Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

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

Director:

François Girard

Writers:

François Girard (screenplay), Don McKellar (screenplay),

Stars:

Colm Feore, Derek Keurvorst, Katya Ladan

8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colm Feore	...	Glenn Gould
Derek Keurvorst	...	Gould's Father
Katya Ladan	...	Gould's Mother
Devon Anderson	...	Young Glenn Age 3
Joshua Greenblatt	...	Young Glenn Age 8
Sean Ryan	...	Young Glenn Age 12
Kate Hennig	...	Chambermaid
Sean Doyle	...	Porter
Sharon Bernbaum	...	Female Guide
Don McKellar	...	Concert Promoter
David Hughes	...	Stagehand
Carlo Rota	...	C.B.S. Producer (as Carlo D. Rota)
Peter Millard	...	C.B.S. Engineer
John Dolan	...	C.B.S. Assistant Engineer
Allegra Fulton	...	Waitress

Storyline

As the title suggests, this dramatised documentary about the eccentric Canadian pianist Glenn Gould is broken up into thirty-two short films (mirroring the thirty-two part structure of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations', the recording that Gould made famous), each giving us an insight into some aspect of Gould's life and career. Out of respect for the music lead actor Colm Feore is never seen playing the piano, merely reacting to Gould's own recordings, which are extensively featured

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Plot Keywords:

glenn gould | piano | arctic | northern canada | johann sebastian bach | 

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Taglines:

The sound of genius.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Details

Country:

Portugal Canada Finland Netherlands

Language:

English French

Release Date:

26 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

32 Curtas Metragens Sobre Glenn Gould

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Gross:

$1,567,543 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Glenn Gould Ltd., Nederlandse Omroepstichting (NOS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

[first lines]
Glenn Gould: [voiceover] My mother tells me that by five years old I had decided definitively to become a concert pianist. I think she had decided some time earlier. The story goes that while I was in the womb she played the piano continuously to give me a head start, and evidently it paid off. My mother was my first teacher, and I've never doubted her methods. After all, she introduced me to Bach.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"Aria from Goldberg Variations"
, BWV 988
Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Glenn Gould

User Reviews

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.