Anima Mundi

It is a wonderful immersion in a very lively nature. The music and the images are complementary to each other. The quality of the images is impressive. You will see animals and environments from any corner of the world and will be impressed by the diversity of them.

Don't give up! This DVD is now available through various new/used dealers. The disc is quite extraordinary and disappointing at the same time. Here's why...

Like Godfrey Reggio's previous films, the concept behind Anima Mundi is spectacular and its content is extraordinarily beautiful. However, in the DVD version I have, the video quality is poor, sometimes even painfully so, considering our age of crisp, radiant, digital video.

One more comment: I scored this film low based on its video quality. At this writing, an $8 DVD and an $18 DVD are available. Perhaps it has been re-released with improved quality? I hope so; I think it's worth seeing.

This short is nothing short of mesmerizing! Reggio outdoes his "Koyaanisqatsi" and "Powaqqatsi" in this tribute to the wonders of the animal kingdom. The camera lingers, treks, enfolds and personifies these creatures in startlingly intimate detail, all the while accompanied by (yet another) haunting score by Philip Glass -- pieces of which were also put to excellent use in Weir's "The Truman Show." This one is a must-see in projected form.

It's quite sad that this video is out of print. I purchased a copy when it came out because it has music by Phillip Glass and he is one of my favorite composers. I wanted to purchase a copy for a friend, but found it impossible to do. This movie presents the most flawless marriage of music and video. The photography is impeccable, detailing scenes in nature you won't believe, and won't find anywhere else -- of note are the jellyfish (?) that look to be the size of redwoods. I have watched this video numerous times; I put it on sometimes while reading to relax. If you like "Baraka," another great film, it will be in your interest to try and find it. If I ever do, I will come back on here and post where I was able to get it. By the way, you'll notice in the user rating that no one has ever rated it lower than 6, quite impressive! Sadly, it will probably never make IMDB's top 250 because of the few total number of votes. If it was on the list, it would be #1!!!

If anyone is curious, a remastered version of Anima Mundi is included in the new blu-ray collection of Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi Trilogy from Criterion Collection. Anima Mundi is an extra on the disc for Powaqqatsi.