Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

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:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: 22 Short Films About Springfield (#7.21)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Prelude from Tristan und Isolde

Unusual and effective depiction of an artist

I saw this on DVD and enjoyed it thoroughly. The means of portraying a person - through short and disconnected vignettes - was surprisingly natural. When you think about it, this is often how we learn about people: a collection of stories, incidents, things their friends say about them, memories from childhood. Not only that, but it nicely parallels some of the music, such as the short pieces in Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier. Each has a different mood, but together they paint a complete picture. This movie is a lot of fun for anyone who is fond of classical music and willing to experiment a little bit with film.