Cinema Cycle - Naqoyqatsi

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 02/23/2015

TITLE: Naqoyqatsi

FORMAT: DVD

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hours 29 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 20.1 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1152.8 miles

SYNOPSIS: The chaos that is modern society is visualized using time-lapse, slow motion, computer and reprocessed imagery, set to the music of Phillip Glass.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: The title pretty much sums it up.  The Hopi Native American word for “Life As War”, or ‘life as civilized violence’.  

PROS AND CONS: This is a visual, dream sequence film.  There is no dialogue and the parade of images is meant to make the viewer think about their existence and the place in society and the universe.

I am extremely biased about this film(s).  This is the third film in a trilogy by Godfrey Reggio, the first two being Koyaanisqatsi (Life Out Of Balance) and Powanesgatsi (Life in Transition).  Seeing the original film in the trilogy in 1981, at a small art cinema in Portland Oregon, changed my life.  It made me want to explore media and art and it also made me question a lot of the things I had learned in social studies and through higher education.  

These films are meant to be a visual journey through our world and society.  Their repetition, and cross processing / overlaying of images along with the soundtrack compress our lives and let us see what the essence of society really is.  

How media and marketing affect our mindset and how we interact with others was the overriding conclusion for me after watching these film.  

That said, the main point about these films is that they beautifully shot and the music is hypnotic and perfect.  If I had a video wall in my home that played an image or a scene continually, it would be these three films.

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.