Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Encyclopedia
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould is an award-winning 1993 film about the piano
prodigy Glenn Gould
played by Colm Feore
. The film's screenplay was written by François Girard
(who also directed) and Don McKellar
.
The film does not present a single narrative, rather a series of thirty-one short films. These include documentaries (five interviews with people who knew him), re-creations of scenes from Gould's life, and various odd items (such as "Gould Meets McLaren", in which animated spheres reminiscent of those in Norman McLaren
's animations move to Gould's music). The segments range in length from six minutes to less than one minute. The form is inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach
's Goldberg Variations
, which was Gould's first acclaimed recording
.
According to Girard: "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."
The soundtrack consists almost entirely of piano recordings by Gould. A notable exception is the overture to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
. It includes pieces famously linked with him, such as Bach's Goldberg Variations, and the Well-Tempered Clavier, as well as others which are less so.
The film won four Genie Awards and Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The structure and style of the The Simpsons
episode "22 Short Films About Springfield
" (first aired April 16, 1996), is inspired by this film. It was also used in an Animaniacs
short entitled "Ten Short Films About Wakko Warner".
The title also inspired Cory Arcangel
's piece "A Couple Thousand Short Films About Glenn Gould" which constructed the Goldberg variations out of clips of notes from YouTube.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
prodigy Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould
Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
played by Colm Feore
Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
. The film's screenplay was written by François Girard
François Girard
François Girard is a French-Canadian director and screenwriter particularly noted for his innovative film Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. Born in Quebec, Girard's career began on the Montreal art video circuit...
(who also directed) and Don McKellar
Don McKellar
-Personal life:McKellar was born in Toronto, Ontario to a lawyer father and teacher mother. He attended Glenview Senior Public School, Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute and later studied English at the University of Toronto's Victoria College...
.
The film does not present a single narrative, rather a series of thirty-one short films. These include documentaries (five interviews with people who knew him), re-creations of scenes from Gould's life, and various odd items (such as "Gould Meets McLaren", in which animated spheres reminiscent of those in Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
's animations move to Gould's music). The segments range in length from six minutes to less than one minute. The form is inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's Goldberg Variations
Goldberg Variations
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...
, which was Gould's first acclaimed recording
The Goldberg Variations (Gould album)
Bach: The Goldberg Variations is the 1955 debut album of the Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould. An interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations , the work launched Gould's career as a renowned international pianist, and became one of the most well-known piano recordings...
.
According to Girard: "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."
The soundtrack consists almost entirely of piano recordings by Gould. A notable exception is the overture to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
. It includes pieces famously linked with him, such as Bach's Goldberg Variations, and the Well-Tempered Clavier, as well as others which are less so.
The film won four Genie Awards and Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The structure and style of the The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "22 Short Films About Springfield
22 Short Films about Springfield
"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh...
" (first aired April 16, 1996), is inspired by this film. It was also used in an Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
short entitled "Ten Short Films About Wakko Warner".
The title also inspired Cory Arcangel
Cory Arcangel
Cory Arcangel is a Brooklyn, New York artist who makes work in many different media, including drawing, music, video, performance,, and video game modifications, for which he is perhaps best known...
's piece "A Couple Thousand Short Films About Glenn Gould" which constructed the Goldberg variations out of clips of notes from YouTube.
Segments
- 1. Aria
- 2. Lake SimcoeLake SimcoeLake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
- 3. Forty-Five Seconds and a Chair
- 4. Bruno MonsaingeonBruno MonsaingeonBruno Monsaingeon is a French filmmaker, writer, and violinist. He has made a number of documentary films about great twentieth-century musicians, including Glenn Gould, Sviatoslav Richter, David Oistrakh, Piotr Anderszewski and Yehudi Menuhin. His interviews with Richter and with Nadia Boulanger...
: musician and collaborator - 5. Gould Meets Gould: text by Glenn Gould
- 6. Hamburg
- 7. Variation in c minor
- 8. Practice
- 9. The L.A. Concert
- 10. CD318
- 11. Yehudi MenuhinYehudi MenuhinYehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
: violinist - 12. Passion According to Gould
- 13. Opus 1: a composition by Glenn Gould
- 14. Crossed Paths
- 15. Truck Stop
- 16. The Idea of North: a radio documentary by Glenn Gould
- 17. Solitude
- 18. Questions with No Answers
- 19. A Letter
- 20. Gould Meets McLaren: animation by Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
- 21. The Tip
- 22. Personal Ad
- 23. Pills
- 24. Margaret Pascu: friend
- 25. Diary of One Day
- 26. Motel Wawa
- 27. Forty-Nine
- 28. Jessie Grieg: cousin
- 29. Leaving
- 30. Voyager
- 31. Aria
- 32. End Credits
External links
- http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/t/32-short-films-about-glenn-gould-script.html Script - Dialogue Transcript