Naqoyqatsi (2002)

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

Director:

Godfrey Reggio

Writer:

Godfrey Reggio

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Bella Donna, Elton John

Cast

Credited cast:
Marlon Brando	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bella Donna	...	(archive footage)
Elton John	...	Himself (archive footage)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Herself (archive footage)
Madonna	...	Herself (archive footage)
Bhagwan Mirchandani	...	Business Man
Jack Shamblin	...	Atomic Adam
Steven Soderbergh	...	Man reflected in digital screens (3rd segment)

Storyline

In this cinematic concert, mesmerizing images are plucked from everyday reality, then visually altered with state-of-the-art digital techniques. The result is a chronicle of the shift from a world organized by the principles of nature to one dominated by technology, the synthetic and the virtual. Extremes of intimacy and spectacle, tragedy and hope fuse in a tidal wave of visuals and music, giving rise to a unique, artistic experience that reflects the vision of a brave new globalized world.

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Plot Keywords:

technology | violence | hollywood sign | part animation | advertising | 

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Taglines:

America is test-driving the future.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for violent and disturbing images, and for brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Website for the Qatsi Trilogy

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 2003 (Czech Republic)

Also Known As:

Naqoyqatsi: Life as War

Filming Locations:

Michigan Central Depot - W. Vernor and W. Michigan Avenues, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$17,154 (USA) (18 October 2002)

Gross:

$132,026 (USA) (22 November 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Qatsi Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the end credits, the title is pronounced nah-koy-kahtsee.

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Crazy Credits

Studio Feng Shui ... Marti Lovell

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Connections

Follows Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

User Reviews

The exploration of the human kind continues scientifically, not intellectually.

'Between innocence and politics' would be a Donnie Darkesque mistake to describe the experience of this movie. There's more than one dimension in the world of Reggio and Glass. Especially Jon Kane adds a dimension in my opinion. At times I was a bit disappointed that the creators couldn't resist the temptation of getting rather political and explicit. That wasn't necessary to entertain the audience more. Some may put it like certain sequences are on the verge of being political, but the engagement annoyed me. The Beastie Boys video 'Something's got to give' did it better.

Animation/CGI has been completely aesthetically accepted as means of returning to the level of part one with bits of Tron, bytes of the Matrix, snippets of 2001 and views of Avalon (Oshii, 2001). Together with Glass's magnificent tunes and 'skywalker sound' Naqoyqatsi almost reaches the massive level of Koyaanisqatsi.

Reggio and Kane return to computer-mainboards, cultivation of nature, escalation of conflicts, but this powerful and almost scientific exploration of all kinds of human conflicts still has little intellectual value. Not even if it featured a thousand computer generated symbols, Leonardo Da Vincis, Madame Tussauds, American presidents, Hieronymus Boschs, terrorists or babies. The explicit and excessive use of facial icons and expressions diminishes the universal value as well. I was charmed by the portrayal of internal fights that sportsmen and -women experience (but why did they forget rowing sequences?). It still is way better than the picturesque Powaqqatsi, not only because this has less stock shots, apart from some military parades and nuclear mushrooms. I'm glad Soderbergh shoved it forward. 8/10 (Koyaanisqatsi after reconsidering 9/10, Powaqqatsi 6/10)