Godfrey Reggio's ballet of images and the masterpiece of his "Qatsi" trilogy was released in 1983 after over 5 years of on-location shooting.  The score, composed by Philip Glass, is certainly the most famous aspect and an integral part of the film, but it is the completely unique language of sound and image that Reggio and Glass co-create that makes it a wonder to behold.  Their process of working together is quite interesting - rather than writing the score based on a finished film, the two men traveled together to all of the locations and simultaneously shot and scored the film.  This organic process is necessary for the film to succeed as it does, since for 82 minutes all the viewer experiences are visuals (sometimes in fast or slow-motion) and music.

Koyaanisqatsi portrays the destruction that modernization has caused to our natural environments.  Some, including Roger Ebert (who still liked the film), have accused it of "Earth worship" since all of the beautiful sequences of the film are without humans.  While this claim can certainly be supported, I can't help but feel they are missing the point.  The word "koyaanisqatsi", a combination of two words from the Hopi language, has most commonly been translated to mean "life out of balance".  However, Reggio has also offered the definition "A life that calls for another way of living".  This suggests that he is not hateful towards human beings, but rather is suggesting that we simply find ways to live on this planet without destroying it.

The editing of the film is what ultimately makes it work so splendidly.  There is not a dull moment but every image, sound, and speed change evokes a different feeling from the viewer forcing you to contemplate or reevaluate the way the world works.  Koyaanisqatsi is certainly not a completely objective film - it has a point of view and many people find fault with this.  Reggio is making a statement with this film and proves that films can achieve deep meaning with pure imagery.  Due to its lack of narrative it allows your thoughts to flow freely, to agree or disagree, and contemplate before reaching your own conclusions.  Any charge that this film is manipulative is pure absurdity.

The Northern Hemisphere, more specifically North America, is the setting and Reggio contrasts the last few areas of natural beauty with the overwhelmingly industrialized areas that are spreading at an exponential rate.  His contempt for modern, technology-oriented society is clear but Koyaanisqatsi is a beautiful statement that shows man's follies through the progression from nature to modern cities rather than an angry statement suggesting man leave the Earth.  It may be difficult at first to adjust to such an abstract film, but once the images and music begin to flow through you it becomes a magnificent, eye-opening experience that will leave you thinking for days after it's over.

Powaqqatsi, 1988

The second leg of Godfrey Reggio's "Qatsi" trilogy focuses on the Southern Hemisphere and is a stark contrast to the images of Koyaanisqatsi, which focused on the effects of technology and modernization on the Northern Hemisphere.  The title Powaqqatsi comes from two words from the Hopi language that combine to mean (loosely) "a being that survives through the destruction of others".  The being in Powaqqatsi is the North (the new world) and the one being destroyed is the South (the old world).  Through a montage of images and music, including another beautiful score composed by Philip Glass, Reggio expresses his belief that the new way of life driven by technology is placing many cultures around the world in danger of extinction.  He does not seem to be preaching an agenda of anti-technology, but rather shows the consequences of what we have done in the past and the danger of where we are heading.

Shot over a period of five years, the creation of Powaqqatsi was as grueling and almost as time-consuming as Koyaanisqatsi.  Reggio and Glass's collaborative creative approach gives the film a natural flow that makes it as beautiful and powerful as it is profound.  Due to its focus on cultures that still follow ancient values and customs and the approach of capturing the beauty of this way of living, Powaqqatsi has often been accused of glorifying poverty.  It seems many people mistake the glorifying of people and cultures that are not in step with ever-quickening process of globalization and modernization as not only an attack on the modern world, but as glorifying something that is no longer relevant or necessary.  Through the rapid changes in technology in recent years, it has become that status quo to believe that not only is modernization the best direction for all nations to head, but the only one.  In Powaqqatsi, Reggio forces us to rethink these accepted notions and hopefully come to the conclusion that both worlds can and should coexist.

As companion pieces, Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi work together brilliantly and pull of the difficult task of being both extremely personal, yet very universal films.  Sometimes dismissed as mere long music videos, though usually not by anyone who is somewhat knowledgeable about cinema, these films actually utilize two of the primary qualities of film - music and images - better than most films use either one.  They are so packed with ideas as well as powerful images, that it is impossible not to be moved emotionally and intellectually.

Naqoyqatsi, 2002