movies
Dance of images and music
"Koyaanisqatsi" is
more than a movie —
it's an experience. The
phrase is overused but
it is particularly apt
here because of the
peculiar nature of the
work: it has no story,
no characters, no dialogue, no narration.
"Koyaanisqatsi" is a Hopi Indian word
meaning "life out of balance,” and that is
what the film is all about. Basically a three
way collaboration between producer/direc
tor Godfrey Reggio, composer Philip Glass,
and cinematographer Ron Fricke, the film is
a symphony of interdependent visuals and
music, a contrast between the beauty of
nature (and sometimes the city) and the
decay and ugliness that can come of
technology.
The most outstanding feature of the film
is its gorgeous photography. Fricke began
shooting for the film in 1975, covering 14
states, and spent 4 years editing. His shots
are elegant to say the least. From the sweep
ing, panoramic views of the deserts and
mountains to the surprisingly grand shots
of city slums and deserted tenements to
enormous seas of people, Fricke captures
all with beauty and power.
Director Reggio makes sense of the im
ages by putting them into a coherent and
dramatic structure. By careful juxtaposition,
Reggio choreographs the film into an
elaborate dance of contrast and harmony,
utilizing not only the subject of each image
but also its focal length, the camera move
ment and speed, color and many other
components.
These strong images, coupled with an ex
cellent electronic score by Philip Class,
results in a surprisingly dramatic film. In
terestingly enough, Reggio considered the
music a serious enough element that he re
edited the film with Glass to make better
use of the final score. The music enhances
the film and the film in turn enhances the
music in a harmonious relationship so rare
in today's films. .
What can you say about a film like this?
It's gorgeous, that goes without saying —
but the film goes beyond surface beauty.
Reggio quite explicitly shows us that
technology is getting out of hand and that
we need to take a closer look at how we're
treating the world. He doesn't preach,
however. Instead, he makes his point in a
manner that is a joy to watch and to
experience.
"Koyaanisqatsi" is a captivating film with
unity and beauty and power. Simply, it is a
marvelous dance of images and music.
The movie is showing at the Bijou at 7:30
p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday,
and 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Sunday
through Thursday. Weekend matinees are
4:45 p.m.
Sean Axmaker
Believable images of the unreal
In the photographs of Jerry
-Uelsman the combination of
multiple images, technical craft
smanship, and textural and design
excitement merge into a world
where suspension of belief
becomes natural.
Uelsman's surrealistic work is
currently on exhibit in the
Photography at Oregon Gallery in,
the University's art museum.
Uelsman, a photography pro
fessor at the University of Florida,
Gainsville, has won several awards
for his work, including Gug
genheim and National Endow
ment for the Arts fellowships. His
work has been exhibited in collec
tions in this country and abroad,
according to gallery director Paul
Neevel.
Uelsman's work lets you believe
what isn't real. He creates dream
like images by superimposing
unlike elements or taking a sub
ject out of its usual context.
In two of his most recent works,
he takes gaseous clouds and the
fluid ocean and turns them into
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solid cubes. His montages often
include the exterior or interior of
buildings combined with natural
elements such as tree roots,
clouds or ocean waves.
The use of wide-angle causes a
distortion that contributes to the
surrealistic power of the works.
Techniques, such as masking off
areas, varying exposure to create a
new structure, and the burning
and blending of images into one
another are frequently employed
to accomplish Uelsman's ends.
Uelsman's prints are rich in
tonal variation and texture. The
closer you get, the more you see.
Images are taken from Florida's
natural environment: ivy, ocean,
roots, grasses and palms.
The cube and circle are recurr
ing elements in Uelsman's com
positions. They appear unex
pectedly, often casting correspon
ding shadows. Sometimes they fit
into a suggested symbolism, as in
the shot of a suspended disc seen
through an oriental gateway.
When Uelsman uses a nude, he
fits the figure into the perspective
of the photo. This can be seen
quite literally in the print of the
square room with a cloud cube in
the corner. All the lines converge
to a single point. The nude in the
foreground is bent to conform to
the space of that setting.
Admission to the museum is
free and open to the public. It is
open from noon to 5 p.m.,
Wednesday through Sunday, ex
cept holidays. Uelsman's show
continues through December 5.
Janette Hopper
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The surrealistic photos of jerry Uelsman are currently on display in
the Photography at Oregon Gallery at the University Art Museum.
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