History Film / Koyaanisqatsi

* TetrisEffect: When the film was first released in 1983, people who left the theater after seeing it on the towering screen of the Zeigfeld Theater in NYC - ''and'' with Philip Glass jacked up on the speakers - walking out into the NYC streets was a trippy thing, since the viewers had just seen what the traffic and pedestrians were like on a meta-scale. Said viewers were forever changed by the experience[[note]]This troper was no exception[[/note]].

* JustHereForGodzilla: A lot of people watch the film patiently waiting for the penultimate 15 minute "The Grid" sequence.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece, and all the better for it.

* DeathGlare - One scene has people pass the camera in slow motion. Some people give the camera a nasty look.

* ForeignLanguageTitle - "Koyaanisqatsi" is a Hopi word meaning ''life out of balance''. ''Powaqatsi'' means ''life in transformation'' and ''Naqoyqatsi'' means ''life of killing each other'' (sometimes translated as ''life as war'').
* GreenAesop - Though the film itself doesn't make it explicit, the translation of the title gives it away.
* HumansAreBastards - again, it's more of a subliminal feeling you get watching it.

* LeaveTheCameraRunning - While most of the film has interesting shots, though many find that the scene with the taxiing jets stretches on too long (two and a half minutes, all one shot--the longest shot in the whole picture).

* OminousLatinChanting - Well, Ominous Hopi Chanting.

** SceneryGorn - Pruitt-Igoe, in particular.

* SoundtrackDissonance - Particularly at the end.
* StockFootage - Used for the demolition scenes; also nuclear tests, UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, and and the rocket destruction at the end.

* StuffBlowingUp - the stock footage above.

* TimeLapse - Most of the footage.
* {{Undercrank}} - The factory assembly lines and masses of people are sped up, as are clouds in most of the nature shots.

* DoingItForTheArt: Aside from Reggio, Creator/FrancisFordCoppola was one of the major backers of the experimental film. while Creator/GeorgeLucas and Golan & Globus backed ''Powaqqatsi''.

* ShoutOut: {{Madonna}}'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4tD8dy9Reg video for "Ray of Light"]].

* StockFootage - Used for the demolition scenes; also nuclear tests, the VietnamWar, and and the rocket destruction at the end.

* [=Undercrank=] - The factory assembly lines and masses of people are sped up, as are clouds in most of the nature shots.

''Koyaanisqatsi'' is a 1983 Godfrey Reggio film. There is no obvious plot or story, there are no actors, there is no dialog. The whole film is just time lapse footage of nature, people, and machines with music composed by PhilipGlass. Despite the synopsis sounding dull, the film is mesmerizing. The film starts with beautiful footage of the desert and natural rock formations. From there human work is more and more evident. The middle section of the film is about the hustle and bustle of modern life. Towards the end, the film focuses on people of different walks of life. The last sequence is [[spoiler:a failed rocket launch in slow motion]].

* [=Bookends=]: At the very beginning of the movie we see a rocket take off, and at the end of the movie, [[spoiler:it explodes]].

* [=Overcrank=] - People walking by, the demolitions of housing projects.

* [=Undercrank=] - The factory assembly lines and masses of people are sped up, as are clouds in most of the nature shots.

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in the ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]], or from the first ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' trailer. "The Grid", however, is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvZ3DBI1tO8 the best]] known piece, both visually and aurally. Fans of ''TheTrumanShow'' will instantly recognize [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXa5id8FXk The Anthem]] from ''Powaqqatsi''.

!!This film provides examples of:
* BookEnds: At the very beginning of the movie we see a rocket take off, and at the end of the movie, [[spoiler:it explodes]].

* TheCriterionCollection: Joined the collection in December 2012 in a box set ("The Qatsi Trilogy") with its two followups.

* DoingItForTheArt: Aside from Reggio, FrancisFordCoppola was one of the major backers of the experimental film. while GeorgeLucas and Golan & Globus backed ''Powaqqatsi''.

* OverCrank - People walking by, the demolitions of housing projects.
* PopCultureOsmosis: For example, in ''Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder'' episode of ''TheSimpsons'' reference has a high speed time lapse of a day in Homer's bedroom when he oversleeps.
** Recent episodes of ''TheSimpsons'' have seen more vivid references, including a full parody of Itchy and Scratchy with several images taken directly from the film.

* UnderCrank - The factory assembly lines and masses of people are sped up, as are clouds in most of the nature shots.

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in the ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]], or from the first ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' trailer. "The Grid", however, is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvZ3DBI1tO8 the best]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me04BWqr_Xo known piece]], both visually and aurally. Fans of ''TheTrumanShow'' will instantly recognize [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXa5id8FXk The Anthem]] from ''Powaqqatsi''.

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in the ''{{Watchmen}}'' [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]], or from the first ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' trailer. "The Grid", however, is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvZ3DBI1tO8 the best]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me04BWqr_Xo known piece]], both visually and aurally. Fans of ''TheTrumanShow'' will instantly recognize [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXa5id8FXk The Anthem]] from ''Powaqqatsi''.

''Koyaanisqatsi'' is a 1983 Godfrey Reggio film. There is no obvious plot or story, there are no actors, there is no dialog. The whole film is just time lapse footage of nature, people, or machines with music composed by PhilipGlass. Despite the synopsis sounding dull, the film is mesmerizing. The film starts with beautiful footage of the desert and natural rock formations. From there human work is more and more evident. The middle section of the film is about the hustle and bustle of modern life. Towards the end, the film focuses on people of different walks of life. The last sequence is [[spoiler:a failed rocket launch in slow motion]].

''"You've never really seen the world you live in."''

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in the ''{{Watchmen}}'' [[Film/{{Watchmen}} film adaptation]], or from the first ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' trailer. "The Grid", however, is the best known piece, both visually and aurally. Fans of ''TheTrumanShow'' will instantly recognize [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXa5id8FXk The Anthem]] from ''Powaqqatsi''.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: ''Powwaqatsi'' is a better film, but fewer people know it, save for the music piece "Anthem" which appeared in ''TheTrumanShow''.

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in ''{{Watchmen}}'', or from the GTA IV trailer. "The Grid", however, is the best known piece, both visually and aurally. Fans of ''TheTrumanShow'' will instantly recognize [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXa5id8FXk The Anthem]] from ''Powaqqatsi''.

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in ''{{Watchmen}}'', or from the GTA IV trailer. "The Grid", however, is the best known piece, both visually and aurally.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: ''{{Powwaqatsi}}''.

If the name sounds familiar, the title song is used whenever [[{{Scrubs}} the Janitor]] delivers a DeathGlare. The pieces "Pruitt-Igoe" and "Prophecies" that were written for this film are probably better known to the current flock of 20-to-30-somethings as the accompaniment to Jon Osterman's [[TransformationSequence transformation]] into [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Manhattan]] in ''{{Watchmen}}'', or from the GTA IV trailer.

'''This film provides examples of:'''