32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

François Girard originally conceived 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould as a biography to try to explain the bizarre genius of the master pianist who stopped touring in 1963 at the height of his success. The 32 parts play out key moments of Gould's life without stringing them together. They go from realistic (a scene in a Hamburg hotel in which Gould turns a maid on to the wonder of music) to nihilistic (a segment solely made up of the drugs Gould presumably took). Stratford actor Colm Feore is quite good as the slyly introverted, soft-spoken figure, although this film is more of an examination of loneliness than of music. The key question is, Does this docudrama enlighten us better than a straightforward documentary on Gould would? Probably not. --Doug Thomas Amazon.com

Beautiful film

I selflessly gave my beloved copy of the DVD to my son, who is a pianist and who loves this movie. I sure do wish I could replace it.

Glenn Gould was an amazing technical pianist, and a fascinating eccentric. November 17, 2008

When will this film be reissued on DVD?

This is a great film. Well, that's the review over with! Does anybody know when this film will be reissued on DVD? May 6, 2008

Brilliant Eccentric Glenn Gould - Bach Piano Master

To dismiss Glenn Gould as a neurotic or eccentric is quite missing the point. While he was these things, he was also much more. Gould was likely one of the finest interpreters of J.S. Bach on the piano in the last 50 years. His musical output is mammoth and his technical skill almost unsurpassed. Gould is a fascinating character. Having difficulty with personal relationships, Gould left his sizable fortune to his cats. Leaving this earth too early, Gould's legacy is still felt in the musical world and will be for many generations to come.

This movie is a fascinating entre into Gould's world and into his mind. For anyone who enjoys Gould's music this movie is derigeur.

While Gould is played by an actor in the movie, Gould certainly is playing the piano. Sergei Eisenstein the great film director once said, "One should be able to see the music and hear the image." This film about Gould lets that happen.

Done in short mini-films, 32 Short Films combines to create an image of Gould much like a Bach two- or three-part invention disc does for Bach's masterpiece. Separately, each stands alone and has value and import but together a new, vivid and complete unit is formed.

Gould is so brilliant and talented-- yet self-absorbed, that he practically lives inside his head. The movie shows him having difficulty, as many brilliant artists do, in interacting in a satisfying way (to themselves and for the other) with other people. But there were moments when all the walls fell away, and all the neuroses pushed aside so that a real, yet brief connection could be made with another. There is such a moment in this film and for me it was the highlight.

In the most beautiful sequence of the movie, Gould is in a hotel in Europe, Germany if I recall correctly-- the land of Bach himself. He is preparing for an evening's concert and has just received by courier the brand new pressing of his newest Bach LP. It is a lovely day, Gould is silent and preparing. A maid enters his room, she doesn't appear to know that the man in the room is Glenn Gould, likely the greatest pianist alive on the planet at that time. He asks her if she would like to hear something. He places his brand new LP, Bach piano, on his record player and puts the needle down. The disc is spinning... stunning piano music is heard.

The maid is shown almost in a dream a kind of reverie as she glances out the hotel room overlooking the German city, transported by Bach music played so superbly on the piano. Gould lets the woman enjoy the moments as he watches her reaction in silence. She glances from the window and the realization that it is Gould himself who is playing the piano on the recording arises in her eyes. It is a beautiful moment. The maid is humbled and completely appreciative of this gift that Gould has just given her. She says, "Thank you." I have never seen a "thank you" delivered by any actor on film seem so meaningful and important as that one. This is what Bach does to people who care to listen... Bach transports you.

When played by a pianist such as Gould, it's only a matter of time before Bach grabs your imagination and soul and takes you on a grand journey. Gould seems almost a channeler more than a virtuouso pianist. One can almost see the master standing over Gould as he plays whispering to him. Perhaps this is why Gould is often heard on his recordings humming-- perhaps Bach is just too close.

The world is a lesser place with Gould not existing in it, playing for us, bringing Bach alive through his awesome talents. But, for a few minutes, with this movie-- we have him back in all his glory and fascinating eccentricities. Bravo! April 3, 2008

Clever!

I like any documentary that tells its story in an unusual way. I'm tired of the standard, endless structure of most biographical documentaries: "He was born here, in this year, to these people, grew up learning this and doing that, here's an unusual twist, then passed away/went insane/disappeared/still struggling/making a comeback ..." Of course, I was not familiar with Glenn Gould prior to watching it and so didn't have the "actor doesn't look like him" problem. It's definitely slow in many places, it demands attention and a good night's sleep, but that's also one of it's charms: it provides room for interpretation. Just a very clever way to tell a story. July 9, 2007

Eccentric Biopic For An Idiosyncratic Performer

Perhaps you are a Gould devotee or perhaps one with little patience for his many oddities or the cult-ish devotion showered upon his legacy. For either case this biopic tastefully illuminates some of his major obsessions and choices: the decision to stop performing in public, his self-important opinions on the role of the artist in society, his delirious love of music and the sharing of it...

This amalgam of short vignettes sidesteps the many trappings of cinematic film bios. Gould is never sentimentalized and the filmmakers never try to embellish or over-interpret the fact that Gould's personae was, and remains, a difficult nut to crack. The short films recreate significant moments in his life, interviews with associates, and more mundane events that nonetheless sparkle, such as one in which Gould prompts a housekeeper to listen and ultimately engage in this music. By the end you feel you know something more about him, yet you hardly know him, a truth many film bios feel an urge to manufacture their subject's motivations. Indeed, the lead actor is never shown playing the piano. More importantly, you feel Gould's connection to the music, and its infectiousness will make new fans of many who see this. And hearing him play the Goldberg Variations (1955) is one of life's great joys, right up there with seeing Yellowstone or Yosemite valley.

June 16, 2007

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