32 Short Films About Glenn Gould Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

32 Short Films About Glenn Gould - Movie Review Example He travelled and played music in front of the audience till the age of 31 and after that he took retirement. His last performance was in Los Angelesin April 1964.After that he took to recording, broadcasting and writing. It is widely known that he preferred playing his own piano and he once commented, â€Å"it is the best vehicle to express my ideas.† He has acclaimed various awards in his life and the movie made in his honor, i.e. 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould had 8 nominations and 3 wins. He died of a stroke on October 4, 1982, and was laid to rest in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada(Janet). The mere idea of eccentricity is overrun in this movie as Gould was notoriously famous for not showing up on public performances. It is also said that his last performance at the stage was held when he was 31 years of age and more surprisingly, this event was held without disclosing the fact that this is going to be the last stage performance by him. It is not hard to imagine the reason why he disliked this idea and why he ventured into recording and broadcasting(Janet). The obvious reason for not showing up in public anymore is given in this movie and it says that he did not like the idea that some people had better seats and hence they could have a better view than the rest. This leads to the conclusion, that only some of the people could enjoy, while the rest enjoyed because they had paid for it. In the movie 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, the director, Francois Girard, has broken a tradition of making movies on celebrities(Janet). Previously, such films were made as fiction and certain events were added to make it appear the film to be realistic. However, this film involves each detail that actually happened and much effort has been divested to arrange concerts, costumes, Gould’s all important family members and his tutor’s appearance; all have been noted down with extreme dexterity. In short, this movie can act as a true biography of the life of Glenn Gould. Gould had a habit of wetting his hands in warm water before performing and it has been noted that doing this gave him more confidence and comfort while playing piano. Adding to the eccentricities, he is seldom portrayed as wearing a coat even in blistering summers and that later came to be known as his signature appearance. Among his other eccentricities, he developed a habit of talking to his friends and family over a long period of time on the telephone while he seldom had a one to one conversation with them. Though, he had quit live performances, he still travelled a lot and composed music in various lodges and hotels. In fact he is one of the few pianists who have left behind a legacy of hundreds of recordings of his music. From the above two examples from his daily life, we come to know that he was an introvert yet an entertainer. Though, he refrained from company, as he withdrew from public audience and then his friends too, yet he found o ut a way to entertain people through his music. His fame was such that his performance of the Bach’s Goldberg Variations has left board on Voyager One on the solar system. Through these examples, we as audience see that Gould was a man of talent and someone who was so passionate about his music that he composed till he died(Janet). The character of Glenn Gould has been taken up by Colm Feore. Throughout the movie he is portrayed as a man in various stages of his life, from the very beginning till the very end. The pianist is shown as a calm and a poised man who is intent upon hearing upon each and every single voice uttered. There are various scenes in the movie which show that Gould is sitting in a