Naqoyqatsi: “Primacy of Number”…
This is section 2/11 from Naqoyqatsi, and features Yo-Yo Ma on cello.
‘Naqoyqatsi’ is the 3rd and final ‘Concert Cinema’ entry in the “Qatsi Trilogy” by Godfrey Reggio & Philip Glass:
(1) [1983] Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance
(2) [1988] Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation
(3) [2002] Naqoyqatsi: Life as War
I had to jump through a few hoops to get the timing, editing and compression close to right, but I hope you’ll find it was worth it. There may be some copyright issues with this stuff, so if you’re interested, check it out soon just in case…
While the first two ‘Qatsi (Hopi for ‘Life’) entries featured extraordinary footage by DoP Ron Fricke, Naqoyqatsi uses mostly ‘found’ footage and then performs digital gymnastics to get the desired effects.
Rather than chop up a film into arbitrary segments as is usually done on YouTube, I’m dividing these into logical chunks based on the musical sections, so hopefully they’ll each stand on their own. I have all three films of the trilogy, so I’ll probably post more if anyone likes it and as time (and copyright restraints) permit.
I think it’s a cool sequence and a decent first ‘Qatsi entry. Enjoy!
Fucking brilliant.
The faux-colored oceanic scenes really made the idea of other inhabitable Earthlikes reality for me — there must be, somewhere, that exact scene. Water behaves that way, I’m sure, everywhere. Even when the sunlight is green.
I would like at this point to perform a non-sequitur retort which I’m sure you’ll enjoy. This fellow haunts my very soul with his comic mastery of destruction, and his odd little Japanese hand motions and gesticulations.
I’m sure you’ll be as moved as I was.
I just so love him.
And fuck King Ghidora. Got his ass kicked. Alien crackhead, with his wavy snake heads.
Comment on September 27, 2011 @ 9:27 am
byronius: Very cool! Godzilla (ゴジラ = ‘Go-ji-ra’) started out in 1954 (with Raymond Burr in the quite different ’56 American version we all saw on TV) as a genuinely scary critter… then went for a lighter comedic ‘kiddies’ (of all ages) version… and then finally got serious again in the ’90′s… The father of Japanese ‘kaiju’ for sure… And the song’s not bad either!
BTW: almost ALL of the Japanese kaiju have a ‘ra’ at the end of their names!
Well, one good kaiju deserves another, so I I’ll see your Godzilla and raise you a Mothra (モスラ = ‘Mo-su-ra’)! The ‘spiritual’ monster (who can do glittery magic shit too!) and is probably my fave… AND she fought Godzilla to a draw in ‘Godzilla vs. Mothra’ (1964)… Anyway, she too was resurrected in the ’90′s… And who could resist those twin faeries? (‘please return our egg!’)… Here they are together again in a 1992 remake! And check out the updated ‘Mosura Song’!:
Comment on September 27, 2011 @ 10:46 pm
I’ve uploaded 3 more ‘Qatsi clips… This stuff would make ideal ‘wallpaper for my mind’… and it’s just very well done IHMO. There’s a slight occasional video ‘jitter’ that sometimes bugs me in the slow motion stuff, but what’s a guy gonna do?
Naqoyqatsi (scene 3) Mass-man: This highlights the human body and face. Lot’s of nice slo-mo athletic stuff… cool music too:
Naqoyqatsi (scene 4) New World: some nice solarised images of America, both natural and man-made:
Kowaanisqatsi (scenes 02 and 03) Organic/Clouds: From the first and best known of the ‘Qatsi Trilogy… This is some of the most gorgeous desert footage that’s ever been made… Ron Fricke did a masterful job of cinematography here and in Powaqqatsi… almost 30 years old, but I’ve never seen anything as good. The 2 sequences fit together so seamlessly that I couldn’t bear to break them apart:
Comment on September 27, 2011 @ 10:58 pm
Thanks guys. I feel so much better. Ready to have a whole new nightmare now. That’s after just the first ‘qatsi clip. Great stuff. I’ll just tell the slow-motion Chinese army dudes to take down that Mexican roadstand for me.
Comment on September 28, 2011 @ 1:50 am
OK… I’m done for now. Here are a few more ‘Qatsi clips… I think it’s pretty cool and unique stuff… I hope you agree…
(the audio on the Powaqqatsi clips is a bit low… turn it up! Some of the best music of the Trilogy!)
(1) From Powaqqatsi. This is mostly for Max, our very own resident Bodhisattva-in-training (and I’m not knocking it!). Some nice shots along the Ganges and of that big Stupa/Temple in Katmandu…
Qatsi 2-A: ‘Temples’:
(2) From Powaqqatsi. I especially like the music and the TV montage… The ending is more abrupt than I would have liked…
Qatsi 2-B: ‘Media Train’:
(3) From Powaqqatsi. Opens with an odd shot of a plane (which reminded me of 9/11 a little) and a big dump into Hong Kong harbor I think… a great shot of an Air China airliner taking off amidst the crowded city…
Qatsi 2-E: ‘Dumping & Flying’:
(4) From Koyaaniqatsi. ‘Resource’ follows the beautiful ‘Organic/Clouds’ sequence, flying over Lake Mead (more spectacular aerial photography) and beginning to see the evidence of Man around Nevada… and it gets worse, concluding with some Yucca Flats A-test shots…
Qatsi 1-04: Resource:
(5) From Naqoyqatsi. Religion: ‘Religion’ is meant here in its widest sense (i.e.: ‘that which we worship’): Faith, Nationalism, Money, Drugs, Sports, Celebrity &c… Beautifully done!
Qatsi 3-05: Religion:
I like it that the focus in these films was on art and not on moralising (not much anyway) or spoon feeding their audience… They just tried to capture what IS in very interesting ways, and leave it to the viewer/listener to make his/her own connections and conclusions. Not to everyone’s taste perhaps, but I think it was a great and unique marriage of pure cinema and music!
Worth a look. Enjoy!
Comment on September 28, 2011 @ 10:48 pm