People may have a preconceived notion that composer Philip Glass is austere, intellectual and serious minded. After all, through his operas, symphonies, compositions for his own ensemble and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, and Woody Allen to David Bowie, Glass has had an extraordinary impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his time.
So audiences may be surprised when they see a lighter, more playful side of the composer in Glass: A Portrait Of Philip In 12 Parts, a new documentary directed by Academy Award nominee Scott Hicks, who helms commercials via Santa-Monica based Independent Media, Inc. “I knew Phillip before, and had been a fan of his music ever since my son took me to a midnight screening of KOYAANISQATSI [in 1984]. I met Philip again at the invitation of his management, while I was working on Snow Falling on Cedars [in ’97]. I was using Philip’s music for a temp score, and had inquired about licensing music for the film. His publishing company put us in touch,” said Hicks, who also took on the role of cinematographer for the project–a first for the director.
“What surprises me about Philip is just how easy and sociable and sunny he is, he’s just good fun to be with. I wanted to convey that sense of his character, to an audience probably not familiar with it. It was a surprise for me and there was a delight I felt as I got to know Philip, and I wanted to share that with the audience.”
Glass’ management approached Hicks in early ’05 to see if he would be interested in making a documentary to mark his 70th birthday in ’07. (Glass turned 70 in January.) Hicks started working on the film in August ’05, with the intent to show it at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Over the next 18 months from the summer of ’05, Hicks followed Glass 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 in Australia. He had unprecedented access to Glass’ working process, family life, spiritual teachers and longtime collaborators. Hicks fulfilled his hopes and the film made its world premiere earlier this month at the festival.
Back In The Saddle Hicks enjoyed returning to documentary filmmaking after more than a decade away from the genre. The last documentary he directed was The Ultimate Athlete, which was released in 1996, the same year as Shine. (Shine received a total of seven Academy Award nominations in all major categories including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.)
“It was fantastic getting back into documentaries, with the ‘extra ingredient’ of shooting myself, which was a first for me. I’d always been a stills photographer, had always been involved with the cinematographer on my projects. Initially, this was a stop-gap measure to let me begin gathering material, with a plan to get a full-blown cinematographer later. I found that the ‘low impact’ of a small unit allowed an intimate relationship with the subject in front of the camera. And at some point, I realized ‘this was the film I was making,’ that it would be a mistake to bring in a larger crew.”
What Hicks loves most about documentaries is the constant challenge of dealing with events and situations that are completely unpredictable and uncontrollable. “I think it’s useful for any director to understand that they can’t control the world, so sometimes immediacy, spontaneity and the unpredictable can be the very things that make a moment memorable,” he said.
“You might have a little idea of how it will connect to the story you’re trying to tell. Filming is gathering the raw material; shaping, scripting and sculpting that material happens in the editing process.”
He cited an example in the Glass film, which was cut by Stephen Jess, a senior editor at The Whitehouse in New York. In October ’05, Hicks was filming the Philip Glass Ensemble rehearsing “Orion” in Melbourne, Australia. At the time of shooting, he had no idea this would form the basis of a chapter of the film, having to do with collaboration and with the articulation of Glass’ discovery of a new world of music on the borders, the boundaries of East and West.
“I didn’t want just a pure performance piece for its own sake. As I began writing the structure [of the film], I realized what this could become in the story,” Hicks explained.
The director described Jess, who he has worked with on advertising projects over the years, as being a total collaborator who brought enormous energy and intelligence to the process. “We were dealing with a ‘mountain of material’–having shot in excess of 120 hours of footage– so it was a monumental task to process these dailies. His energy and drive were important ingredients.”
Prior to directing Shine, Hicks worked almost exclusively in documentaries, which was cross-subisidizing the development of Shine. Similarly, his work in commercials helped enable him to be in the states and get the Glass project going. He personally financed the production and post on Glass, and Independent Media also made funds available. Independent Media founder/executive producer Susanne Preissler produced the documentary.
“Independent Media really got behind this from the start. They got the financing, and we were off… Susanne really went above and beyond,” Hicks said.
The first Toronto screening was extraordinary, according to Hicks, for a few reasons. First, it was good to watch it alongside the team who had been through the process of making the film with him. Plus it was the first time he had seen the film on such a large screen and with an audience without a connection to the film already.
“It was well projected and looked and sounded stupendous. Seeing and hearing it in this way was stunning,” Hicks said. “And to feel the audience’s connection to the film. I know when they connect with the humor, they’re with you–and I felt that from the get-go.”
Review: Director/Co-Writer Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ “My Dead Friend Zoe”
Even for a film titled "My Dead Friend Zoe," the opening scenes of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes' movie have a startling rhythm. First, two female American soldiers are riding in a Humvee in Afghanistan 2016 blasting Rihanna's "Umbrella." They are clearly friends, and more concerned with the music coming through loudly than enemy fire. Zoe (Natalie Morales) tells Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) tells that if they ever set foot in "some dopy group therapy," to please kill her. Cut to years later, they're sitting in a counseling meeting for veterans and Morales' character has a sour look at her face. She turns to her friend: "Did we survive the dumbest war of all time just to sit here all broken and kumbaya and ouchie-my-feelings?" But after this rush of cavalier soldiering and bitter sarcasm comes a sobering moment. Merit blinks her eyes and is instead staring at an empty chair. Zoe isn't there at all. "My Dead Friend Zoe," co-starring Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, confronts a dark reality of post-combat struggle with as much humor and playfulness as it does trauma and sorrow. It comes from a real place, and you can tell. Hausmann-Stoke is himself a veteran and "My Dead Friend Zoe" is dedicated to a pair of his platoon mates who killed themselves. The opening titles note the film was "inspired by a true story." Audience disinterest has characterized many, though not all, of the films about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the output has pretty much dried up over the years. "My Dead Friend Zoe" feels like it was made with an awareness of that trend and as a rebuke to it. This is an often breezy and funny movie for what, on paper, is a difficult and dark story. But the comic tone of "My Dead Friend Zoe" is, itself, a spirited rejection to not just the heaviness... Read More