THIRTY-TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Glenn Gould was one of the most enigmatic performers of all time. He is arguably the most gifted and certainly the most controversial pianist ever. At the height of a brilliant career, he retired from performing at age 32. He was the H. G. Wells of the Information Superhighway; he believed in the 60s that electronics would revolutionize the arts and that there would no longer be a need for live performances. Moreover, he felt recordings were more egalitarian since people were not forced to hear what the performer played as they would in a live concert.
The movie of his life (he is played nicely by Colm Feore) is called THIRTY-TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD. The bizarre title comes from a innovative script where his entire life is broken into 32 disconnected vignettes of differing lengths - some lasting only seconds.
I learned a lot about Glenn Gould from the movie. I knew he would hum while performing his music and that you can hear the humming on the recordings if you listen carefully. I did not know that he spent hours of his time on the phone every day. He loved to talk and did so incessantly. He would call people up at all hours and talk to them about anything and everything. He even made a lot of money in an obscure stock by telling everyone he knew, and he knew many influential people, that a certain famous sheik was interested in the company. While the oil market was crashing, his oil stock went up 4 fold overnight. He did not listen well, but, boy could he ever talk.
I applaud the script writer for taking a risk, and I enjoyed learning about Glenn Gould, nevertheless, I can not quite bring myself to recommend the movie. Too many of the scenes just did not carry enough interest for me. If you go, you will be treated to some wonderful music however. THIRTY-TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD runs about right at 1:33. It is not rated, but would probably be PG, but I think only teenagers and older would be interested in it. I rate it **.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: June 27, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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