A Look under the Magnifying Glass
"Shattered Glass," Bill Ray's debut film as a director, is a film assembled around the delusions and crushed ambitions of a fantasist.
"Shattered Glass," Bill Ray's debut film as a director, is a film assembled around the delusions and crushed ambitions of a fantasist.
Journalistically, it is a story of finding the right balance of truth.
There is more duality thrusting throughout "Shattered Glass," Ray's reality sketch of the high-pressure world of journalism, than in a compelling Greek tragedy. This is a movie in which the dos and don'ts of journalism are unveiled. Aspiring journalists, take note.
The story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), a 24-year-old writer/editor, who is not well-liked by his supervisor at the New Republic, Charles "Chuck" Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), after it is found that Glass fabricated the majority of his stories, is a gripping tale surrounding his fast rise and steep fall in the profession of journalism.
The acting by a well-paced cast also featuring Chloe Sevingy, Melanie Lynskey, Hank Azzaria, Steve Zahn, Rosario Dawson, Matt Reno and Luke Kirby, infuses the film with a compelling tone and perfect-pitch performances. the cast pushes the viewer to want to know more about the rule of the competitive profession.
Mr. Ray stand the chance of complicating the film's narrative voice through the transitioning between time frames that give the film its dramatic edge. He conducts extensive interviews with the main players, even allowing Chuck Lane, a major character in the film, to examine the final script. "Shattered Glass" proves to be a great story without sacrificing integrity or authenticity.
Much of the story is told through a narrative voice over of Glass recalling his eventful days as a reporter a narrative voice over of Glass recalling his eventful days as a reporter to a group a media students who are enrolled in his former teacher's class. Glass is idolized by the students and envied by many of his colleagues as they believe that he covers the stories that every reporter dreams of. He is revered by his news editing friends who fight for his stay at The New Republic.
Glass' commitment as a writer/editor for The New Republic and a s a freelance writer for George, Harper's and Rolling Stone magazines make him one of the most sought after journalists, but that is soon halted by his not-so-smart decisions. His success as a reporter is put in question when another publication raises questions about one of his stories.
After being put under speculation for having questionable information in his article entitled "Spring Breakdown," Glass still does not pay heed to the importance of rules associated with journalism and puts himself at risk again when he publishes "Hack Haven" the story of a young hacker. Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn), a writer at Forbes Digital Tool, an online magazine, starts probing the details of Glass' feature about how a computer hacker extorted a fortune from a large software compare called Jukt Micronics. As Penenberg discovers more and more holes in the story, Glass' world begins caving in.
The New Republic editor, Lane, also places Glass under intense questioning. Because of the strength of the Forbes Digital scrutiny, it is soon discovered that the article has no credibility. Often asking what he has done wrong when his work is put under the magnifying glass, glass is proved a pathological liar, who is trying to preserve his crumbling career. He refers to notes that are doctored with made up facts from the story, ranging from the company in the article to the hacker convention mentioned. He even goes as far as creating a web site to belong to the company in the article.
There is a duality of commitment and trust.
Lande has no choice but to fire Glass, as he finds that he has fabricated 27 of 41 articles he has written. The morning after his dismissal the staff publishes a letter of apology to their readers, suggesting their support of Lane's decision. Their support that was once in favor of Glass soon transitions and they side with Lane.
The drama that unfolds is a compelling one. Christensen effectively plays the role of the desperate-to-please Stephen Glass. Sarsgaard completes his task of a committed editor-in-chief with flying colors as he illustrates the importance of a strict code of ethics.
Glass' commitment as a writer/editor for The New Republic and a s a freelance writer for George, Harper's and Rolling Stone magazines make him one of the most sought after journalists, but that is soon halted by his not-so-smart decisions. His success as a reporter is put in question when another publication raises questions about one of his stories.
After being put under speculation for having questionable information in his article entitled "Spring Breakdown," Glass still does not pay heed to the importance of rules associated with journalism and puts himself at risk again when he publishes "Hack Haven" the story of a young hacker. Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn), a writer at Forbes Digital Tool, an online magazine, starts probing the details of Glass' feature about how a computer hacker extorted a fortune from a large software compare called Jukt Micronics. As Penenberg discovers more and more holes in the story, Glass' world begins caving in.
The New Republic editor, Lane, also places Glass under intense questioning. Because of the strength of the Forbes Digital scrutiny, it is soon discovered that the article has no credibility. Often asking what he has done wrong when his work is put under the magnifying glass, glass is proved a pathological liar, who is trying to preserve his crumbling career. He refers to notes that are doctored with made up facts from the story, ranging from the company in the article to the hacker convention mentioned. He even goes as far as creating a web site to belong to the company in the article.
There is a duality of commitment and trust.
Lande has no choice but to fire Glass, as he finds that he has fabricated 27 of 41 articles he has written. The morning after his dismissal the staff publishes a letter of apology to their readers, suggesting their support of Lane's decision. Their support that was once in favor of Glass soon transitions and they side with Lane.
The drama that unfolds is a compelling one. Christensen effectively plays the role of the desperate-to-please Stephen Glass. Sarsgaard completes his task of a committed editor-in-chief with flying colors as he illustrates the importance of a strict code of ethics.
Glass has since written a book about his spell bounding career that is entitled, The Fabulist.
Written by Billy Ray; directed by Bill Ray and Buzz Bissinger; director of photography May Walker; edited by Jeffrey Ford, produced by Jeffrey Ford; produced by Tory Christensen, Mar Butan, Gaye Hirsch, Adam Merim and Craig Baumgarten; released by Lions Gate Films. Running time: 95 minutes.
With: Hayden Christensen (Stephen Glass), Peter Sarsgaard (Charles "Chuck" Lane), Chloe Sevingy (Caitlin Avery) and Melanie Lynskey (Amy Brand), Hank Azzaria (Michael Kelly), Steve Zahn (Adam Penenberg), Rosario Dawson (Andy Fox), Matt Reno (Nill) and Luke Kirby (Rob Gruen).
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