Customer Reviews

Anima Mundi

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Good thing this is out of print. I hope they reissue a better quality DVD. This is one of the worst-authored discs I have ever seen. I first saw the film on VHS and wish I'd bought it that way--this thing really looks like an mpeg file. To give you an idea of just how bad this is, the black of the end credits has brown-grey squares (perfect squares all the same size) flashing throughout it the entire time--and no, they are not supposed to be there.

Reggio and Glass created a brilliant short subject that should have won an Oscar. Perhaps a reissue could be coupled with Reggio's unreleased shorts _Evidence_, and music video "Patricia's Park" could be included, if the rights were available, but more important would be a DVD without such heavy "artifacting," "pixillation," "blockiness," whatever you want to call it. Those of us with the Apex that can play anything and anywhere are particularly screwed since it's not as good at hiding such defects.

This is the sort of film that only film conoisseurs are going to appreciate it, so why not give it a high quality release?

I was first blown away by "Koyaanisqatsi", which was meant to be seen on the big screen. Then "Powaqqatsi" from the local video store. I first saw "Anima Mundi" on the local PBS station in conjunction with their pledge drive. Of the three films in this trilogy, this is by far the best. The music is some of Phillip Glass' most accessible - even found myself humming it at work. Seeing the life within the eyes of the animals, the intelligence, the beauty of life in the wild was stunning. There were many instances when similarities in disparate species were brought into focus: the multiplying bacteria juxtaposed with schools of fish, for example. The one let-down to this film is that there is only 30 minutes of it; it could have been easily stretched to an hour and not fallen into repetition of images. If you are unfamiliar with this trilogy, "Anima Mundi" gives the best introduction. This does for photography what "Fantasia" did for animation. Truly, a 5-star movie. (Also, a real treat for kids who love to watch the nature programs)

A gorgeous treatise on the beauty of the living earth, Godfrey Reggio's "Anima Mundi" is the absolute opposite of his more famous "Koyaanisqatsi." With Philip Glass again providing the score (this time a more animated, globalistic affair than his highly minimalist work for "Koyaanisqatsi") over an otherwise silent parade of spellbinding images of life and earth, this movie is a moving experience that plays out in under half an hour. Previous reviewers have panned the video quality and while it's not exactly plasma-screen-good, it's certainly sufficient enough to make this a worthy buy.

This film is good, its not the best though because at thirty minutes it really cuts its self short. Sure its a short film, but the subject matter it is trying to deal with just can't be properly covered in thirty minutes. Even so its worth a watching,
but too bad the DVD is poor in the visual quality. Glass is great with the music, as usual. The film Microcosmos and the film Baraka are actually better films in dealing with nature.
Check them out too.

Another fine work by Reggio. My three-year-old loved it. Especially the part where he saw "stingrays eating spaceships." A great demo disc as well.

Not worth owning, and probably not even worth viewing if you are used to current DVD quality. Be warned: this is a faux 16:9 video (the black bands are part of the signal) and has some digital artifacts. The net effect is to destroy the experience of what (in the theater) was stunning. Unless you are stuck using an old TV and a low-end DVD player, you should avoid this. On an HDTV-capable system this will disappoint.

If looking into animals' eyes feels a bit on the disturbing side, perhaps the point of this incredible compilation of film footage is to invite the audience to view the complex balance of this planet from the animals' eyes.
This (albeit short) video entices you in with the grace of leaping gazelles, pulls you along with the overwhelming strength of the ocean and transports you to a new perspective of life, from the bellowing breath of an industrialized city down to the excited dance of the most basic cells under a microscope, and magically returns you back into the gaze of the animal's eye.
The beautifully powerful music combined with equally compelling images are guaranteed to stay with you for years!
Excellent investment!

1991: Anima Mundi is Latin for "Soul of the World". In this dazzling documentary, the life of animals from land and sea are captured with exquisite precision and beauty. The careful attention to detail makes this documentary simply the best about life on planet earth. The shots of wildlife in Africa, the foliage, the various life forms under the sea are all in perfect union, making this film a reminder to us that planet earth is a living being, complete with its own intelligence, biological function and even its own spirit.

I recall seeing this in both film format and in the extra large IMAX screen. The cinematography to the documentary is breathtaking. Although it is only 30 minutes long, there is much to learn about the life on this planet by watching this documentary, which is very short but meaningful. The music is composed by none other than the brilliant 20th century composer Phillip Glass- whose technique of minimalism is haunting and effective, particularily in the shots of the sea creatures. Phillip Glass' work for this short film ranks as one of his finest, although it is very short and precise. Phillip Glass and Anima Mundi go together almost like two blending chemicals. Finally, on DVD, the greatest documenatary, albeit the shortest, is available for viewing.

An interesting feature of the DVD which I think communicates something of the essence of this movie is that the text used to communicate the idea "play" is "play continuously". The film is composed of around a hundred separately filmed 15-30 second nature scenes, which is pretty short for a DVD and pretty disconnected for a traditional film. You will find though that people can't walk by without stopping to stare...

The sound quality is listed as a 5 in the ratings provided by widescreen review, but if you look at the technical details you'll see it listed as "hi-fi sound". That means NOT 5.1 surround, which is quickly becoming the standard for a modern release and which is immediately noticed if you have, like me, become accustomed to the high quality sound that DVD has to offer. Anyway, Phil Glass' music is one of the best parts of the film, bringing continuity to what otherwise is a somewhat haphazard collection of wildlife shots. Granted, there are some thematics in the way that the shots are composed, but without the music, you'd be wondering what (and why) you were watching (try it).

The movie also comes with three annoying copyright notices at the beginning that you can't fast forward through. Finally, it was filmed in Italy (hence Anima Mundi - i.e., "Soul of the World").

Overall, an enjoyable 30 minute diversion - a light snack if you will. Hope you enjoy it.

Perhaps it is a blessing that this one is out of print. Why? I find it overly derivative of it's predecessor (Koyaanisqatsi). Other than being way too short, and pretty unoriginal, it does have elements of the aforementioned masterpiece. But in my opinion, this is a case of riding that pony until it's dead. If you love Koyaanisqatsi, then join and buy that DVD, or wait until the legal battles are over to get that one. I think if you are expecting something different (or new) in this one, you will be disappointed. I got this one blind on a recommendation from someone who I am sure did not see Koyaanisqatsi.