Let's open this article with a poorly executed and possibly familiar joke:
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Philip Glass.
Here at TMT we do not grasp irony or its many manifestations, but we do, however, poorly report ironic news. This week's ironic news includes a film about Philip Glass (TMT Review), an American classical composer whose name is akin to minimalism -- or as Glass prefers to call it, "Music with repetitive structures." Maybe now you get the dumb knock-knock joke.
He has composed scores for a variety of films, including The Hours, Kundun, Notes on a Scandal, and my favorite Candyman. But now the tables have turned, as Koch Lorber Films has obtained the rights for the U.S. theatrical and home video release of Scott Hick's documentary, Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts. The film includes interviews with Errol Morris, Chuck Close, Christopher Hampton, and Martin Scorsese in an in-depth look at Glass' life and work.
Glass premiered September 2007 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and will premiere in April at New York's IFC Center to go along with the revival of Glass' Satyagraha at the Metropolitan Opera House. A DVD release date for the U.S. should be announced soon.
After this film, can we expect more documentaries on minimalists? Like, Terry Riley?
Terry Riley? Terry Riley? Terry Riley? Terry Riley? Terry Riley? Steve Reich? Terry Riley? Terry Riley?
I doubt it. Doubt it. Doubt it.
