Blu-ray Review The Qatsi Trilogy Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[RobHam]

I first saw Koyaanisqatsi at a special screening in 1983 – the subject matter didn’t appeal to me at that time and I had to be persuaded to go. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and I still clearly remember being astonished by the visuals and the music. The music – the following day I bought the Philip Glass soundtrack on LP, the VHS video a few years later, and the DVD a few years after that.
Earlier this year I imported the Koch Media Blu-ray from Germany - this joined an elite list of Blu-rays I have that show no improvement over the DVD. In fact, the MGM DVD seemed to be a transfer from a cleaner print, and Koch Media had made no attempt at restoration – in full hi-def, some of the non-Fricke stock footage looked appalling.
Matt – your review doesn’t make this clear, but I assume Criterion have been involved in some form of restoration work before transferring it onto Blu-ray?

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Criterion always does clean up for their masters.
The disc is stunning

 

[Ejanss]

Are you talking about Kickstarter? Kickback.com sells soccer equipment. But yeah, I understand the connection now.

Er, yes, noted. Kickstarter.com (Freudian slip about all that bribe money we're paying out. )

I first saw Koyaanisqatsi at a special screening in 1983 – the subject matter didn’t appeal to me at that time and I had to be persuaded to go. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and I still clearly remember being astonished by the visuals and the music. The music – the following day I bought the Philip Glass soundtrack on LP, the VHS video a few years later, and the DVD a few years after that.

I had actually never heard of the movie or Philip Glass before seeing the first trailer; in the 80's, I just knew early-Glass's style from some animated segments on Sesame Street:

Spoiler

[VIDEO]http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXl8PdRm6Wo[/VIDEO]

(In those days, anything would turn up on the show.)

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Will purchase this next Spring/Summer when B&N does their semi- annual 50% Criterion sale plus use my 10% membership discount. I buy all my Criterions this way.
The 2 Philip Glass scores alone make this a no-brainer.
For now my DVDs will suffice.
I applaud Criterion for these titles- all in one package.

 

[Dick]

My local B&N had this for 40% off, plus I had a 25% off any item coupon, so the whole thing cost me about $35.00 including tax. Can't beat that! I have mixed emotions about the second and third films; KOYAANISQUATSI alone is just about worth the price for me, so the rest is icing on the cake.

 

[Manus]

If it helps with motivation to maybe actually view this set of films is available more affordably here :
http://tinyurl.com/qaatsitrilogybd
M

 

[TonyD]

If it helps with motivation to maybe actually view this set of films is available more affordably here :
http://tinyurl.com/qaatsitrilogybd
M

Under $35 at B&N is cheaper then over $55 at Deepdiscount

 

[Noel Aguirre]

My local B&N had this for 40% off, plus I had a 25% off any item coupon, so the whole thing cost me about $35.00 including tax. Can't beat that! I have mixed emotions about the second and third films; KOYAANISQUATSI alone is just about worth the price for me, so the rest is icing on the cake.

Thank you for this heads up. Bought as you said. Koyaanisquatsi looks and sounds fantastic

 

[andrew markworthy]

Sorry to be late to the party, but it takes a while to get Criterions mailed to the UK (especially over the holiday period).
I'd seen all the Qatsi films before, but never back to back. I think that having seen all of them together, and looked at the extras, my opinion of Reggio's trilogy has plummeted.
I saw Koyaanisqatsi when it first was shown in cinemas, and over the years saw it on the TV, listened to the soundtrack, etc, and loved it. And I still think it's a great film. I saw the final two parts of the trilogy when they were released and at the time thought they were a case of diminishing returns. Powaqqatsi has some arresting individual moments, but drags in places. And Naqoyqatsi I thought was flawed - principally, in the not terribly imaginative film trickery that seemed to serve no purpose. Showing pictures of army cadets marching doesn't make any more point if you put on a pseudo-solarising effect, for example. But overall, the trilogy remained impressive.
However, that opinion was formed by watching individual films and linking them in my memory. Playing them back to back made it look like the same trick replayed again and again, with the visual inventiveness fading away as one gets further into the trilogy. The repetitive nature of the exercise is in no way helped by Philip Glass's music. Over short bursts it is mesmerising. Over four or so hours, candidly it gave me a headache. The trouble is that this has a backwash effect - now I cannot see Koyaanisqatsi without thinking about how the same basic camera tricks are going to be replayed again and again.
As regards the extras - all I will say is that IMHO, Godfrey Reggio's pronouncements on the state of mankind are more likely to confirm pre-existing prejudices than to convert.
Sorry, but I think Baraka is better - better cinematography, in the main better images, and a more coherent message.

 

[Ejanss]

Sorry to be late to the party, but it takes a while to get Criterions mailed to the UK (especially over the holiday period).
I'd seen all the Qatsi films before, but never back to back. I think that having seen all of them together, and looked at the extras, my opinion of Reggio's trilogy has plummeted.
I saw Koyaanisqatsi when it first was shown in cinemas, and over the years saw it on the TV, listened to the soundtrack, etc, and loved it. And I still think it's a great film. I saw the final two parts of the trilogy when they were released and at the time thought they were a case of diminishing returns. Powaqqatsi has some arresting individual moments, but drags in places. And Naqoyqatsi I thought was flawed - principally, in the not terribly imaginative film trickery that seemed to serve no purpose. Showing pictures of army cadets marching doesn't make any more point if you put on a pseudo-solarising effect, for example. But overall, the trilogy remained impressive.
As regards the extras - all I will say is that IMHO, Godfrey Reggio's pronouncements on the state of mankind are more likely to confirm pre-existing prejudices than to convert.

Considering everything that Reggio had gone through in the twenty years since Powaqqatsi, Naqoy played like one of those underwhelming twenty-years-later returns of the director to his iconic 80's franchise--Basically, the Crystal Skull and Phantom Menace of the trilogy.
Film had been replaced by solarized digital video, and "favorite" scenes seemed to be stolen wholesale from the other films (the 'Western-culture video clouds" from PQ, only now with CNN footage?...Seen it!) But he just seems to give up around the two-thirds mark: The trailer suggests there's some actual message to it (war comes out of technology), but darned if I can coherently find it in the movie.
I remember being blown away by the original when it came out in '83, but found myself cringing at some of the hippie-bumpersticker cliche'd imagery near the end of Naqoy: Religious icons intermixed with corporate logos?...A baby superimposed on a field of stars?.....OOOOOO!!
Powaqqatsi was slow-mo and muddy (literally and visually), but at least I'd watch it again if I had the set.

 

[schan1269]

Trying to politicize a film(even if the director doing so) that doesn't need it to be entertaining is like trying to talk about an issue...but why do you(the director) have to take us there...
Granted there are numerous movies you can point your finger at(Battleship Potemkin, Citizen Kane)...
But the idea behind NQ was flawed from being the afterthought. As an exercise in film technique...it has merit.
Sadly they didn't leave it there.