Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - IRE DVD release, 4:3 open matte

Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke.

The film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse photography of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and music. In the Hopi language, the word Koyaanisqatsi means 'crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living', and the film implies that modern humanity is living in such a way. The film is the first in the Qatsi trilogy of films: it is followed by Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). The trilogy depicts different aspects of the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. Koyaanisqatsi is the best known of the trilogy and is considered a cult film.

This release is the original DVD from Reggio's Institute for Regional Education. Unlike the later release from MGM, which had the top and bottom sections of the print removed to fit the widescreen format, the IRE version is an open matte transfer in 4:3 and is thus more true to the original film format.

More information on the difference between the two versions here:


http://www.originaltrilogy.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=5872

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare2/koyaanisqatsi.htm