A rare film biography as boldly unconventional as its subject, writer-director François Girard’s visionary portrait of the iconoclastic, world-renowned pianist Glenn Gould explodes traditional biographical form to illuminate the brilliant, obsessive, and often enigmatic mind of a singular artist. Structured as thirty-two vignettes—ranging from dramatic narrative sketches to documentary interviews to abstract animation—the film traces Gould’s evolution from prodigy to internationally acclaimed concert pianist, and ultimately to a reclusive recording visionary who abandoned live performance for his fascination with studio technology. Anchored by a mesmerizing performance from Colm Feore and accompanied by Gould’s landmark recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the film boldly deconstructs the very idea of artistic genius.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Audio Commentary | New commentary with François Girard and cowriter-actor Don McKellar. |
| Director Conversation | New discussion between Girard and filmmaker Atom Egoyan. |
| 1959 Companion Programs | Glenn Gould: Off the Record and Glenn Gould: On the Record. |
| Archival Interviews | Interviews with actor Colm Feore and producer Niv Fichman. |
| Trailer | Original trailer for the film. |
| Subtitles | English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. |
| Booklet | Includes an essay by author and critic Michael Koresky. |