By Rama Gaind
Glass – A Portrait Of Philip In Twelve Parts (Madman)
Australian director Scott Hicks has made two outstanding films about men who make music. Shine in 1996 was based on the life story of pianist David Helfgott, for which he received two Oscar nominations – for direction and original screenplay with Jan Sardi.
The other is a documentary – Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts – which was completed in 2007 to mark the celebrated composer’s 70th birthday.
While the stories and personalities of Glass and Helfgott are completely different, the two films are distinctive in that each brilliantly conveys the essential auditory process of music-making as a series of visual moving images.
In Glass, Hicks is also the cinematographer with magnificent images.
This study of legendary American composer Philip Glass – the man and his music – encapsulates the workaholic lifestyle with his wife, young children, siblings and friends.
It looks at the 1960s New York art scene. There are also the filmmakers for whom he’s written music scores including Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Errol Morris and Godfrey Reggio.
Hicks had extraordinary access to both the creative and personal life of Glass. For 18 months he followed Glass (The Hours, Notes on a Scandal) across three continents, creating a remarkable portrait of this gifted composer.
Hicks presents a unique glimpse into the life of one of the greatest artists of this era.
This is an exhilarating look inside the mind of a modern musical genius. While it is well made, some editing would have cut the length.
Special DVD features include an interview with director Scott Hicks, out-takes, director’s commentary, extra interviews, booklet and bonus performances: Kronos Quartet’s ‘Dracula’ rehearsal; ‘Metamorphosis’ solo performance; ‘Orion’ (performance); and ‘Einstein on the Beach’ Adelaide rehearsal (extract).
