John Cage: From Zero

From zero ? the documentary is a portrait of composer John Cage who died in 1992, and is one in a series of films on contemporary composers. The central theme of the film is the realisation of a performance of the Cage composition Fourteen. In the first part images of the preparations for this performance are interspersed with interviews. Cage tells about artists he feels related to, like writer James Joyce and choreographer Merce Cunningham. His own work is frequently realised on the basis of 'chance operations'. This involves an often computer?controlled system of composing, with coincidence determining which sounds are played and in which order. Besides, Cage believes in the idea that all possible sounds can basically be part of a music piece. Music should be open, just like the world should be open to all sorts of people living in it. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)