In July 2005, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks (Shine, No Reservations) began shooting a film about Philip Glass to coincide with the composer’s 70th birthday. Over the next 18 months, Hicks followed Glass across three continents – from his annual ride on the Coney Island “Cyclone” to the world premiere of his new opera in Germany and in performance with a didgeridoo virtuoso in Australia. The resulting documentary, GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS, would go on to become an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and garner universal acclaim with theatrical playdates across America. On April 8, the film will premiere on national television on the acclaimed PBS series American Masters, and two-weeks later, on April 21, will debut on DVD from KOCH Lorber Films. The 2-disc collector’s set features the 119-minute theatrical-cut of the film supplemented by over three hours of bonus features, including a fascinating audio commentary with Hicks, additional interviews, performances and more.
Port Washington, NY – In July 2005, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks (Shine, No Reservations) began shooting a film about Philip Glass to coincide with the composer’s 70th birthday. Over the next 18 months, Hicks followed Glass across three continents – from his annual ride on the Coney Island “Cyclone” to the world premiere of his new opera in Germany and in performance with a didgeridoo virtuoso in Australia. The resulting documentary, GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS, would go on to become an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and garner universal acclaim with theatrical playdates across America. On April 8, the film will premiere on national television on the acclaimed PBS series American Masters, and two-weeks later, on April 21, will debut on DVD from KOCH Lorber Films. The 2-disc collector’s set features the 119-minute theatrical-cut of the film supplemented by over three hours of bonus features, including a fascinating audio commentary with Hicks, additional interviews, performances and more.
Scott Hicks’ GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS is a mosaic film portrait of one of the greatest – and at times controversial – artists of this era. Allowed unprecedented access to Glass’ working process, family, spiritual teachers and long time collaborators, the director worked with a skeleton crew and shot the lion’s share of the footage himself. The film follows the innovative composer with a casual, immediate honesty, giving viewers a singular revelation into the life of this surprising and complex man. The documentary also features performance footage of Glass’ seminal collaboration with avant-guard stage director Robert Wilson ("Einstein on the Beach"), interviews with former wives JoAnne Akalaitis and Holly Critchlow, artist Chuck Close, musician Nico Muhly and film directors including Errol Morris, Godfrey Reggio and Martin Scorsese.
The extensive extras for GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS include a full-length director’s commentary by Scott Hicks, nine deleted/extended scenes as well as filmed interviews with Philip Glass from the Gramercy Park Hotel, Tibet House and the Met Opera House. Four bonus performances are also featured on disc 2 of this incredible set including Philip Glass and Michael Riesman rehearsing “Dracula” with the Kronos Quartet; a solo piano performance of “Metamorphosis” in Melbourne; “Orion” with the Philip Glass Ensemble and featured artists Mark Atkins, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Ashley MacIsaac, Wu Man, Kartik Seshadri, Foday Musa Suso, UAKTI and music director Michael Riesman; and “Einstein on the Beach” featuring Leigh Warren and Dancers in rehearsal with the Adelaide Vocal Project. An 8-page booklet with Scott Hick’s production notes is also included with the DVD.
The original motion picture soundtrack to GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS will be released by Orange Mountain Music on April 7 to coincide with the DVD’s premiere. Featuring much of the music from the film, the CD includes a wide variety of selections from every part of Philip Glass’ career.
Born in 1937, Glass grew up in Baltimore and was educated at the University of Chicago and The Juilliard School. After a period in Europe where he studied with the legendary Nadia Boulanger and the sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, he returned to New York in 1967 to form the Philip Glass Ensemble. The radical musical group performed at various art happenings in the downtown gallery scene, where Glass cultivated his signature sound. His unique soundscape of reiterative structures was initially vilified but has since achieved international acclaim. Today, his versatile, prolific body of work spans multiple genres including opera, symphony, experimental theater and dance, film score – for which he has received three Oscar® nominations (The Hours, Notes on a Scandal, Kundun) – and even rock. His collaborators have ranged from Allen Ginsberg and Twyla Tharp to David Bowie and Paul Simon to Yo-Yo Ma and Doris Lessing.
About KOCH Lorber Films
Dedicated to providing the best in award-winning, classic and contemporary international cinema, documentary features and cultural programming, KOCH Lorber Films is a market leader for high quality releases to both wide and specialized audiences through theatrical, television and home video distribution. KOCH Lorber Films DVD releases include: the classic films La Dolce Vita, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Tous les Matins du Monde and Un Coeur en Hiver and recent theatrical and festival hits such as Intimacy, The Five Obstructions, Save the Green Planet, The Syrian Bride, Changing Times, The Bridge and Blame it on Fidel. Visit KOCH Lorber Films online at www.kochlorberfilms.com.
