Powaqqatsi

After the success of Koyaanisqatsi, director Godfrey Reggio turned his image and music documentary style away from the industrial world and to the third world. Rather than man being out of balance with nature, Powaqqatsi is man out of balance with man. The word (according to the inlay card) Powaqqatsi is from the Hopi language and means a way of life that consumes the life forces of other beings to survive - in essence a parasitic way of life. Both films are a little over theatrical in their aims and use of Hopi words to describe the failings of the Earth as it stands today, even if the intention is sincere. Glass' Koyaanisqatsi is a classic marriage of music and images, but unfortunately I've not seen Powaqqatsi for comparison, however I suspect the images may be a little less abstract given the emphasis on humans as people, rather than their impact as a race.

Where Koyaanisqatsi is clinical and fairly barren, Powaqqatsi is considerably more varied in both content and style. The music is still minimalist with repeated phrases that build upon one another, but the emphasis on the orchestra, acoustic percussion, together with the children's chorus which all lend it a more appealing soundscape. Serra Pelada is actually quite a surprise, starting as it does with a police whistle, but develops into something of a street parade. In fact, it is fairly reminiscent (in style and arrangement at least) to Williams' much maligned Victory Parade from The Phantom Menace, the strong percussion and chanting childrens chorus being quite a distinctive mix. The most prominent idea of the score is in Anthem which many will recognise from The Truman Show, as Anthem #2 was tracked in and appears on the Truman Showscore album - all properly credited to Glass of course. The octave leap drumming bass has horn chords overlaid and despite a slightly dispassionate beginning soon becomes much lighter in tone. The ideas contained in the first incarnation are developed through the subsequent two with the lengthy final part introducing the choir as well.

Given the wider scope in locations for the film, Glass introduces some more local instrumentation, with occasional ethnic chants (original or otherwise, the packaging is not clear) such as during Mosque and Temple and From Egypt. The striking change in both musical style and harmonic language is marked and doesn't really fit all that well with the rest of the music, no matter how well intentioned the inclusion. Some sections sound like they might turn into pop instrumentals with just a pulsing bass line to start off, but the orchestra and Glass' gift for surprising, but very satisfying harmonic twists mean that cues such as CAUGHT! (no idea why it's in upper case, just like that on the packaging) develop from an unexciting beginning into what could be termed as minimalist action music. Great stuff.

As one review of the film mentions, Koyaanisqatsi has a definite rhythm, with the images and music pulsating with increasing intensity. However, for the score at least, Powaqqatsi is somewhat less directed and less well ordered, but the variety of material does make it a more than worthy successor. Those who enjoyed The Anthem during The Truman Show will find plenty of other material that I suspect will also be to their liking. Otherwise, this probably makes a better starting point than Koyaanisqatsi as the moods and ideas are more varied, the music more passionate and vibrant.