Naqoyqatsi

Naqoyqatsi (/nɑːkɔɪˈkɑːtsi/ NAH-koy-KAH-tsee),[4] also known as Naqoyqatsi: Life as War, is a 2002 American film directed by Godfrey Reggio and edited by Jon Kane, with music composed by Philip Glass. It is the third and final film in the Qatsi trilogy.

Naqoyqatsi
Film poster
Directed byGodfrey Reggio
Produced bySteven Soderbergh[1]
Joe Beirne
Godfrey Reggio
Lawrence Taub
Written byGodfrey Reggio
Music byPhilip Glass
CinematographyRussell Lee Fine
Edited byJon Kane
Production
company
Qatsi Productions
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release date
  • October 18, 2002 (2002-10-18)
[2]
Running time
89 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
Budget$3 million

Naqoyqatsi is a Hopi word (more correctly written naqö̀yqatsi) meaning "life as war". In the film's closing credits, Naqoyqatsi is also translated as "civilized violence" and "a life of killing each other".[4] While Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi examine modern life in industrial countries and the conflict between encroaching industrialization and traditional ways of life, using slow motion and time-lapse footage of cities and natural landscapes, about eighty percent of Naqoyqatsi uses archive footage and stock images manipulated and processed digitally on non-linear editing (non-sequential) workstations and intercut with specially-produced computer-generated imagery to demonstrate society's transition from a natural environment to a technology-based one. Reggio described the process as "virtual cinema".[5]

Synopsis

According to Reggio, the film has no screenplay per se, but three movements (like those of a symphony) with different themes:[5]

  1. Numerica.com: Language and place gives way to numerical code and virtual reality.
  2. Circus maximus: Competition, winning, records, fame, “fair play” and the love of money are elevated to the prime values of life. Life becomes a game.
  3. Rocketship twentieth century: A world that language can no longer describe. The resulting explosive tempo of technology is war, civilized violence.

Production

The September 11 attacks against the World Trade Center took place very close to the film's production studio, impacting the content of the film and further convincing the crew of the importance of its subject.[5]

Music

The music is more in the traditional orchestral tradition than much of Glass's work as a familiar doorway to images so disconnected from the familiar world. One instrument, the cello played by Yo-Yo Ma, plays through much of the piece. Some unconventional instruments are used in addition to traditional ones, including a didgeridoo and an electronically-created jaw harp.[5]

Soundtrack.net reviewer Glenn McClanan noted that unlike the previous two films, the music is more on the softer side.[6]

Release

The film was released on DVD by Miramax on October 14, 2003.[7][8]

The Criterion Collection released this as part of the Qatsi trilogy on December 11, 2012.[9]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 48% out of 52 reviews were positive with the average score of 5.82/10, and the consensus saying that it is "the weakest film in Reggio's trilogy".[10]

See also

References
  1. "Naqoyqatsi Blu-ray" – via www.blu-ray.com.
  2. "Naqoyqatsi" – via www.flickchart.com.
  3. "Naqoyqatsi". The Criterion Collection.
  4. "Naqoyqatsi Definitions". Koyaanisqatsi.org. Institute for Regional Education. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  5. Rotten Tomatoes website: Reviews and long article on Naqoyqatsi, with input and quotations from Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass
  6. "Naqoyqatsi Soundtrack (2002)". www.soundtrack.net.
  7. "Naqoyqatsi (2002) - Home Video Reviews - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  8. Amazon.com
  9. "The Qatsi Trilogy (Koyaanisqatsi / Powaqqatsi / Naqoyqatsi) - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk.
  10. "Naqoyqatsi (Naqoyqatsi: Life as War) (2002) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
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