Silence Like Glass

Last updated
Silence Like Glass
Zwei frauen.jpg
Directed by Carl Schenkel
Written byBea Hellmann
Carl Schenkel
Produced byMichael Röhrig
Carl Schenkel
Starring Jami Gertz
Martha Plimpton
George Peppard
Bruce Payne
Rip Torn
Music by Anne Dudley
Distributed byMoviestore Entertainment
Release date
  • 1989 (1989)
Running time
104 minutes
CountriesGermany
United States
LanguageEnglish

Silence Like Glass (German title: Zwei Frauen) is a 1989 German-American drama film. Though made in Germany, it is set in America and features an American cast with all English dialogue. The film stars Jami Gertz, Martha Plimpton, George Peppard, Bruce Payne, and Rip Torn.

Contents

Plot

Eva is a wealthy, snobbish ballerina who is diagnosed with cancer. She is admitted into the youth cancer ward at a hospital where she is forced into humility by her disease. She rooms with fellow cancer patient Claudia, and the majority of the film revolves around their interactions together in their hospital room. She is treated with "concern and compassion" by Dr. Burton.

Ultimately Eva goes into remission and is able to continue her life, but not before witnessing another young woman's death and also assisting Claudia to suicide.

Cast

Production

Filming took place in West Germany [1] in autumn 1988. [2] The film opened the Munich film festival in the summer of 1989. [3] Actress Martha Plimpton shaved her head for this role, a move that would influence the direction of her career for the next several years. She appeared bald in the 1989 film Parenthood and accompanied her then-boyfriend River Phoenix to the Oscars with a bald head. [4]

Reception

The film was nominated for Outstanding Feature Film at the German Film Awards. [5] [6] Sam Frank stated that the film was 'engrossing throughout with a directorial style by Carl Schenkel that is witty and inventive, yet unafraid to stare death in the face'. [7] He also stated that the film featured two female lead performances 'that are among the strongest and most accomplished of the year'. [7] Similarly, Juliet Wittman stated that Gertz and Plimpton 'should receive Oscars for their fierce and lovely performances'. [8] A reviewer for Variety stated that the film contained 'brilliant acting and tight direction'. [9] James Cameron-Wilson described the film as 'a powerful, superbly played drama set in a cancer clinic'. [4] Another reviewer stated that Silence Like Glass was a 'discussion-worthy, thought-provoking film'. [10] Rosemarie Kuheim described the film as 'moving'. [11] In contrast, Georg Seeßlen stated that Schenkel's efforts in 'combining the content of a German television film with the craft of an American genre film' did not succeed. [12]

Awards and honors

1990
German Film Awards 1990
Outstanding Feature Film (nominated) [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Peppard</span> American actor (1928–1994)

George William Peppard was an American actor. He secured a major role as struggling writer Paul Varjak when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and later portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers (1964). On television, he played the title role of millionaire insurance investigator and sleuth Thomas Banacek in the early-1970s mystery series Banacek. He played Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, the cigar-smoking leader of a renegade commando squad in the 1980s action television series The A-Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gedeon Burkhard</span> German actor

Gedeon Burkhard is a German film and television actor. Although he has appeared in numerous films and TV series in both Europe and the US, he is probably best recognised for his role as Alexander Brandtner in the Austrian/German television series Kommissar Rex (1997–2001), which has been aired on television in numerous countries around the world, or as Corporal Wilhelm Wicki in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. He is also well recognised for his role as Chris Ritter in the long-running series Alarm für Cobra 11.

<i>Some Like It Hot</i> 1959 comedy film directed by Billy Wilder

Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee and Nehemiah Persoff in supporting roles. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on a screenplay by Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan from the 1935 French film Fanfare of Love. The film is about two musicians who disguise themselves by dressing as women to escape from mafia gangsters whom they witnessed committing a crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Plimpton</span> American actress (born 1970)

Martha Plimpton is an American actress, activist, and former model. Her feature-film debut was in Rollover (1981); she subsequently rose to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies (1985). She has also appeared in The Mosquito Coast (1986), Shy People (1987), Running on Empty (1988), Parenthood (1989), Samantha (1992), Small Town Murder Songs (2011), Frozen II (2019), and Mass (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Dudley</span> British classical and popular composer

Anne Jennifer Dudley is a British composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genres, as a film composer, and was one of the core members of the synth-pop band Art of Noise. In 1998, Dudley won an Oscar for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score for The Full Monty. In addition to over twenty other film scores, in 2012 she served as music producer for the film version of Les Misérables, also acting as arranger and composing some new additional music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Herzigová</span> Czech model and actress (born 1973)

Eva Herzigová is a Czech model and actress. Her career took a major turn in 1994 when she became the face of the Wonderbra campaign. The famous "Hello Boys" ad became iconic and contributed to her worldwide popularity. Her height and elegant appearance made her a sought-after model for fashion shows and campaigns of various renowned brands. Throughout her career, Herzigová has worked with leading designers and fashion houses including Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Versace, Louis Vuitton and many others and has appeared on the covers of many prestigious fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and many others. She became one of the prominent figures of the 1990s modelling and was one of the so-called supermodels along with other famous names such as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jami Gertz</span> American actress (born 1965)

Jami Beth Gertz is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less than Zero, and Quicksilver, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs and 1996's Twister, as well as for her roles as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing and as Debbie Weaver in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors. Along with her husband Tony Ressler, she is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.

<i>House of Cards</i> (1968 film) 1969 film by John Guillermin

House of Cards is a 1968 American neo-noir crime film directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, Inger Stevens, and Orson Welles. Filmed in France and Italy, it marked the third time that Peppard and Guillermin worked together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dieter Hildebrandt</span> German Kabarett artist, actor, and writer

Dieter Hildebrandt was a German Kabarett artist.

<i>Less than Zero</i> (film) 1987 American drama film

Less than Zero is a 1987 American drama film directed by Marek Kanievska, loosely based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. The film stars Andrew McCarthy as Clay, a college freshman returning home for Christmas to spend time with his ex-girlfriend Blair and his friend Julian, both of whom have become drug addicts. The film presents a look at the culture of wealthy, decadent youth in Los Angeles.

Heinz Schubert was a German actor, drama teacher and photographer, best known for playing the role of Alfred Tetzlaff in the German television sitcom Ein Herz und eine Seele.

<i>Operation Crossbow</i> (film) 1965 film by Michael Anderson

Operation Crossbow is a 1965 British espionage thriller set during the Second World War. This movie concerns an actual series of events where British undercover operatives targeted the German manufacturing facilities for experimental rocket-bombs.

The German Council of Economic Experts is a group of economists set up in 1963 to evaluate economic policies of the German government. In the media, the council is often referred to as the "Five Sages of Economy", or simply the "Five Sages".

<i>Sibling Rivalry</i> (film) 1990 film by Carl Reiner

Sibling Rivalry is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Kirstie Alley, Sam Elliott, Jami Gertz, Bill Pullman, Carrie Fisher, and Scott Bakula.

Carl Schenkel was a Swiss film director. His 1984 film Abwärts won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Direction in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constanze Engelbrecht</span> German actress (1950–2000)

Constanze Engelbrecht was a German actress who was one of the most popular actresses in the country between 1980 and 1990. She appeared in more than seventy films from 1960 to 1998. Her husband was an actor, and her daughter Julie Engelbrecht is an actress.

Claudia Lössl is a German actress best known for her work in Boo, Zino & the Snurks and for dubbing the voices of actresses such as Penélope Cruz, Naomi Watts and Renée Zellweger in German releases of English-language films.

<i>Pieces of a Woman</i> 2020 film by Kornél Mundruczó

Pieces of a Woman is a 2020 drama film directed by Kornél Mundruczó, from a screenplay by Kata Wéber. The film stars Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Jimmie Fails, and Ellen Burstyn as the family and associates of Martha (Kirby) involved in her traumatic childbirth, baby loss, and a subsequent court case against the midwife, Eva (Parker), whom Martha's mother Elizabeth (Burstyn) blames for the baby's death. Martin Scorsese and Sam Levinson served as executive producers, and the film was scored by Howard Shore.

<i>Mass</i> (2021 film) 2021 American drama film

Mass is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Fran Kranz in his directorial debut. It stars Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton as grieving parents who meet to discuss a tragedy involving their sons. The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021, and was released on October 8, 2021, by Bleecker Street. At the BAFTA Awards, Dowd received a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a German filmmaker.

References

  1. Voland, John (6 August 1988). "Another Look at Last Year's Rising Stars". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. "'Silence Like Glass' Is Set For Filming In Fall". Variety (331(9) ed.). 22 June 1988. p. 32.
  3. Kindred, Jack (28 June 1989). "U.S. indies figure high at 7th Munich fest; 97 features, plus vid and kidpics showing". Variety (335(11) ed.). p. 11.
  4. 1 2 Cameron-Wilson, James (1997). Hollywood, the New Generation: The Hottest Young Stars in Hollywood. B.T. Batsford. ISBN   9780713481198 . Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 "10 pix nominated for German prize". Variety (339(3) ed.). 25 April 1990. p. 7.
  6. "Carl Schenkel has died in the US". spiegel.de. 4 December 2003. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 Frank, Sam (1 August 1990). "Silence Like Glass". Box Office (126(8) ed.). p. R62.
  8. Wittman, Juliet (1995). Breast Cancer Journal: A Century of Petals. Fulcrum Publishing. ISBN   9781555911942 . Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. "Silence Like Glass". Variety (335(11) ed.). 28 June 1989. p. 16.
  10. "Zwei Frauen". filmdienst.de. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  11. Kuheim, Rosemarie. "Carl Schenkel". deutsches-filmhaus.de. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  12. Seeßlen, Georg. "Zwei Frauen". filmzentrale.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.