Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Anima Mundi" or "The Soul of the World" is an Italian movie without language from 1992, so this one has its 25th anniversary this year. It is one of the shorter collaborations between director Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass (before his 3 Oscar nominations). From start to finish we see animal video recordings from all over the world (jungles, deserts, seas) while listening to Glass' sometimes soothing, sometimes energetic music. That's all there is to it. It is good for documentary fans, who don't rely on narration while watching a film. At 28 minutes, it is a relatively short work. I personally agree with the title that by now animals are much more the should of the planet than we are and honestly, even if nothing is really breathtaking in here, it's a well-executed project from start to finish. Vidusla side is really strong, audio side is good and I thought the editing was convincing too. I give "Anima Mundi" a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out.

Rick Bell Don't give up! This DVD is now available through various new/used dealers. The disc is quite extraordinary and disappointing at the same time. Here's why...Like Godfrey Reggio's previous films, the concept behind Anima Mundi is spectacular and its content is extraordinarily beautiful. However, in the DVD version I have, the video quality is poor, sometimes even painfully so, considering our age of crisp, radiant, digital video.One more comment: I scored this film low based on its video quality. At this writing, an $8 DVD and an $18 DVD are available. Perhaps it has been re-released with improved quality? I hope so; I think it's worth seeing.

fertilecelluloid Godfrey Reggio directed "Koyaanisqatsi" and its two sequels, but this is a more sombre affair. Editing existing wildlife footage with freshly exposed material, he has created a beautiful, haunting piece that celebrates diversity. And though he does sound a familiar warning bell about our appalling treatment of the environment, the focus remains on the incredible beauty and variety of animals our planet has produced. Philip Glass's minimalist score turns the spectacular into the sublime, and no sequence is a greater example of this than the underwater one where various forms of alien life slither through the murky depths. The photography of the big cats is amazing, too, their regal beauty artfully captured by the many documentarians associated with the production. The film's final image humbles us all. A product of love and appreciation that, at thirty minutes, is perfectly measured.

Bobs-9 There is a wonderful moment at the beginning of this film where the screen is filled with the image of a large cat's eyes staring directly at us (the one from the front of the video box), accompanied by dark, moody chords played by the brass section. It looks away for a second, and then the music swells ominously as it looks at us again. Although I am not particularly "into" the music of Phillip Glass, I must say that Reggio and Glass have produced a really beautiful little film here. My particular favorite is the eerie, other-worldly underwater sequence, featuring black stingrays floating far above us, sea lions swimming as we would imagine mermaids would, inky-black jellyfish, and a swim through a forest of enormous seaweed dancing and undulating gracefully. Glass's music for this sequence is particularly haunting and beautiful -- and if you've ever seen the film "The Truman Show," you've heard this music before. It accompanies a scene where Truman is talking to his best friend, trying to make sense of his life, and the music nicely underscores his sense of unease, sadness and doubt (I believe it was written for "Anima Mundi" first).Despite a comment here about "Anima Mundi" being out of print, I did just manage to buy the DVD at a local store here in Chicago, and that edition, at least, seems to be available on-line at Amazon and elsewhere. It lasts just 30 minutes, but it's 30 really outstanding minutes, well worth seeing. The DVD gives a noticeable improvement in clarity and color stability (particularly bright reds) over the now out-of-print laserdisc edition. Get it while you can.