How was it? What was the reaction of the public? Must have been quite a trip. It still is.
There's some good comments here on imdb touching the subject, but just few.
Not only 1982 of course, if you saw more recent screenings and have some interesting things to share, feel free to participate.
I saw this film at the L.A. Film Festival -- unforgetable. For today's relevance just take a look at the Dot Earth article at www.nytimes.com. Life out of balance? You better believe it:
March 18, 2008, 8:54 am A Farewell to Ice By Andrew C. Revkin
"The latest report on changes in the world’s glaciers, which we cover in the newspaper today, is Mass Balance Bulletin Number 9. The take-home message for many parts of the world — from Asia to the European Alps to the Andes — appeared to be, “Farewell to ice.” Essentially, the mountain storehouses of frozen water that have shaped their history and culture, or that have provided a secure year-round source of water through modern times, are no longer secure."
I saw this in the theater, but it had to be 1984 or 1985, because that's when I lived near that theater. I just went to see most things playing at the art theater near me then, and had no idea what this movie was when I went to it or that it wasn't going to have a conventional story or actors. So my main reaction was surprise, because I kept waiting for it to start, and took about 10 or 15 minutes to realize that was the movie! Once I understood what it was, I enjoyed the experience, but I wasn't paying attention to other people's reactions. It was probably a matinee showing with only a few other people there, anyway. Still, I have never forgotten it.
shareI hope you'll consider this interesting to share...I worked in a Hilton in Shreveport, Louisiana (technically Bossier City) and they installed a mega light show/audio/video system in the club and even though I was only part time, I was the only one around willing to learn how to operate it all. Being very young and female at the time made this an unusual situation. There were a couple of 3/4 video decks in the system and I'd never seen 3/4 before in my life. This was in 1983. The guys that installed it left this movie behind and I had no idea what it was but I could put the head phones on and play it on the monitors while the dance music was playing (I was listening to the movie) and could totally escape everything. Very surreal because everyone else was listening to whatever was popular to dance to at the time, I was sitting in the control booth watching this movie over and over. I waited for what seemed forever to find the music and then the DVD. I had a pretty good head start on the internet and searched for it as soon as possible. I don't recall ever being anywhere where it played in a theater and for years I never knew a soul that had ever seen it until a few years ago. I think I still have a bad copy on VHS that I made. I definitely should have snagged that 3/4 tape though...nobody would have missed it for sure. I would be interesting if anyone figured out years later that they were seeing this movie on the monitors while dancing in a club in Louisiana in the 80's. Pretty weird huh?
shareFilm was released in UK in Nov 1983 and I saw it at the local NW London High Street fleapit (those big 1930s-built picture-palaces that are usually now bingo halls or gyms). It was quite widely distributed with a pre-Xmas run. It was a Friday night and the place was about 3/4 full. I had NO idea what this was about or going to be like - had read no reviews, just went along with a pal. Everyone in there was transfixed. I went to see it again with other people another 4 times during the next 2 weeks of its run. Since then I met loads of people who, like me, had rushed out to get the soundtrack, for most of us our only modern-classical-type recording we ever owned. Later on, I then saw Philip Glass do a live performance of the soundtrack in front of a big projected show of the film - this was in 1990 at the National Film Theatre in London. We were lucky to get tickets - sold out very very fast. I got a copy on VHS in the late 80s still have that too.
When morning comes twice a day or not at all
I saw it at an art-house cinema in Sheffield some time around 1985 (the cinema was called the cineplex I think)
The cinema was TINY - I think it seated about 80 people, and you could hear some of the soundtrack from the next door screen during quiet parts, but it blew everyone in the cinema away when we watched it apart from one girl who said "this is *beep* about 10 minutes into the movie and walked out followed by her boyfriend who obviously wanted to stay and watch it.
)Incidentally I notice that it's possible to talk about Sunni Moslems on here but you can't talk about *beep* Moslems because the auto-censor censors that particular branch of Islam LOL.)
Damn...you guys are SOOOO lucky. Oh man, I wish that I could have seen this and Powaqqatsi in a theater.
swaroberts...I was waiting for someone to say they witnessed a disgruntled viewer storm out.
I posted in another thread that when I first saw those protracted fast-motion traffic scenes back in '82, the effect was like they burnt a hole in my brain; the sudden cut to the quiet contemplation of aerial views of cities intercut with CPU microimagery was welcome relief!
Anyway: Yeah, I saw it when it first came out...and didn't see it agsin 'til today (3/2009)! This time the fast stuff felt like rock'n'roll.
I remember a friend and his family were elsewhere in the audience, and after the lights went up he walked up to me and intoned, in his deepest bass voice:
KOYaan ee SQAT siiiiiii.....
After seeing this again today, I had the belated reflection; Hey! What more do you want from a show, but that you walk out whistling the tunes!
I should also extend a belated thanks to that aesthetic lifesaver of the period, the "art house"; there was a little art joint in the "Frandor" shopping center in Lansing, Michigan, called "The Odeon". Between them and the usual student venues at MSU, I got my minimum yearly of truly great film. I went to The Odeon to see "Stop Making Sense" 4 times!
Thanks for this invitation to come over a bit nostalgic!
Frandor represent! Did you go to Pinball Pete's afterwards/
shareI saw it in the cinema just last Monday as a double feature with Powaqqatsi. It may well be one of the most awe-inspiring things I have ever seen. Seeing it on a tiny TV at home does NOT do the film justice.
For example, the aerial shot where we fly over a lake and then fly over fields of flowers, had me grabbing the arms of my chair and feeling woozy afterwards. Also, the bit with the Vegas waitresses was hilariously awkward for the audience. It just went for so long and had everyone shifting about in their seats, it was fantastic!
The Grid, was definitely the highpoint of the experience. The way it graduates from calm flashing lights, to frenetically flashing lights and images was so trippy. A number of people who had looked bored by the first half of the film immediately jumped to attention. The bits where it goes to a sort of first person perspective in the car driving around the city had everyone clutching and moving from side to side as it went around corners. Then it built to the crescendo with music getting louder and images flashing so fast it almost felt like we were watching a brainwashing video, and suddenly stopped, everyone relaxing back into their seats in exhaustion. The way it stops so jarringly at the end of the Grid was something I hadn't noticed before and it made me laugh.
Prophecies made for something of a wind down after that exhausting 20 minutes but not a single person stood up once the credits started rolling. I think everyone needed just a moment to come back to reality. In fact a guy working at the candy bar commented that most people come out feeling pretty stoned after seeing it.
The only bad side was that the soundtrack seemed to have deteriorated somewhat, all of the nuance of Philip Glass' music was lost. It was strange but Pruitt Igoe just seemed to be the same note repeated over and over again (and I mean MORE than usual). But it was worth it.
I saw it in 1982 (maybe early '83) at an art house in Kansas City and it's been my favorite movie ever since. It was just astounding. The people at the theater had a similar reaction to that described above-- everyone needing a bit of time to get collected before standing up and walking out.
I've since owned both the VHS and DVD and the main thing that's lost from a theater viewing is the degree to which one can shift focus as the various scenes roll by. You still do it when watching it at home (and now I have a 50" plasma), but even moreso at the theater you could pick points on which to focus for a bit, bouncing around, or you could just sort of sit back and take the whole thing in all at once.
I loaned the DVD to an employee and she said, "The first thing I thought was that you have to be on drugs to watch this movie. But I just kept watching and watching and it soon dawned on me that this move IS a drug!"
I saw this at a family only screening at a theater that is long gone in Metairie, LA. My Uncle Charles (Godfrey) invited everyone to view the movie, but unfortunately I was too young (5 yrs.) to appreciate or "get" the film. I remember being upset because we couldn't get popcorn, since we were the only people in the whole complex, I remember twinkies in fast motion and I remember my Mom and Dad waking me up when it was over. The same for Powaqqatsi; though I was older, I still could not wrap my head around it.
I watched the lazer disc of Koyaanisqatsi at my other uncles house when I was 17 and I was completely blown away. I have always admired my uncle for being a great person who does not compromise his beliefs or his integrity, but once I fully understood his movies it brought that admiration to a whole new level. I had to go back and apologize for sleeping through the first two.
I did get to see Naqoyqatsi at a film festival in New Orleans in 2002, but I had to get explinations from him after the show. I could not wrap my head around that one.
I saw it in 1987 in the theatre here in NZ. My grandparents took me to see it, and needless to say it had a profound (thought provoking and positive) effect on my 13-year-old mind.
I remember seeing it when I was a kid in a theater in San Diego. It made a strong impression on me. Until recently I had no idea what the name of the movie was or when it came out--I just remember seeing it--the visuals, the music...
A few years ago I did some googling to find out what the name of it was and when it came out. Just saw it again for the first time in more than 30 years. Quite a treat!
"Who's running this airline?!"