Main Cast: Derek Keurvost, Colm Feore, Gale Garnett, Katya Ladan, Gerry Quigley
Release Year: 1994
Country: CA
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
The highly acclaimed and famously eccentric classical pianist Glenn Gould is the subject of this idiosyncratic film portrait. As the title suggests, Gould's life is explored through a series of thirty-two self-contained but interrelated vignettes, a structure inspired by Bach's "Goldberg Variations," the compositions that were the basis for one of Gould's most famous recordings. Fictional recreations, many starring an excellent Colm Feore as Gould, follow the musician from his precocious childhood to his early death at the age of fifty. Juicy biographical details like a surprising early retirement from public performance and an addiction to prescription drugs are featured prominently, but equal attention is paid to Gould's challenging theoretical ideas. Director Francois Girard refuses to provide easy explanations for the pianist's quirks, instead using his unconventional structure to provide great insight while suggesting the real Gould remains essentially unknowable. Especially interesting is the film's mix of dramatization and documentary, as it juxtaposes its fictional recreations with actual interviews with Gould's friends and associates. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
The film festival ethos of 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould is well suited to Francois Girard's film. Not only does the director do a good job of making the segments different enough in style and tone to seem like the work of multiple collaborators, but each rises to a level of artistic quality worthy of entry into a competitive festival. Colm Feore is a marvelous anchor, although very little dialogue is required of him; logically, he does most of his speaking through the piano, with his other contributions largely attitudinal and atmospheric. True to Girard's master plan, the film doesn't offer a clean, chronological approach to its subject, and the snippets leave the viewer hungry for more exposition now and again. Just as a piece of music has thousands of possible interpretations, so does Feore's Glenn Gould, who remains at an intriguing distance, meant to be experienced more than explained. The film exists on a high intellectual plane and won a host of Canadian Genie Awards. Although not widely seen, the film nonetheless provided inspiration for a classic episode of TV's The Simpsons, entitled 22 Short Films About Springfield. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Carlo Rota; Peter Millard - CBS Engineer; Conrad Bergschneider - Trucker; John Dolan - CBS Assistant Engineer; Maia Filar - Girl; Marie-Josée Gauthier - Professor; James Kidnie - Photographer; Guy Thauvette - Trucker; Don McKellar - Concert Promoter; Dick Callahan - Trucker; Frank Canino - Waiter; Ian D. Clark - Phillip Brennan; David Clement - Desmond; Derek Keurvost - Gould's Father; Megan Smith - Interviewee; Len Doncheff - Broker; R.D. Reid - Trucker; David Young - Writer; David Hughes - Stagehand; Kate Hennig
Credit
Linda Muir - Costume Designer, François Girard - Director, Gaetan Huot - Editor, Dennis Murphy - Executive Producer, Kathryn Casault - Makeup, Alain Dostie - Cinematographer, Larry Weinstein - Producer, Amy J. Kaufman - Producer, Michael Allder - Producer, Niv Fichman - Producer, Don McKellar - Screenwriter, François Girard - Screenwriter, Nick McKinney - Screenwriter, Glenn Gould - Featured Music
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould is an award-winning 1993 film about the piano prodigy Glenn Gould played by Colm Feore. The film's screenplay was written by François Girard (who also directed) and Don McKellar.
The film does not present a single narrative, rather a series of thirty-two short films. These include documentaries (five interviews with people who knew him), re-creations of scenes from Gould's life, and various odd items (such as "Gould Meets McLaren", in which animated spheres reminiscent of those in Norman McLaren's animations move to Gould's music). The segments range in length from six minutes to less than one minute. The form is inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations, which was Gould's first acclaimed recording.
According to Girard: "As Gould was such a complex character, the biggest problem was to find a way to look at his work and deal with his visions. The film is built of fragments, each one trying to capture an aspect of Gould. There is no way of putting Gould in one box. The film gives the viewer 32 impressions of him. I didn't want to reduce him to one dimension."[citation needed]
The soundtrack consists almost entirely of piano recordings by Gould. It includes pieces famously linked with him, such as Bach's Goldberg Variations, and the Well-Tempered Clavier, as well as others which are less so.
The structure and style of the The Simpsons episode "22 Short Films About Springfield" (first aired April 16, 1996), is inspired by this film. It was also used in an Animaniacs short entitled "Ten Short Films About Wakko Warner".
The title also inspired Cory Arcangel's piece "A Couple Thousand Short Films About Glenn Gould" which constructed the Goldberg variations out of clips of notes from YouTube.
