Breaking Glass (1980)

It will tear your heart out.

An exciting "new wave" soundtrack permeates this poignant rags to riches story of a talented and rebellious young singer-songwriter. Hazel O'Connor gives a tour-de-force performance as Kate, the lead singer of the rock group "Breaking Glass." Kate's socialist ideals are juxtaposed to her pragmatic rock manager, Danny (Phil Daniels, Quadrophenia), the streetwise hustler who discovers her and develops her into a star. The film pivots around the struggle for artistic recognition and an energetic singer whose talent and sanity are jeopardized by the music business power structure. O'Connor's vibrant music—she wrote and performs thirteen songs for the film—is extremely captivating even to the ear uninitiated in new wave music.

Made by writer-director Brian Gibson (What's Love Got to Do with It), with producers Davina Belling and Clive Parsons (Scum and Gregory's Girl), on location in London, Breaking Glass is one of the few mainstream films set firmly in the then-nascent punk and new wave milieu. The film captures the excitement, innovation, passion and anger that courses through the music and its surrounding culture. O'Connor's original soundtrack, produced by longtime David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti, spawned five singles and reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Supporting O'Connor and Daniels are Jonathan Pryce (Brazil) as the band's junkie saxophonist, Mark Wingett (Quadrophenia) on guitar and Jon Finch (Hitchcock's Frenzy) as the powerful music producer who takes Kate to superstardom. Stephen Goldblatt's (Outland) scope cinematography grants the film an appropriately epic quality. Now, for the first time in North America, Breaking Glass appears in its original, longer UK cut, in a new restoration created from archival film elements.

Directed by: Brian Gibson
Starring: Phil Daniels, Hazel O’Connor, Jon Finch, Jonathan Pryce
1980 / 104 min / 2.35 / English Stereo