The composer who made 4'33" of silence famous finally speaks — and it's chaos.
This 56-minute documentary on America's most controversial and unique composer manages to cover a great many aspects of Cage's work and thought. His love for mushrooms, his Zen beliefs and use of the I Ching, and basic bio details are all explained intelligently and dynamically. Black Mountain, Buckminster Fuller, Rauschenberg, Duchamp are mentioned. Yoko Ono, John Rockwell, Laurie Anderson, Richard Kostelanetz make appearances. Fascinating performance sequences include Margaret Leng-Tan performing on prepared piano, Merce Cunningham and company, and performances of Credo In Us, Water Music, and Third Construction. Demystifies the man who made music from silence, from all sounds, from life.
Cinematography
Intimate performance footage that makes avant-garde accessible.
Direction
Miller lets Cage's contradictions breathe without forcing narrative.
Director
Allan Miller
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cage was a legit mycologist who founded the New York Mycological Society and once won $6,000 on a mushroom quiz show.
His prepared piano — bolts and screws between strings — was essentially a DIY rebellion against the Western piano tradition.
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