Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

  • 19931993
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • Music
A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • François Girard
  • Writers
    • François Girard(screenplay)
    • Don McKellar(screenplay)
    • Glenn Gould(additional material)
  • Stars
    • Colm Feore
    • Derek Keurvorst
    • Katya Ladan
Top credits
  • Director
    • François Girard
  • Writers
    • François Girard(screenplay)
    • Don McKellar(screenplay)
    • Glenn Gould(additional material)
  • Stars
    • Colm Feore
    • Derek Keurvorst
    • Katya Ladan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 4 nominations

    Photos15

    Colm Feore in Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    1 sheet
    Quad movie poster 40 x 30
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Colm Feore
    Colm Feore
    • Glenn Gouldas Glenn Gould
    Derek Keurvorst
    • Gould's Fatheras Gould's Father
    Katya Ladan
    • Gould's Motheras Gould's Mother
    Devon Anderson
    • Young Glenn Age 3as Young Glenn Age 3
    Joshua Greenblatt
    • Young Glenn Age 8as Young Glenn Age 8
    Sean Vertigo
    • Young Glenn Age 12as Young Glenn Age 12
    • (as Sean Ryan)
    Kate Hennig
    • Chambermaidas Chambermaid
    Sean Doyle
    • Porteras Porter
    Sharon Bernbaum
    • Female Guideas Female Guide
    Don McKellar
    Don McKellar
    • Concert Promoteras Concert Promoter
    David Hughes
    • Stagehandas Stagehand
    Carlo Rota
    Carlo Rota
    • C.B.S. Produceras C.B.S. Producer
    • (as Carlo D. Rota)
    Peter Millard
    • C.B.S. Engineeras C.B.S. Engineer
    John Dolan
    • C.B.S. Assistant Engineeras C.B.S. Assistant Engineer
    Allegra Fulton
    Allegra Fulton
    • Waitressas Waitress
    Dick Callahan
    • Trucker #1as Trucker #1
    Guy Thauvette
    Guy Thauvette
    • Trucker #2as Trucker #2
    R.D. Reid
    • Trucker #3as Trucker #3
    • Director
      • François Girard
    • Writers
      • François Girard(screenplay)
      • Don McKellar(screenplay)
      • Glenn Gould(additional material)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Lan feng zheng
    7.5
    Lan feng zheng
    Shen nu
    7.6
    Shen nu
    Aileen Wuornos: Selling of a Serial Killer
    6.9
    Aileen Wuornos: Selling of a Serial Killer
    À Nous la Liberté
    7.4
    À Nous la Liberté
    Three Lives and Only One Death
    6.8
    Three Lives and Only One Death
    La captive
    5.9
    La captive
    Me and My Gal
    6.6
    Me and My Gal
    Hochelaga, Land of Souls
    6.4
    Hochelaga, Land of Souls
    L'Age d'Or
    7.2
    L'Age d'Or
    Las Hurdes
    7.4
    Las Hurdes
    Deseret
    5.8
    Deseret
    Loulou
    6.7
    Loulou

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Glenn Gould: I don't know what the effective ratio would be but I've always had a sort of intuition that for every hour you spend with other human beings, you need X number of hours alone. Now what that X represents, I don't really know, whether it be 2 and 7/8ths or 7 and 2/8ths, but it's a substantial ratio.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Serial Mom/White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf/Cops & Robbersons/Backbeat/32 Short Films About Glen Gould (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Aria from Goldberg Variations
      , BWV 988

      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performed by Glenn Gould

    User reviews31

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    It didn't work for me. Here's why...
    I realize that this is a well made film, and many people, Gould fans or not, enjoyed it very much. But on the chance that someone out there is on the same wavelength as me, I'll tell you why I didn't like it.

    The film paints the picture of a self-absorbed, eccentric oddball... a bit arrogant and presumptuous (like when he grabs a lowly chambermaid and makes her listen to one of his records as a sort of reward for her day's work). The Glenn Gould character always speaks in a supercilious New England tone of voice (think Frazier but without the jokes). He says phrases like "never the twain shall meet". If you're like me, you might have a healthy mistrust of people who say "twain" unless they're talking about Huck Finn. Maybe you can guess the problem: unless you're already convinced that Glenn Gould is god's gift to Carnegie Hall, the film offers no motivation to like him.

    This could have been EASILY remedied by showing a performance to earn the audience's respect. It could have been an archival clip, or even a semi-convincing pantomime by the actor playing Gould if done convincingly would have made me take the character more seriously. But we never get that. So the result is a whole bunch of people telling us how great he is, including the Diva himself. It gets irritating.

    I feel like the real Glenn Gould was cheated. Here is a film, purportedly in honor of a great musician, which never shows him being a musician. Instead we get a lot of ponderous scenes of (the actor playing) Glenn as he walks across frozen lakes, or sits in a chair unmoving with an intense expression on his face, or waving his arms dramatically in the air while listening to the playback of one of his recordings. People around him are made to look like simpletons for not being on the same supernatural level as Gould. They chatter about coffee or gardening while the maestro slips further away into a lofty dreamworld that we mortals cannot dare understand. The entire film thus takes a very condescending air, telling us that Gould was a misunderstood genius yet not offering to show us what exactly was genius about him.

    I read that the actor playing Glenn chose not to be shown playing the piano out of respect for Mr. Gould. Could someone please explain that to me? It's OK to act like someone being a goofy oddball dancing to invisible pianos in his head, but it's somehow disrespectful to portray him actually playing one?

    I was not familiar with Glenn Gould before I watched this, and 90 minutes later I'm still completely clueless. Even worse, I'm not particularly inclined to learn more. I believe this film is great for people who are already fans of Gould, or perhaps casual fans of classical music as a whole. Me, I'm a hardcore classical music fan who never happened to hear Glenn Gould (there are so many amazing musicians out there, it happens).

    If I were to list the best musical documentaries & biopics I've seen, they would be "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" about the unsung studio musicians who made it happen, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" a hilarious and heartfelt documentary about a bunch of aging rockers who never say die, and of course the masterpiece "Amadeus" which, like this film, shows the maestro as an arrogant oddball, but it shows powerful musical performances which instantly earn our respect and interest. Really, just one lousy performance would've made all the difference, but alas I can't say this movie impressed me.
    helpful•7
    2
    • rooprect
    • Sep 16, 2014

    FAQ1

    • What films are similar to this in style?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 26, 1993 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • Netherlands
      • Portugal
      • Finland
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Sinfonía en soledad: un retrato de Glenn Gould
    • Filming locations
      • Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St W., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Rhombus Media
      • Téléfilm Canada
      • Ontario Film Development Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,319,521
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,319,521
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in June
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.