History Film / Koyaanisqatsi

* WhamShot: After the jaw-dropping twenty-minute high-speed sequence that is "The Grid," the music cuts out, and we see a helicopter shot of New York City. That dissolves into a satellite photograph... which then dissolves into [[spoiler:a close-up of a microchip]]. Even after seeing this film several times, this is bone-chilling, and for first-time viewers, it's a kick to the gut.

* NotSoDifferent: Shots of satellite photos of cities are intercut with circuitry boards. It's difficult to tell which is which.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/koyaanisqats_7774.jpg]]

* BusbyBerkeleyNumber: The multiple shots of women fanning grain to dry it out becomes one in ''Powwaqatsi''.

* 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'').

'''''Koyaanisqatsi''''' is a 1983 Godfrey Reggio film. There is no obvious plot or story, there are no actors, there is no dialogue. The whole film is just time lapse footage of nature, people, and machines with music composed by Music/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 a failed rocket launch in slow motion.

%%* TheSeventies
%%* TheEighties

** In an interview on the Criterion Blu-ray, cinematographer Ron Fricke says he believes Reggio intended ''Koyaanisqatsi'' to present a GreenAesop: whereas '''he''' [=[Fricke]=] strove to reveal beauty in ''all'' of the images, regardless of their content. Word Of God suggests Fricke's opinion presumes CreativeDifferences which did not actually exist.

* PopCultureOsmosis:
** In the "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' reference has a high-speed time lapse of a day in Homer's bedroom when he oversleeps. Later episodes of ''The Simpsons'' have seen more vivid references, including a full parody of Itchy and Scratchy with several images taken directly from the film.
** All of these images are present in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97rakGU8DDM this]] official trailer.

%%* SlowMotion

%%* TimeCompressionMontage

** In an interview on the Criterion Blu-ray, cinematographer Ron Fricke says he believes Reggio intended ''Koyaanisqatsi'' to present a GreenAesop: whereas '''he''' [=[Fricke]=] strove to reveal beauty in ''all'' of the images, regardless of their content. WordOfGod suggests Fricke's opinion presumes CreativeDifferences which did not actually exist.

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

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** Led to the RunningJoke on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' of someone slowly chanting "''Ko - yaan - isqatsi''" every time the music in the film invoked this trope.

'''''Koyaanisqatsi''''' is a 1983 Godfrey Reggio film. There is no obvious plot or story, there are no actors, there is no dialogue. The whole film is just time lapse footage of nature, people, and machines with music composed by Philip Glass. 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 a failed rocket launch in slow motion.

'''''Koyaanisqatsi''''' is a 1983 Godfrey Reggio film. There is no obvious plot or story, there are no actors, there is no dialogue. The whole film is just time lapse footage of nature, people, and machines with music composed by Philip Glass. 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 a failed rocket launch in slow motion.

* TheTropelessTale: This page refutes that, of course, but ''Koyaanisqatsi'' is technically not a documentary, nor is it a traditionally narrative film either. The only label that it might possibly wear is Experimental Film. It's also been described as a "tone poem."

* SlowMotion

##* TheSeventies
##* TheEighties

##* TimeCompressionMontage

* TheSeventies
* TheEighties

* TimeCompressionMontage

* TheTropelessTale: This page refutes that, of course, but ''Koyaanisqatsi'' is technically not a documentary, nor is it a traditionally narrative film either. The only label that it might possibly wear is Experimental Film.

* {{Bookends}}: At the very beginning of the movie we see a rocket take off, and at the end of the movie, [[spoiler:it explodes]].[[note]More subtly, the rocket first seen taking off cuts to a Saturn V successfully launching an Apollo mission; the rocket leaving the launch pad at the end is also a Saturn V, but this is then replaced by the original, doomed rocket.[[/note]]

* {{Bookends}}:
** At the very beginning of the movie we see a rocket take off, and at the end of the movie, [[spoiler:it explodes]].
** More subtly, the rocket first seen taking off cuts to a Saturn V successfully launching an Apollo mission; the rocket leaving the launch pad at the end is also a Saturn V, but this is then replaced by the original, doomed rocket.

* Montages: An old-school example