Mon, Apr 6 at 8:00pm: Introduction from film poster artist Sam Smith | BUY TICKETS
Part of Music City Mondays
An unconventional work in every way, Godfrey Reggio’s KOYAANISQATSI was nevertheless a sensation when it was released in 40 years ago. This first work of THE QATSI TRILOGY wordlessly surveys the rapidly changing environments of the Northern Hemisphere, in an astonishing collage created by the director and cinematographer Ron Fricke, and composer Philip Glass. It shuttles viewers from one jaw-dropping vision to the next, moving from images of untouched nature to others depicting human beings’ increasing dependence on technology. KOYAANISQATSI’s heterodox methods (including hypnotic time-lapse photography) make it a look at our world from a truly unique angle. (Synopsis from the Criterion Collection)
“The increasingly frenetic Glass music and Ron Fricke's striking compositions make urban decay and human gaudiness seem almost as beautiful as stark canyons and tumultuous ocean waves. Any one of KOYAANISQATSI’s short sequences could feed a hundred experimental films.” —Noel Murray, A.V. Club “KOYAANISQATSI’s formula is simple: combine the epic, remarkable cinematography of Ron Fricke with the swelling intensity and repeating motifs of Philip Glass's celebrated original score. There's your mood bomb, right there. But Reggio's directorial vision is key, too. He was the one who drove the project for six years on a small budget as he travelled with Fricke across the U.S. in the mid-to-late 1970s, filming its natural and urban wonders with such originality.” —Leo Hickman, Guardian
