Australian director Scott Hicks made a smashing debut with “Shine” (1996), but his other work, such as “Snow Falling on Cedars” (1999), has suffered from dramatic inertia atop his accomplished pictorialism. Hicks’ cute-in-the-kitchen “No Reservations” (2007) was scored by Philip Glass, and their working relationship allowed for this procedure-driven doc, “Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts”; reportedly he was also given, from 2005 on, a year-and-a-half of access to Glass. Old friend Chuck Close, whose monumental portrait of a younger Glass is one of the artist’s most iconic works, is among the interviewees, including Ravi Shankar, directors like Martin Scorsese and Errol Morris, who only just made a film without Glass’ signature sound. “Philip does existential dread better than anyone,” Morris says in cheery observation. Woody Allen also consented to Hicks’ presence in his editing room for “Cassandra’s Dream.” There are brief glimpses of the 70-year-old composer’s life not behind the computer, including a confession by his much younger wife that does not surprise. ” Get up early and work all day. That’s the only rule,” Glass says. Hicks’ film demonstrates the results of that ethos. (Ray Pride)
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