32 SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD!

If you love Independent films, Eccentric Genius's, Foreign Film or just want to see something along the lines of a "Contrarian" you've come to the right place and boy do I have a surprise for you! This film stars Colm Feore and is Directed by Francois Girard and released by the Samuel Goldwyn Company.

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Throughout my years as a Classical Radio personality I never took more heat about any other artist than I did over my mischievous airing every other week of performances by Canadian musician and composer Glenn Gould, who blew the music world away in 1955 with an RCA recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" (that was included in the Time Capsule aboard the space ship Voyager). Glenn was born in Toronto in 1932. By age 3, it was rather obvious that he was a child prodigy; by age 12 he was performing professionally and went on to become one the world's most renowned classical performers, making more than 60 recordings, as well as working in the fields of publishing, conducting, radio and television broadcasting, and scoring feature films. Tragically, Gould died of a stoke in 1982 at the age of 50.

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This film is--as the tile gives away--broken up into 32 vignettes---"mirroring" for lack of a better word---the 32-part structure of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" (recently released on CD from the re-recording Gould made during the last year of his life in 1982) ranging in length from 1 minute to 6 minutes with an impressionistic look at a most misunderstood if not mysterious musician. One of the stories I told on radio concerned the disgust that the late Leonard Bernstein expressed when Gould arrived at Carnegie Hall in the middle of summer and reportedly stepped out of a Yellow Cab wearing Ray Ban sunglasses, a full length fur coat and gloves! Bernstein remarked that Gould "proceeded to thoroughly discredit himself".

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Oh well. Back to the film: Writer/Director Francois Girard presents a variety of snapshots, including recreations of actual events (flawlessly acted by Colm Feore). "As Gould was such a complex character, the biggest problem was to find a way to look at his work and deal with his visions. The film is built of fragments, each one trying to capture an aspect of Gould. There is no way of putting Gould in one box. The film gives the viewer 32 impressions of him. I didn't want to reduce him to one dimension", said Girard.

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If you've ever wondered what your friends who know you might say on film about your life after you are gone, you get a taste of it here with Gould's actual contemporaries and friends recalling memories of him that are fresh and inspiring! Each segment has a title. My personal favorite I'll share with you is "THE TIP"--which recalls how Gould consults his stockbroker over the telephone, defies his advice and makes a killing on the stock in question! For everyone who has ever suffered defeat at the hands of "The Power Elite" you will stand up and scream for Joy! Some of the episodes ARE funny. There are 5 interviews. Then there are segments with no dialogue and a close-up of his life reveals the subject we've all faced down: Loneliness. This is not to be missed or feared, however. Gould is quoted early-on with his ever-present music playing in the background: "I'm fortunate to have been brought up in an environment where music was always present." This is a movie to be savored not just by those who are familiar with the work of Glenn Gould, but by those of you that I hope will become more familiar with this rare musical genius.

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I can recall angry listeners--all men-- calling me and asking "Is this the Mendelssohn?", and I'd just play innocent and say "Of course". Caller: "Who the hell is the pianist?". I'd reply upbeat, "Glenn Gould!" (silence...) Caller: "Why is he playing this piece like that, the tempo is different; this wasn't the original arrangement". Me: "That's the genius of Glenn Gould! We're lucky his estate has just released this. Thanks for calling, I gotta run!" (I hang up). Oh, the morons! I'd dial the studio number and leave the phone off the hook until my back announcement was over. I called it "Access Control". But I had fun. Hey? How else do you handle arrogant guys-am I right? Of course!

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About Glenn's humor? Oh yeah, he had a great SENSE OF HUMOR! Here's a want ad he considers placing in the film: Gould: "Wanted: friendly, companionably reclusive, socially unacceptable, alcoholically abstemious, tirelessly talkative, zealously unzealous, spiritually intense, minimally turquoise, maximally ecstatic moon, seeks moth or moths with similar qualities for purposes of telephonic seduction, Tristanesque trip-taking, and permanent flame-fluttering, no photos required, financial status immaterial, all ages and non-competitive vocations considered, applicants should furnish sets of sample conversation with notarized certification of marital disinclination, references re: low decibel vocal consistency, itinerary and sample receipts from previous successfully completed out-of-town moth flights, all submissions treated confidentially..."

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Last Note/Confession: I worked with an aging hippy in Classical Radio who revealed that he heard Mahler's 6th Symphony at Boston's Tanglewood Festival from the lawn seating area and wept. I thought that was unusual and never fully understood it. When I left the movie theater after seeing this film, I climbed into my car and put the key in the ignition when the gravity of what I just saw suddenly affected me in the same way. And I don't mind sharing this with you: I wept! I told my colleague the next Monday night when he arrived for his overnight shift that I finally understood his story at Tanglewood. So, I hope you enjoy this masterpiece of JOY as much as I do!

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