Koyaanisqatsi

In the movie Koyaanisqatsi (1982), directed by Godfrey Reggio, doesn’t tell a story, but rather shows a story.  Unlike most movies, this movie has no words and no action that draws the viewers away from the scenery.  This technique allows the audience to appreciate the beauty of the real world without the distraction of explosions and other special effects.  The way this film transitions from nature and technology allows the viewer to compare them and see the true beauty that is everywhere.

Not many people actually stop to look at the true beauty of the city life.  For example, in the scene where the city life was being filmed, one may view it as just the city in its natural beauty and another may compare it to something else like, as Luke said, a microchip.  The fast motion of the cars represents the data that flows and sends information across the computer that is the city.  The way the Moonlight reflects against a skyscraper shows the beauty of the night in the city.

At first glance the sea and clouds look nothing alike.  The sea is flowing and can be calm or ravenous at times, and clouds are slow moving and seem less flowing.   However, when the film of the clouds fast forwards, it actually shows that clouds and the sea are actually alike.  The way the sea and clouds flow also compares to the cars on the highway: how it creates the illusion of an elegant river.

Beauty can also be hidden within the most horrifying events.  For example, in the film, it showed a scene of the tragedy of the space shuttle The Challenger from lift off to the explosion.  It was beautiful watching how the graceful the lift off was thinking nothing could go wrong, until the entire shuttle combusts into a burst of flames.  After the explosion, the camera keeps its view on a single piece of the remaining shuttle in free fall.  Though many people died because of this horrible event, beauty can still be seen among the sadness.

It is amazing how technology has changed throughout the course of history.  The way we show beauty in the world has changed as well.  It all started with cave paintings and has evolved and become hidden within the simplest objects.  Instead of being told what to think, this film actually gives the audience a chance to think for themselves and allows them to see the true beauty in nature and technology.