Nat H I sat down to watch the third and final film of the 'qatsi' series last night as so far Reggio's work has really inspired me in my film making. The last two films has such a huge impact on how I saw life I could not wait to be inspired by Naqoyqatsi. The start of the film felt very much the same as the past films with the sublime music score. I did enjoy the film but I dint feel that the series evolved as much as I hoped it would. The film is breath-taking at first but the same shocking images after awhile become dull and you are numbed to the full effect of them. I was left at the end of the film with a strong feeling of emptiness and sadness. I always knew war was out there but this film really brought in into my mind. The films trys to show that war is life. At times I found the images to be to in your face but that is something I have not made my mind up completely as of yet. All the images are of some kind of war but they do not flow as well as I would have hoped as you would have images of Hitler and then Binlarden. Sure they are linked but its not as smooth as I feel it could have been. Koyaanisqatis had a much stronger beginning, middle and end. I really tried to find the meaning in this film but kept getting lost in the overpowering images. Even though I do not think this film is perfect like the last two films were,

imdke I was mesmerized by KOY in the early '80's. Wishing to preserve the purity of that experience, I eschewed the Qatsi of the Powaqqa - until quite recently, when I collided with NAQOY. I retreated back to the more comforting Sqatsi of KOY, but eventually I had to confront the other two films as well.These three films are a remarkable achievement. I feel honored to have been able to experience them. My emotions ranged far and wide, from longing for the simple, beautiful life, to grudging pride for man's achievements, and finally to the fear that we have really screwed things up. In the panel discussion in Special Features, Godfrey Reggio told us that he chose the Hopi language for his 'lingua franca' because it carried no baggage. He then endowed it with such baggage. Do the Hopi thank him for bowdlerizing their language?KOY held that technology is out of balance with nature. Alas, if only "THEY" (that's you, not me, Pilgrim) had heeded the chants, "WE" would have a serene, beautiful life. Hmmm. If man had not developed technologies, while some animals have, would that be life in balance?POWAQQAE, bad sorcerers that they are, have seduced the backwards, some say stupid, people of the southern hemisphere with false promises of prosperity and easier lives. Jared Diamond persuasively posits that the intelligence of Third World people is not greatly different from that of us, their northern neighbors. Consider this: WE offer people laboring in the southern hemisphere the option of 1) remaining one season away from starvation; or 2) technologies that result in their lives approximating those of the numberless people featured in POQAQQATSI. WE might be pleased if THEY chose the simpler, idyllic subsistence life, but this is the worst kind of sophistry. Do WE really know what's best for others? Are WE preternaturally wiser and smarter than others in the world? Time will tell. The Muezzin's mesmerizing, haunting call to prayer at the end of the film is a chilling reminder that humanity will never lack for souls who believe they do know better.NAQOYQATSI gets the range. Life IS war. Spend a little time away from your clubs and domiciles and observe what is going on in backyards, savannas and forests. WAR is a technology, a survival tool. Implicit in NAQOY is a defense of my notion that some living things, but not all, adapt and survive. That means developing successful behaviors and tools. Institutions, too. Don't blame me; I didn't write the script. Maybe I read it in the wrong language.

l-f-s The film is worth a watch if you can hold on for the visual ride. A subjective plot leads you through a poignant journey of a violent and deadly future, present, and past. I found the film intriguing but visually and emotionally disturbing. The film relies on stunning visual imagery that never gives the viewer time to relax and reflect on the meaning of it all. The film is saturated with clever computer graphics. Without the use of CGI I don't believe the point of the film could have been made with as much depth as it had. The film attempts to give the viewer omnipresence over the world condition and how it got here and where it is going. At some undefined moment in the film the viewer 'gets it' but may find it difficult to put into words. The soundtrack for the film was excellent with work from Phillip Glass and Yo Yo Ma.

Pietje Puk The music is really stunning and takes you into the experience just like in the other qatsi films. But what exactly is this journey?: Maybe a grim view of the world? the title after all means "life as war". A world full of technology and the humans as master or as slaves of this technology? These were my expectation of the film. In stead of the unique and wonderful story telling Godfrey Reggio did with koyaaniqatsi en powaqqatsi which makes you see the world with different eyes . You get this film. What is it? I can't tell you. you see a stream of floating images, symbols and what not. But it doesn't make a coherent story. It is even difficult to watch because the images you see make no sense what so ever and you can easily loose interest. But the music still keeps you going. After watching this film you have two thoughts: 1. I got to have this music on cd 2. what did i see?