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After making two films about world-class pianists, Academy Award® nominated director Scott Hicks is dangerously close to being known as Piano Man (with my sincere apologies to Billy Joel). First he established his command for the genre with his compelling film about the pianist David Helfgott, in Shine. Now he solidifies his position with a fascinating portrait of prolific composer Philip Glass.

Unlike Glass’ musical composition, Music in Twelve Parts (which highlights the repetitive nature of his music), Glass: A Portrait of Philip in 12 Parts is a documentary composed of twelve overlapping layers ranging from his family life to performances. Scott Hicks began shooting in July 2005 to commemorate Glass’ 70th birthday, documenting a year in the life of this much celebrated composer. In-between preparation for concerts, interviews with friends and colleagues we are treated to his unique fusion of Jewish-Buddhist-Taoist philosophy.

Hicks begins improbably with Glass riding on the famous Coney Island roller-coaster The Cyclone. Glass’ voice-over is the first clue to his convictions. “I was never captive of other peoples’ ideas about me. Whatever they thought, it didn’t matter to me – I did what I wanted to – I didn’t care. Even when it came to writing music, I didn’t care what people thought.” Glass has bestowed upon us a small clue, just a glimpse of his creative process.

The twelve parts proceed to chronicle his life, following him from his home to the studios of friends, his country home and finally a performance. Along the way there are revelations about his home life and his demiurgic world. If you weren’t a fan of his music before, you will be by the time the final credits roll.

To give you an idea of the pacing, here’s a brief rundown of the first three chapters.

Part I – Day at the Office - introduces the audience to his family. We meet his much-younger wife Holly who accompanies us on a tour of his workspace, which she deems as cluttered. Compared to my office, it was downright immaculate. In an effort to show him as a “regular Joe’, we meet his two adorable toddlers as they carry-on with normal daily kid activities – mostly eating and whirling like dervishes.

Part II – Downtown – The camera shadows Philip as he heads for the studio of his friend, the celebrated artist Chuck Close. This is the nostalgia segment, where we hear about his past professions (a cab driver! a plumber!), the genesis of the Philip Glass Ensemble and meet his first wife, theatre director JoAnne Akalaitis.

Part III- Summer in Nova Scotia – which is better known as “Phil Ville” is where Philip and his family and friends congregate to relax. Only Philip is not very adept at relaxation. But he amuses the audience (and his house guests) by preparing pizza from scratch while espousing tidbits of his musical philosophy – (music is like a)…..” river underground – you know it’s running, you know it’s there.”

As the film progresses, we meet his siblings and friends who discuss his childhood and former wives (there are a few). The pace picks up when Hicks hits documentary gold and scores an interview with notoriously camera-shy collaborator Woody Allen. It seems that Glass has taken on the impossible task of composing the music for three films simultaneously. In addition to Woody, we are treated to a few moments with Scorsese (Kundun), Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line) and Godfrey Reggio (Koyaanisqatsi). Each interview brings us closer to understanding the man and his artistry.

The audience doesn’t get the big pay-off until further along when we finally hear clips of sustained performances, both by other musicians and a solo by Glass and a humorous backstage moment before a performance of Waiting for the Barbarians.

If you weren’t a fan of Glass’ music before, you will be by the time the final credits roll. And if you think that line is repetitive, you’re paying attention. I’m just channeling Glass’ technique for emphasis. I guarantee your next trip will be to your neighborhood video store or Netflix to rent Koyaanisqatsi.

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