This article is about the 1980 musical film. For the song by David Bowie, see Breaking Glass (song). For the film about Stephen Glass, see Shattered Glass.
Breaking Glass is a 1980 British film directed by Brian Gibson, and starring Hazel O'Connor, Phil Daniels, and Jonathan Pryce. The film is remarkable in that it also featured in the cast (sometimes in small roles) very many actors who would eventually become major stars of film and television: Mark Wingett, Richard Griffiths, Mark Wing-Davey, Jim Broadbent, Ken Campbell, Gary Tibbs, Peter-Hugo Daly, Derek Thompson, Janine Duvitski, Michael Kitchen, Gary Olsen, Jonathan Lynn, Zoot Money, Gary Holton, and Jon Finch. The film was co-produced by Dodi Fayed and written and directed by Brian Gibson. The film's main character Kate, played by Hazel O'Connor, was named after Kate Bush who was the UK's most popular female singer at that time. The film was screened out of competition at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Plot
The movie tells the story of Kate (O'Connor), an angry but creative young woman who through a series of lucky breaks ends up becoming one of the biggest pop stars of her day. Her friend and manager Danny (played by a young Phil Daniels) comes along for the ride. All goes well for both of them until Kate has a nervous breakdown prompted by violence at a demonstration, and the group's saxophonist Ken (Jonathan Pryce) becomes increasingly dependent on intravenous drugs. Woods, an overbearing manager, pushes Danny away and takes his place as the group's manager and Kate's boyfriend.
Cast
Reception
The film is often held out as being an example of punk rock, but by the time it was made, the punk craze had died down and New Wave was taking its place. This is reflected in the soundtrack, which is more melodic and refined, partly thanks to the involvement of veteran producer Tony Visconti. The music strongly features saxophones, played in the movie by Pryce's character. Pryce in fact learned all the saxophone parts, so the fingering is correct, but his playing was not used in the soundtrack.
The film is also often cited as showing the mood of pre-Thatcherite Britain during the Winter of Discontent of 1978-79, with a rebellious teenage underclass, public unrest, and racial or class tensions.
The soundtrack of the film is regarded as cult classic, and spent several weeks in the UK top 20, spawning two UK top 10 hit singles, "Eighth Day"(#5) and "Will You" (#8).
References
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