Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007)

Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hicks ("Shine") documents an eventful year in the career and personal life of distinguished Western classical composer Philip Glass as he interacts ... See full summary »

Director:

Scott Hicks

Stars:

Philip Glass, Holly Critchlow, Chuck Close

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philip Glass	...	Himself
Holly Critchlow	...	Herself, Philip Glass' fourth wife
Chuck Close	...	Himself
JoAnne Akalaitis	...	Herself, Philip Glass' first wife
Kurt Munkacsi	...	Himself, producer
Scott Hicks	...	Himself (voice)
Maki Namekawa	...	Herself, concert pianist
Marlow Glass	...	Himself, Philip Glass' son
Cameron Glass	...	Himself, Philip Glass' son
Dennis Russell Davies	...	Himself
Sheppie Abramowitz	...	Herself, Philip Glass' sister
Marty Glass	...	Himself, Philip Glass' brother
Stokes Howell	...	Himself
Rebecca Litman	...	Herself
Zack Glass	...	Himself, Philip Glass' son

Storyline

Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hicks ("Shine") documents an eventful year in the career and personal life of distinguished Western classical composer Philip Glass as he interacts with a number of friends and collaborators, who include Chuck Close, Ravi Shankar, and Martin Scorsese.

---

Plot Keywords:

composer | collaborator | nova scotia | new york city | concert footage | 

---

Taglines:

In July 2005, filmmaker Scott Hicks started shooting a documentary about the composer Philip Glass to celebrate his 70th anniversary in 2007.

---

Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Glass

Filming Locations:

Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,546, 20 April 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$20,018, 11 May 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Independent Media,Kino Films,Mandalay Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This documentary's director Scott Hicks became a fan of the work of composer Philip Glass after he went to a midnight screening of Koyaanisqatsi (1982) in 1984 at the behest of his son.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Philip Glass: [voiceover] I never was a captive of other people's ideas about me. Whatever they thought, that didn't bother to me, I did what I wanted to, and um - I didn't care. I've been like that my whole life, and - it saved me a lot of trouble. Even when it came to writing music I didn't care what people thought. You know, there's a lot of music in the world, you don't have to listen to mine. There's Mozart, there's the Beatles, listen to something else! You don't have to listen to this. You...

---

Connections

References Cassandra's Dream (2007)

User Reviews

an affectionate and intimate portrait of Glass

In July 2005, Australian filmmaker Scott Hicks started shooting a documentary about the composer Philip Glass to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2007. Over the next 18 months, Hicks filmed Philip across three continents - from his annual ride on the Coney Island "Cyclone" roller coaster, to the world premiere of his new opera in Germany and in performance with a didgeridoo virtuoso Mark Atkins in Australia. Born in Baltimore, Glass discovered music as he worked in his father's radio store. Hicks documents his early studies and the somewhat precocious formation of his own ensemble to make certain his unusual compositions had a chance to find an audience. The 12 parts of the film focus on different aspects of Glass's work and both public and private worlds. The rapport Hicks developed over the prolonged shoot is indicated by candid conversations in which Glass addresses the off-camera Hicks. This rapport results in an affectionate and intimate portrait of Glass. A recent visitor to Melbourne to perform Book of Longing, his collaboration with Leonard Cohen, Glass's works include opera, theater pieces, dance, film and song. Fan's of Glass's music will love this film and it offers a wonderful introduction for strangers to his oeuvre.