how disconcerting and undesirable this imbalance is. As mentioned earlier this feeling arises from the content of the scenes shown in this film, as well as the way in which these scenes are presented. The scenes of nature seemed to be calm and at peace as they generally consisted of footage in landscapes fully, or at least partially, illuminated by overhead sunlight and were devoid of much movement other than passing clouds. The scenes of human activity and development seemed frantic and overwhelming as this footage consisted of things such as swarms of people, busy traffic, complex machines, intricate assembly lines, and towering architecture. The rotation between these various nature and human scenes contributes to feelings of uneasiness, while the juxtaposition of these scenes demonstrates the imbalance of life as life in nature and life in the human world appear to be vastly different and separate in these images.

While the content in itself provokes these feelings and demonstrates imbalance, the way in which the footage is shown enhances both of these things contributing to the effectiveness of the theme. The differential pace and motion in which footage was taken and shown displays imbalance and produces uneasy feelings. For instance, the audience witnesses imbalance between footage slowly zooming in on a peaceful body of water, to a shaky view of a drive through urban traffic. In addition, the shakiness of the city traffic view leaves the audience feeling unsettled. The constant, repetitive rotation between footage types of differing content emphasizes the imbalance between nature and man. Feelings of uneasiness are also enhanced by the interludes of destruction scenes signifying the repercussions of this imbalance between humans and nature that occurs in the form of disaster. Music used such as the Hopi chants create a tense tone that promotes this sense of being unsettled. The diversity of the music utilized by the film, combined with these chants seems imbalanced and promotes feelings of uneasiness as well. The imbalance demonstrated by the content and created by the way it is presented in the film results in feelings of discomfort contributing to the theme that this imbalance of our world today is a troubling thing.

The feeling of uneasiness created by this film and the demonstration of imbalance in this film facilitate the passage of this theme to the audience. The audience finishes their viewing of the film, having seen the imbalance and feeling uneasy, understanding our world is out of balance and this is a troubling matter worthy of concern. Effectively conveying this message, as this film does, could motivate people unsettled by this to take action addressing this imbalance between man and nature in our world.

While watching Koyaanisqatsi I was reminded of Alex DeLarge being brainwashed in Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. The scene in Burgess’ book that I am referring to is when Alex, a dystopian, ultraviolent thug, is being brutally trained to feel ill at the sight or thought of violence – eyes held open looking at a screen with violent images flashing. He is injected with a substance that triggers the reaction of illness. Of course this is a dramatic reference, but I think Koyaanisqatsi attempts to have a similar effect. Instead of aiming to make viewers disgusted by acts of violence, Koyaanisqatsi aims to make viewers repulsed by the American military-industrial complex.

I felt overwhelmed with imagery and music. While I was angered by the images of destruction (particularly exploding mountains and bombs dropping), I was also angered by the film itself, having scenes that lasted too long (such as the Saturn 5 rocket explosion). Of course, this is what makes Koyaanisqatsi so unique and effectively disturbing. I also was saddened by the dark image of humanity that is painted by this film. The film began with beautiful images of undeveloped, pure nature – river cutting through a rocky desert landscape and clouds rolling over lush green mountains. Clouds are shown to be moving as water moves in the ocean. A desert scene then becomes infiltrated by human impact – some kind of industry appears with wastewater pools and bombs are shown detonating in this landscape.

Koyaanisqatsi intentionally makes viewers extremely uncomfortable with images that linger for unconventionally long periods of time. Images of people (i.e. such as a fighter pilot, gogo-girl-esque casino workers, people on city streets) starring into the camera for more than several seconds left me feeling uneasy and even somewhat violated by the film. I felt that the film was targeting me personally. After all the people on the screen were starring right into my eyes as if they were saying “Are you getting it? Do you see what is happening here? Are you feeling guilty yet?” After all we, the viewers, are all feeding into this fast-paced, industrialized, crowded, machine-like world. We are the processed meat on the conveyor belt.

Koyaanisqatsi aims to show how our American lifestyle will fulfill the Hopi prophecy of the destruction of our world. The film aims to showing the disturbing consequences of our imbalanced, crazy lives. Our bombs and rockets will create the “ashes..thrown from the sky,” our power lines will comprise the “cobwebs spun” in the sky, and our extensive resource extraction and land use will ‘invite disaster” as foreseen by the prophecies. The film aims to disturb us and prompt a change in our aggressive and disastrous military-industrial cycle and congested, unhappy cities. It is a call to slow down because moving quickly is sickening (as shown by the whirlwind of lights of our complex highway systems). This message is strongly conveyed through the association of human action with industrial images. The highway system aglow is paired a circuit board. Humans are associated with meat on a conveyor belt. Rows of duplicate cars turn into rows of tanks. One of the first images of humans in the film is hell-like with fire and red lighting. We are creatures of destruction stuck on the conveyor belt of our ways – cogs in a machine. We are clockwork oranges – explosive ones!

It is clear that viewers are meant to walk away feeling ill at the thought of industry and our fast-paced, destructive lives. However, I wonder how effective a film like this is in prompting change. Who would sit down to watch it? It is a cult film for a reason. A very specific audience would watch it willingly. I suppose when you have a truly captive audience – an Alex DeLarge situation – like in a classroom, people who would not ordinarily watch the film may watch and be impacted. Perhaps anyone who watches it fully can realize that they don’t want to be a cog in the machine. They want to break free and create change. The style of Koyaanisqatsi makes it more fit for forced viewership or cult viewership, not widespread dissemination of information for the masses. For this reason, I would not recommend the film as a catalyst for change. However, I would recommend the film for it’s artistic novelty and aggressively disturbing tactics. Nonetheless, I am a strong believer that art in many forms can be utilized to prompt collective action and change in our world.

The whole film revolved around comparing and contrasting different images and shots with the soundtrack setting the mood in the background. In my eyes, the film started out with a negative look towards humanity and its effects on the planet. The opening shot of the rocket launch had a very fire and brimstone feel which is typically a doomsday sign. The soundtrack cast a very ominous overtone with the chanting during the rocket launch. The film ended with the conclusion of the rocket launch – its subsequent explosion and failure. This very clear beginning and end symbolized the path that humanity is on, but the middle of the film had a more hopeful tone.

Once the film switched to the shots of the different landscapes, the music changed to a much more thoughtful and serene tone. This peaceful image was very different from the initial scene of the rocket launch. Underlying the soundtrack was the sound of wind which added the effect of making viewers feel like they were standing among the landscape, feeling the wind brush past their faces. The music matched the tempo of the clouds and moving and the rivers raging which looked very similar in appearance. It conveyed the purity of nature and how separate it is from the hustle and bustle of human life. These serene shots set up a sharp juxtaposition with the hectic life of the city.

The next time the film switched back to human life, the shot of the truck became obscured by smoke. After all of the images of the beautiful landscape, the first human made object becomes consumed by a thick, dark smokescreen that came from the truck. This could symbolize how humans may end up being their own demise. Though this film was made roughly 20 years ago, the message this sends is only being supported. Back then, it was the threat of nuclear holocaust; now it is the threat of climate change and pollution. Although the reasons for humankind’s destruction may have changed, it is still coming about at the hands of humans. This message was only supported as the fim switched from a factory handling molten metal (more flames and black smoke) and, ultimately, the nuclear bomb explosion (epitome of fire and brimstone).

With humankind being portrayed by these dark scenes, the overall tone towards humans began to shift afterwards. The effects of humans do not just lead to doom and gloom. Most of these horrible events resulted from good intentions being misused. The film quickly flashed clips from a space launch to clips of various scenes of warfare showing the good innovation can do as well as the bad. These two sides were also displayed through the contrasting of rows and rows of tanks and rows and rows of cars. This began the switch from all the negative impacts humans can have to the thriving life that humans have built for themselves.

The majority of the shots the film displayed after this centered around cities and the teeming life they are filled with. This switch was introduced with a profound silence as the camera panned over a cityscape. After the neverending music that had accompanied the video so far, this silence stood out even more so. The audience then gets slowly introduced into the life of the city as the scenes pan downwards and eventually end up on the streets. The city has a much more positive vibe now and the shots have a much different feel. They focus on the vividness of life.

Almost all of the shots that have humans in them are packed to the brim with humans. The sheer amount of life being displayed sends a message in itself. Despite the chaos that may seem to arise from the cities, there is a certain organization. This organized chaos of human life is then compared to the organized chaos of the industries humans take part in. The moving assembly lines paired with the moving rows of humans on escalators solidified this message of organized chaos.

Throughout all this hustle and bustle, the vigor of life still shone through and reminds us that each individual has his or her own story. The film included multiple shots focusing in on certain people to the point that it bordered on an overly awkward amount of time. This was to reinforce this message that each despite the craziness that humanity has brought onto the world, each individual still has power, is important, and can make a difference.

My first impression of Koyaanisqatsi was in the form of a sensory overload. I was so overwhelmed as the film panned over various sped up  and slowed down visuals. Additionally, the loud music that played in the background contributed to my sensory overload. After getting past all the fast and slow moving videos and the music, I was able to appreciate the visuals that the director chose to use. Every shot of the natural environment that was selected was stunning while nearly every shot of civilization was dreadful.

I think the point that the film was trying to make is that there is starting to become a defined line between humans and the natural world. What use to be two entities that coexisted, is now no longer. The title of the film highlights this phenomenon, “life out of balance” or “life disintegrating.” The film highlights some pressing issues like those associated with urbanization, industrialism, commercialism etc. One of the most memorable moments for me in the film is when you see the people all laying out on the beach and as the film zooms out you are able to see reality. The people are lying on a beach that is directly adjacent to what appears to be a factory, perhaps a power plant of some sort. Highlighting the ‘life out of balance’ phenomenon.

I think that art is potentially something that can save the world, and this is something that I would never of said a semester ago. Before the start of this semester and before I started to volunteer at the Nurture Nature Center, I wasn’t the biggest fan of art. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. Since I started going to the Nurture Nature Center on a weekly basis I am regularly exposed to local artist’s art and have seen art about a topic that I am passionate about, the environment. I have created more of an appreciation for it. What I have come away with at the near conclusion of the semester is that art is something that once you are able to interpret on your own, find meaning and find your own value in, it has a sort of strength and power that can move you. A power that excites you and makes you feel passionate. Art is something that has the ability to eventually become so powerful to a person that once you find value and meaning it can potentially move you, inspire and push you to ‘save the world’.

Like many other students have said in the blog responses, Koyaanisqatsi really made my head spin. It was not only the head cold I had on Monday combined with watching the fast pace clips, seeing the bright lights, following the repeating scenes and hearing the loud repeating music that did me in. I think that what made my head spin the most was the realization that we live in a world of mundane order and repetition that we do not even pay attention to because it is just how we live and never question it. I think that this is an important realization for most of us to have and I would recommend that others watch this film in order to gain this understanding. However, I don’t think that everyone would realize this idea or at least act on it after watching the film. As an environmental studies major I am already in tune with the gloom and doom of our society. Not everyone is as versed in these issues so I that is why I worry that other would be bored by the repetition, overwhelmed by the sounds and images and would fail to see this larger message.

The argument in the film is that Earth has its own system that it self balances but humans throw the balance off. There are no data sets and graphs that show this destruction but the images and obvious contrasts of the natural world to the human world clearly show this impact. The clips of the rolling clouds and rolling waves are cut to overlap each other and at first make it seem like they are a continuation of the clip before it. However, when the viewer takes a second look at these clips they may realize that the film is actually showing different systems. These images advance the idea that systems of the Earth which seem so different actually function similarly and follow a natural flow. To contrast these natural cycles, images of human intrusion are abruptly cut to in the film. There is no longer a natural flow in the images, like there were of the nature scenes, but rather fast paced and mind numbing clips, such as the various highway and factory scenes. There are also clips of nature being absorbed by man such as the beautiful full moon being absorbed into the skyscraper and the ever-growing mushroom cloud. This is important to note because it symbolizes how human development is consuming nature without even considering the consequences. The final clip of the burning rocket is a very powerful message that symbolizes the Koyaanisqatsi prophecies. In summary these prophecies are warning that when we mess with the Earth, we are only bound to burn up and fail in the end–just like the rocket did.

As a side note:

I was interested in why there are clips of human faces and slow-mos of people walking down the street and turning to the camera. Is this to contrast the idea that we are just nameless people in the rat race like the factory and car clips suggest? Is it there to remind us that we are people and we each have stories despite how many of us there are? Or are they there just to put a face to the consumption and destruction?

Koyaanisqatsi is an intriguing film to say the least. The lack of dialog and main characters was different from what might normally be expected in movies, but I found that this enabled the film to speak more broadly about humanity in general, rather than certain individuals. The music and video of the film was sufficient, and they were enough to make me slightly uneasy yet also engaged in the film. I was drawn into the film with the almost hypnotic dirge of the music, but by being drawn in, the film also has the power to make the viewers feel uneasy about their place in the world and their own impacts upon it. However, I would recommend this film, even though it is dense, to others because one viewing would be enough to leave an impact. I found myself thinking about the film throughout the day afterward, so it left a lasting impression, especially since the music was stuck in my head most of the day.

The film depicts the transition from and the difference between the old natural environment and the new technological environment. The film combines beautiful cinematography and an intense, repetitive score to show how life is out of balance. The beginning shows vast natural landscapes with rolling clouds, which transition into rolling waves of water. This shows the harmony between the natural forces which shape our world as the scenes flash between clouds and water. The camera then moves quickly through the area between, showing all the beauty of the natural environment. Then there are images of destruction, machines, power lines, power plants, dams, and more. The stark contrast of these things thrown onto the previously shown landscapes shows the direct and extensive intervention of mankind, utilizing the natural resources. Clouds are shown moving through the sky again, but this time as a reflection on a skyscraper, further emphasizing man’s dominating presence.

A long shot of a plane moving toward the camera captured my attention. It seems to represent the idea of this life out of balance, as it carries people where man is not meant to be naturally. Humans can’t fly and could not without the incredible technology of planes. Another interesting juxtaposition is when a shot of many cars lined up flashes to a shot of tanks lined up similarly. This made me think of the wars waged on other humans versus the constant war on the environment. Even while humans face wartime, the processes and technologies involved further propel the unnatural war on the environment.

The film captures the busy world of today with countless people moving through public spaces at rapid speeds. There are so many people and processes, like assembly lines, featured to show the sameness and monotony of this technological and crazy world. Humans have created much of their own fun and entertainment with games, movies, big cities, bowling, and more, as opposed to enjoying what exists naturally in the world around them. Sightseeing is an example of something that is more of a novelty than a genuine appreciation of the (often man made) sights. Many of the passersby in the film do not appear all that happy or satisfied as they go about their days. The juxtaposition of shots and associational editing of a computer panel and a city planning grid show how precisely planned and technology-based societies are now. The film seems to encourage people to slow down, simplify, and appreciate things in life. If more people did this, more thought would go into people’s actions and projects and impacts on the surrounding world.

Watching this film in class was, for me, a tale of intertwined contrasts. There were numerous themes that were dancing back and forth across the screen as the film progresses, and how they compared to one another, and which was preferable, was up to the viewer to see whether or not humanity was making the right decisions in our relationship with the Earth.

Some of these contrasts included: light vs. dark, wet vs. dry, windy vs. still, colorful vs. dull, human creation vs. nature, finished products vs. the dirty processes that created them, civilian vs. military, booming vs. desolation, creation vs. destruction, amusement vs. necessity, and most importantly, slow vs. fast.

I believe everyone who watched the film in class left with a feeling of anxiety or nausea after the movie became incredibly quick towards the conclusion, and this was no doubt the desired goal for the makers of the film. The problem with nature and humans for the filmmakers is spiraling out of control; it is exponential, growing, and manifesting itself throughout our society and more importantly our earth. It was hard to watch as the screen danced from image to image, sometimes sprinted from one to another, as my eyes hurt and my head begged me to look away from the ever changing projector screen.

There is a common notion throughout the film that man is capable of destroying itself. Culminating in the mushroom cloud from the nuclear bomb, but also the slow motion films of fighter jets, there is the ever present underlying tone that the base that our society is founded upon is in essence always at risk of collapsing away if we are too lenient with our respect for the natural world.

I do not know if Koyaanitsqatsi is, for me, a motivational call to arms in order to protect the environment and our relationship with the natural world. What gets through to me in terms of documentaries and pieces that are made to influence their audience towards action is at least some form of hope, a plan of action, a way forward out of an issue. There must be a tangible goal that can be met after watching an influential piece for me personally to feel inspired to take action myself. For me, because Koyaanitsqatsi was so depressing, so fast paced, covering practically all aspects of human life, it made the problem seem too large to conquer, or to even address, which unfortunately is coming closer and closer to truth. It made me too depressed (and sick) to be able to derive what action the filmmakers wanted to see out of their audience; while it was obvious they wanted to see more respect for the environment and a transition away from current practices, the movie was so large in scope that after that, it was hard for me to find the next step.

Watching the documentary in class on Monday reminded me of the apocalyptic prophecies of a Native American tribe. At the time I couldn’t remember which group the prophecies came from, or why I recognized the name of the Hopi Indians. I shrugged it off and just assumed it was just from an obscure history course I took a while ago but after doing some research I found out the prophecy I was recalling was a Hopi prophecy. Once I discovered this the film started to make a little more sense.

It is the belief of the Hopi people that we are currently in the Fourth Age of Man. Previously, three separate ages have been destroyed by fire, ice, and flood. It is difficult to explain, especially since I still don’t fully understand their beliefs, but essentially the Hopi have nine prophecies that signal the end of an age of man. Once these happen a certain Hopi is supposed warn the world that life is coming to an end. That is what I believe the purpose of this documentary is for.

Having this knowledge definitely gives the documentary a more powerful meaning. It explains the ominous undertones to the music. Here is a link to read up more yourself, tell me if this changes your opinions of the documentary.

http://www.apocalypse-soon.com/prophecies_of_hopi_indians.htm