I'll admit, I'm a sucker for films about artists-- especially troubled eccentrics. Canadian Glenn Gould, one of the most celebrated and controversial pianists in history, is honored in this brilliant cinematic portrait.
Rather than travel the middle-of-the-road, as did last year's biopic "Ray", director Francois Girard and screenwriter Don McKellar offer thirty-two vibrant, momentary glimpses of Gould's life, which combine, like the facets of a prism-- or the notes of a melody. Each short film is a piece of a puzzle that spans childhood to old age. While the styles vary from narrative to abstract, one constant is the hypnotic beat of Gould's genius fingers across the keyboard.
Though I don't know a lot about classical music, this film made me hungry to learn more. There's a lovely scene where a hotel chambermaid falls spell to one of Gould's dazzling recordings. At that moment, so did I.
Actor Colm Feore respectfully portrays the perfectionism, idealism, and anguish that eventually unraveled Gould's career. Oh, but what a career it was!
Rather than travel the middle-of-the-road, as did last year's biopic "Ray", director Francois Girard and screenwriter Don McKellar offer thirty-two vibrant, momentary glimpses of Gould's life, which combine, like the facets of a prism-- or the notes of a melody. Each short film is a piece of a puzzle that spans childhood to old age. While the styles vary from narrative to abstract, one constant is the hypnotic beat of Gould's genius fingers across the keyboard.
Though I don't know a lot about classical music, this film made me hungry to learn more. There's a lovely scene where a hotel chambermaid falls spell to one of Gould's dazzling recordings. At that moment, so did I.
Actor Colm Feore respectfully portrays the perfectionism, idealism, and anguish that eventually unraveled Gould's career. Oh, but what a career it was!