Naqoyqatsi

"Life as war"

2002 1h 29m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 163

Documentary

Synopsis

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A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

“Life as war”

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Cast

Marlon Brando
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Elton John
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Madonna
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bill Clinton
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Fidel Castro
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Martin Luther King Jr.
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Godfrey Reggio
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 0% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Qatsi Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Godfrey Reggio, shot by Russell Lee Fine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jon Kane shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marlon Brando and Elton John and Julia Louis-Dreyfus carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Godfrey Reggio directs. Russell Lee Fine behind the camera. Jon Kane cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 0% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
4Released 24 years ago.
5Part of the "Qatsi Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Godfrey Reggio, shot by Russell Lee Fine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Jon Kane shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Marlon Brando and Elton John and Julia Louis-Dreyfus carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Life as war".
10IMDB entry: tt0145937 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Russell Lee Fine
Editing: Jon Kane
Makeup / hair: Sanja Milic
Sound: Martin Czembor
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $13,000
Return: 0% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Naqoyqatsi (2002)

Part of

Qatsi Collection

A series of three films produced by Godfrey Reggio and scored by Philip Glass. The titles of all three films are words from the language of the Hopi people, in which the word "qatsi" means "life".