Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

1993
Directed By Francois Gerard


SYNOPSIS

The life of pianist Glenn Gould is told in a series of vignettes.

MY THOUGHTS

Glenn Gould was an eccentric, enigmatic genius and a very unconventional man. It's apropos that Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould is both enigmatic and unconventional. It's not anywhere near a conventional biopic. As the title claims, the film is divided into 32 parts, each briefly touching on one aspect of the pianist's life. Some parts are interviews with real people who knew him, some feature Colm Feore (as Gould) reenacting parts of his life, and others are just animated segments featuring his music.
The music takes center stage and is playing nearly constantly, the film's strength.

The film is unique and has a very experimental feel... but I feel it fails in giving an understanding of the genius piano player and later radio producer.
If you're searching for a more in-depth (and conventional) documentary of Gould, Genius Within: The Inner Life Of Glenn Gould is a far better way to learn about the man. Watching that documentary first will help explain some of the more cryptic parts of Thirty Two Short Films (like why Petula Clark's Downtown plays under one of the vignettes.)
Having seen the documentary first, I already had an understanding of Gould's life. Not having seen it, or had any knowledge of his life, I would most likely been very confused or even lost while watching Thirty Two Short Films.

Overall, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould is a bold experiment... but you might need to know something about Gould before going into it... to fully appreciate it.