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      Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

      Released Nov 26, 1993 1 hr. 33 min. Drama List
      92% 25 Reviews Tomatometer 87% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score In this episodic fusion of documentary and biographical drama, director François Girard explores the life of 20th-century pianist Glenn Gould through a series of brief fictional reenactments and real interviews with those who knew the musician. After distinguishing himself as a prodigy at a very young age, the enigmatic Gould (Colm Feore) grows up to dissect the accepted rules of musical theory, and eventually refuses to perform before an audience. He also becomes addicted to prescription pills. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Jan 25 Buy Now

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      Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

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      Critics Consensus

      Befitting its singularly brilliant subject, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould captures the essence of a life and legacy while flouting biopic conventions.

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      Audience Reviews

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      s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This movie was unique. Telling the story of an amazing musician and his life in a very creatively composed way. Excellent acting, direction and soundtrack make up a good Canadian biopic. At times it was a bit slow, but it made me focus on the music all the more and appreciate it for what it was worth. The animated segment was bizarrely hypnotic, with simple circles moving during a piece, I enjoyed its Pink Floydish feel to it. Some of the details were lacking, but that made it the viewer make the jump to fill in the blanks, and this wasn't entirely unsuccessful. Perhaps a better introduction to the subject at the beginning could have made it more effective. Regardless, it was entertaining and unforgettable. It was on youtube. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member To paraphrase the golden boy himself: The prerequisite of contrapuntal art, more conspicuous in this biopic than in those about any other composer, is an ability to conceive a priori of conceptual identities which when transposed, inverted, made retrograde, or transformed rhythmically will yet exhibit, in conjunction with the original subject matter, some entirely new but completely harmonious profile. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review david f This is as good a biographical film as is possible, I think. Using Gould's recordings as the soundtrack, and his eccentricities as the subject matter, these 32 brief and desultory films sum up the Canadian character of the great pianist. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member An interesting approach to the documentary format. It's also an interesting approach to the feature-length film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Easily one of the top two or three greatest Canadian films. A portrait of an astonishing artist - quite possibly the finest pianist of the 20th century. Girard's approach was brilliant - to use 32 separate segments to create a mosaic that encapsulates this complex artist. It's also referencing Gould's most famous recording, the 32 Goldberg Variations by Bach. The film may be too esoteric for some audience's tastes but I'm sure Gould would have it no other way. This was a clear influence on Todd Haynes' equally unconventional biopic of Bob Dylan's I'm Not There. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member u have to really like classical music and the piano to like this. I had never herd of glenn gould before this. Its an interesting way to do a biopic, half doc have drama. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Anthony Lane New Yorker Instead of a laborious bio-pic, we get a sly, quick-witted meditation on a character always likely to elude our grasp. Aug 17, 2020 Full Review Mike D'Angelo AV Club If only more filmmakers would take the fragmented, kaleidoscopic approach of Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, which captures the essence of the famed pianist (and radio broadcaster) by honoring his unruliness. Dec 12, 2018 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: A- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews One of the great documentaries, or if you will semi-documentaries. Rated: A Mar 15, 2011 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com The film's strategy is to present many diverse fragments about Gould, each capturing an aspect of his artistry and/or personality, so that the cumulative effect would give the viewer a glimpse of the man and his times. Rated: 4/5 Feb 3, 2006 Full Review Jake Euker F5 (Wichita, KS) ...but not one long one. Rated: 2/5 Jun 16, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In this episodic fusion of documentary and biographical drama, director François Girard explores the life of 20th-century pianist Glenn Gould through a series of brief fictional reenactments and real interviews with those who knew the musician. After distinguishing himself as a prodigy at a very young age, the enigmatic Gould (Colm Feore) grows up to dissect the accepted rules of musical theory, and eventually refuses to perform before an audience. He also becomes addicted to prescription pills.
      Director
      François Girard
      Executive Producer
      Dennis R. Murphy
      Screenwriter
      François Girard, Don McKellar
      Distributor
      Columbia TriStar Home Video
      Production Co
      Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 26, 1993, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 20, 2017
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $1.3M
      Sound Mix
      Surround, Stereo
      Most Popular at Home Now