François Girard originally conceived 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould as a biography to try to explain the bizarre genius of the master pianist who stopped touring in 1963 at the height of his success. The 32 parts play out key moments of Gould's life without stringing them together. They go from realistic (a scene in a Hamburg hotel in which Gould turns a maid on to the wonder of music) to nihilistic (a segment solely made up of the drugs Gould presumably took). Stratford actor Colm Feore is quite good as the slyly introverted, soft-spoken figure, although this film is more of an examination of loneliness than of music. The key question is, Does this docudrama enlighten us better than a straightforward documentary on Gould would? Probably not. --Doug Thomas

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Thirty Two Short Films about Glenn Gould is an incredible venture in story telling, in biography, in education, and an heroic attempt to show a story from multiple vantage points, using a varied set of devices.

As each of the 32 "short films" evolve, a web develops, connecting details and revealing an incredible life. We get less a biographical theory in this movie, than a larger set of questions than we dared to ask before the film began.

I found the experience to be brilliantly artistic and mentally stimulating. The cinematography builds mood and the music is unsurpassed. Definitely not an action movie--most skateboarding teenagers would rather have root canals than sit through this. Let them watch DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS or ORANGE COUNTY.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie without reservation. It earned more than the mere five stars Amazon will let me give it.

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16 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Wonderful Introduction to Gould's Work for StudentsFeb 11, 2003
By Middle School Orchestra Teacher
I first showed this to my students five years ago in one of those "after the holiday concert slump" moments.
At first, the seventh grade students were restless, similar to the German hotel chamber maid whom Gould forces to listen to his newly arrived recording. At the same moment she becomes riveted, the students became riveted. I showed the video over two days. After that, students were curious about Gould and his life and work. With the advent of the suggestion that Gould suffered from Aspberger's Syndrome (a neurological disorder with similarities to autism), some of my students were interested in learning more about people with this disability, especially their afflicted classmates.
I do need to stress, both to my students and even to some adults, that this is not truly a documentary. It is an art film. The man playing Gould is not Gould himself, but the actor Colm Feore. Many of the other people interviewed are truly portrayed by themselves, including Gould's piano technician, friends, and violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Even with its questionable historic accuracy, it is a wonderful introduction to the works of one of the most highly regarded musicians of the last century.

28 of 31 found the following review helpful:

A film to be viewed as though listening to Bach.Dec 18, 1998

Rather than telling the "story" of Glenn Gould, this film seeks to give his essence, his art, in the way that Bach gave the essence of his feelings through his music. After seeing the entire film, the viewer comes away with a much better understanding of Gould, his personaltiy, and his art, even without learning the details of his life.

Although some knowledge of the music he played, particularly Bach and Beethoven, will add greatly to the enjoyment of this movie, it is not essential for an appreciation of the film or of Gould himself.

Several of the "short films" are especially moving. In one, as Gould prepares for what will be his final live appearance, he interacts with a stagehand, who is genuinely moved by his performance and by the man. In another, he shares his first hearing of one of his own new recordings with the maid in his hotel. She is at first perplexed and concerned at his insistence that she listen, but the music itself, and Gould's own involvement in listening to it, then bring her to a new understanding of what she's witnessing.

All in all, a wonderful film, especially for lovers of Glenn Gould and the music he played.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Unique portrait of one of our favorite artists & eccentricsDec 20, 2001
By J. Newman "jnewman7"
When I watched this movie for the first time I had a small working knowledge of the genius of GG. This film really puts Gould's life, eccentricities and passions into a delicious nutshell. The 32 films represent a life in variations (after the Goldberg Variations: aria and 30 variations of the ground bass and aria recap). Other reviews will argue that _32 Films About Glenn Gould_ is too sporadic and uncentered, and not without justifiable ignorance. When I first saw this film I was overwhelmed by the amount of subject matter covered in such a short amount of time. Some of the sections didn't make a whole lot of sense to me at the time either. What I can tell you is that each vignette does have real meaning and attachment to the artist. In my studies since I have discovered nearly all of the connections. Any movie that can inspire you to search for more knowledge and enjoyment can only be good. If you love movies about music you will not be disappointed. Other reviewers have also argued that this is not an authenic biography about Gould. But to say that the deviations are so great as to render the movie invaluable would be a big mistake in this reviewer's opinion. Oh, by the way, this is also, without a doubt, the greatest soundtrack ever assembled for any movie. I say this not because of the material (though one could certainly make that arguement), but how the music is presented with the images on the screen. I defy anyone who watches this movie not to, at the very least, be tempted to purchase it.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Moving and uniqueJun 21, 2002
By G. Faville "gfav611"
This film is kind of a biography of Glenn Gould portrayed through thirty-two vignettes, the number that matches the number of Goldberg Variations by Bach, of which the Theme opens and closes the film, along with the introduction of the recurring theme of Solitude that Gould was enamored with by showing the actor approaching/walking away from the camera in a barren winter landscape.
The only reason I did not give the film 5 stars was that not all of the short films were equal in strength. There is definitely enough variety, though, to keep most anyone interested throughout the picture, even if you are not a Glenn Gould buff.
Colm Feore does an absolutely excellent job portraying the artist and brings out many facets to who we can assume GG was through his writings and interviews of those who knew him.

The shorts contain histories, animations, musical performances, dramatized life scenes, interviews with friends and colleagues, writings brought to life, and more variations visually and musically that really are diificult to describe.

I am a musician, though not a pianist, and some of the shorts I found moving and beautiful to the point of getting me misty-eyed, and beyond that I found the explorations of the man simply fascinating. I was encouraged through seeing this film to buy the book The Glenn Gould Reader, which is a great collection of many of his intelligent and witty writings.

This director also gave us The Red Violin, and even though these two films could be considered as different genres, I truly enjoyed this one more between the two (though I do own both).

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