Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould is a 2009 documentary film about classical pianist, writer, broadcaster, composer and conductor Glenn Gould directed by Michèle Hozer and Peter Raymont. It was screened at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.[1]

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
Directed byMichèle Hozer
Peter Raymont
StarringCornelia Foss
Glenn Gould (archival footage)
Distributed byLorber Films
Release date
  • 2009 (2009)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Gould, who died in 1982, is considered by some to be one of the 20th century's controversial, best known and most celebrated pianists. The film looks at his short life, his compositions, and his unconventional approaches to classical music, specifically, Johann Sebastian Bach.

The film includes interviews with Cornelia Foss who is the main star of the film, as well as interviews with other musicians such as Lorne Tulk, Petula Clark, Frances Batchen, Ray Roberts and Kevin Bazzana.[2] As Glenn Gould was widely documented, the film includes extensive archival footage of Gould from many sources.

Reception

World response

World Socialist Web Site's Joanne Laurier said that "Genius Within refers in vague terms to the 1960s and raises interesting questions about a man who took his art seriously—to a crippling degree", but also stating that "more could have been done to connect, the artist's contrarian streak with the upheavals and traumas of the times".[3]

North American response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 39 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.9/10.[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post wrote "Gould remains something of a riddle wrapped in an enigma. But it's the questions that hang in the air, and not the biographical details that the film lays out, that make it so hard to take your eyes -- and your ears -- off him".[6]

The Christian Science Monitor's Peter Rainer said that "Genius Within doesn't make the mistake of trying to equate Gould's great gifts with his great eccentricities".[7]

A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that "A tour de force of archival research and dogged interviewing, and the portrait it presents is remarkably complete",<refScott, A.O. (September 9, 2010). "Enshrining an Extraordinary Poet of the Keyboard, Quirks and All". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 25, 2021.</ref> while Larry Rohter called the documentary "fascinating".[8]

According to Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine, "The notion that the myths are more interesting than the men is borne out in Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould".[2]

Trevor Johnston of Time Out said that "unlike François Girard's dizzyingly cinematic [Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould], this just looks like standard arts [tale]".[9]

On October 7, 2010, following its screening at Saint Anthony Main in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the film was reviewed by Claude Peck of Minnesota-based Star Tribune, who praised the film for its "well-made" and "well known bases".[10]

Great Britain and Australia

Besides receiving positive reviews from the United States, the film received acclaim from foreign press as well. Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "A portrait of a brilliant pianist reveals a complex mix of joy and turmoil".[11]

Wendy Ide, reporting to the British-based The Sunday Times, wrote "A documentary about the late Canadian pianist Glenn Gould shows his influence, [but] can't penetrate his 'inner life'".[12]

Another British publication, Empire Magazine, wrote "While it's not comprehensive - even at the height of his fame Gould was an enigma and remains so - Genius Within is an engaging and intriguing bio-doc".[13]

References
  1. "2009 TIFF Bytes #3: A Gun to the Head; Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". September 22, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  2. Henderson, Eric (September 6, 2010). "Review: Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". Slant Magazine.
  3. Laurier, Joanne (September 10, 2010). "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould: A more intimate view". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  4. "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  5. "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (2010)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  6. O'Sullivan, Michael. "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". The Washington Post.
  7. Rainer, Peter (September 3, 2010). "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould: movie review". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  8. Rohter, Larry (September 1, 2010). "Seeking the Ordinary in the Eccentric". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. AR9.
  9. Johnston, Trevor (January 18, 2011). "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". Time Out.
  10. Peck, Claude (October 7, 2010). "Reviewed in brief". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  11. Hall, Sandra (October 29, 2010). "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  12. Ide, Wendy (January 21, 2011). "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". The Sunday Times. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  13. Parkinson, David (January 20, 2011). "Genius Within: The Inner Life Of Glenn Gould Review". Empire Magazine.

Bibliography
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