Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

Director:

François Girard

Writers:

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

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
Dick Callahan	...	Trucker #1
Guy Thauvette	...	Trucker #2
R.D. Reid	...	Trucker #3
Conrad Bergschneider	...	Trucker #4
Gerry Quigley	...	Music Critic
Gale Garnett	...	Journalist
David Young	...	Writer
James Kidnie	...	Photographer
Maia Filar	...	Girl
Marina Anderson	...	Mother
Marie-Josée Gauthier	...	Professor
Nick McKinney	...	Interpreter
Moynan King	...	Questioning Woman
Knowlton Nash	...	V.O. Announcer (voice)
Michael Kopsa	...	Broker
Len Doncheff	...	Broker
Ian D. Clark	...	Phillip Brennan
David Clement	...	Desmond
Jimmy Loftus	...	Waiter
Frank Canino	...	Waiter
Bruno Monsaingeon	...	Himself (Violin I, Opus #1)
Yehudi Menuhin	...	Himself (as Sir Yehudi Menuhin)
Margaret Pacsu	...	Herself
Jessie Greig	...	Herself
Megan Smith	...	Herself
Walter Homburger	...	Himself
Ray Roberts	...	Himself
Bob Phillips	...	Himself
Jill R. Cobb	...	Herself
Bob Sylverman	...	Himself
Elyse Mach	...	Herself
Mario Prozak	...	Himself
Valerie Verity	...	Herself
Vern Edquist	...	Himself
Gilles Apap	...	Himself (Violin II, Opus #1)
Jean Marc Apap	...	Himself (Viola, Opus #1)
Marc Coppey	...	Himself (Cello, Opus #1)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ahmed Yamani	...	Himself (arrives in Canada) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
François Girard

Writing credits
François Girard		(screenplay) &
Don McKellar		(screenplay)
Nick McKinney		uncredited
Glenn Gould		additional material

Produced by
Michael Allder	....	producer
Niv Fichman	....	producer
Daniel Iron	....	associate producer
Amy J. Kaufman	....	line producer
Dennis R. Murphy	....	executive producer
Barbara Willis Sweete	....	producer
Larry Weinstein	....	producer

Cinematography by
Alain Dostie

Film Editing by
Gaétan Huot

Set Decoration by
Alexa Anthony

Costume Design by
Linda Muir

Makeup Department
Kathryn Casault	....	makeup artist
Marcelo Padovani	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michel Siry	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Leonard Farlinger	....	assistant director
Jennifer Jonas	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Stuart French	....	sound mixer
Louis Hone	....	foley mixer
Richard King	....	sound recording engineer
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Erika Schengili-Roberts	....	boom operator
John Douglas Smith	....	sound editor
Jane Tattersall	....	supervising sound editor

Visual Effects by
Jason Giberson	....	digital restoration artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Dean Stinchcombe	....	second assistant camera

Editorial Department
Sylvain Lebel	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Glenn Gould	....	musician: piano

Other crew
Alain Dostie	....	irradiated person
François Girard	....	irradiated person
Jennifer Jonas	....	irradiated person
Nick McKinney	....	researcher
Brooke Weslak	....	production office manager

Thanks
Petula Clark	....	acknowledgment
Atom Egoyan	....	acknowledgment
Jessie Greig	....	acknowledgment
Yehudi Menuhin	....	acknowledgment (as Sir Yehudi Menuhin)
Bruno Monsaingeon	....	acknowledgment

Production Companies

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
• Glenn Gould Ltd.
• Nederlandse Omroepstichting (NOS)
• Ontario Film Development Corporation, The
• Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP)
• Rhombus Media
• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The
• Société Radio-Canada
• Téléfilm Canada
• Yleisradio (YLE)

Distributors

• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The (1993) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar (video)
• Vhero Internacional S.L. (Spain)

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:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Aria from Goldberg Variations

Classic for those who don't understand classical.

I have never really been taken in by classical music. When I first saw this film, I thought, oh! THAT'S why people like it. So I went and bought a few Gould CD's, listened to them a few times, and went back to jazz and punk shortly thereafter.

This film is an exceptional piece. The music is certainly the most important aspect of the film, but it so strongly highlights the character of Gould (who was one wacky Canuck), and the cinematography, that as a package, I found it a moving experience that superceded the music.

Basically a series of vignettes, with no coherent plot, but rather snippets of docu-drama, interviews, and a couple of animated sequences (one quite good, the other detracts entirely from the whole), this is a film meant probably not for fans of classical, but an introduction to the possibilities and drama of the virtuoso for media-children.

Although primarily another "crazy genius" film, it is truly a stunning piece overall. I strongly recommend this for any collection, no matter one's musical inclinations.

Although primarily another "crazy genious" film, it is truly a stunning piece overall. I strongly recommend this for any collection, no matter ones musical inclinations.