Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

François Girard

Writers:

François Girard (screenplay) &
Don McKellar (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The sound of genius.

Plot:

A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.

Plot Keywords:

Glenn Gould | Goldberg Variations | Piano | Stock Exchange | Superstition

Awards:

7 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Colm Feore	...	Glenn Gould
Derek Keurvorst	...	Gould's father
Katya Ladan	...	Gould's mother
Devon Anderson	...	Glenn age 3
Joshua Greenblatt	...	Glenn age 8
Sean Ryan	...	Glenn age 12
Kate Hennig	...	Chambermaid
Sean Doyle	...	Porter
Sharon Bernbaum	...	Female guide
Don McKellar	...	Concert promoter
David Hughes	...	Stagehand
Carlo Rota	...	CBC producer
Peter Millard	...	CBC Engineer
John Dolan	...	CBC Assistant Engineer
Allegra Fulton	...	Waitress

Also Known As:

32 Curtas Metragens Sobre Glenn Gould (Portugal)
Glenn Gould - 32 lyhytelokuvaa (Finland)
Trente-deux films brefs sur Glenn Gould (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Portugal | Canada | Finland | Netherlands

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Spain:T | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Trivia:

The structure of the film is based on the structure of the piece that Glenn Gould is most famous for playing, Bach's Goldberg Variations. The Goldberg Variations are 32 short pieces of music that are usually played together.

Quotes:

Glenn Gould: Wanted: friendly, companionably reclusive, socially unacceptable, alcoholically abstemious, tirelessly talkative, zealously unzealous, spiritually intense, minimally turquoise, maximally ecstatic moon, seeks moth or moths with similar qualities for purposes of telephonic seduction...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Night of the Blood Beast (#8.1)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Allegretto from Sonata No. 17 in D minor

Poignant look at an enigma - and lovely film making

'Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould' will not appeal to everybody: it is not a traditionally narrative biographical documentary, and it will not present much in the way of the facts of Gould's existence. Rather, it attempts to portray many facets of his eccentric and self-centered genius largely by non-narrative means. There are a few documentary-style interviews, but I found these to be simply providing background for the dramatizations and visuals used to bring out his character.

Gould's passions, quirks, and personality are presented with Colm Feore's decent likeness and obviously very thoroughly researched character development. Story takes a back seat to image and music, and the result for the audience is a feel for the persona of Glenn Gould, rather than the story of his life.

I am biased, as a Canadian and a lover of Gould's music, but this is one of my all-time favourite films.