It never ceases to amaze me that Glenn Gould remains so fascinating to the world, more than a quarter-century after his death. There's been so much biographical material already produced about Canada's most famous pianist that you'd think the topic would be pretty much exhausted by now.
On the contrary. This year, another Gould book, entitled simply Glenn Gould, by Mark Kingwell, was published. I've not read it yet – but Pamela Margles, The WholeNote's book critic, reviewed it in our December-January issue. (You can read her review here.) And now we have a new documentary film, Genius Within: the Inner Life of Glenn Gould, which I saw last night at the Royal Cinema.
Filmmakers Peter Raymond and Michèle Hozer have done a commendable job of patching together an impressive amount of footage of Gould. We see him in New York, in Massey Hall, at his cottage in Muskoka, singing to elephants at the zoo, and even making a nutty home movie while on holidays in the Bahamas.
Interspersed with archival footage, there are interviews with people who knew Gould. Here the film breaks new ground, revealing the cerebral musician as more human than he's often portrayed. There are interviews with three women in his life – yes, there were women in his life – including Cornelia Foss, who left her husband, the composer Lukas Foss, to live near Gould in Toronto for four years. (This first became public knowledge thanks to an article in the Toronto Star, a couple of years ago.) Ms. Foss is interviewed, and she tells much, if not all, about the relationship.
The film also doesn't pull punches about Gould's hypochondria, either. Indeed, it's a little horrifying to learn how he managed to get multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors – without anyone in the medical world noticing what was going on, and putting a stop to it.
Everyone interested in Gould should see this movie. Unfortunately, it plays at the Royal only until December 8. However, I hear there are plans for the film to be broadcast by Bravo Television in February. And I expect it will be available in the video rental shops before too long.
Colin Eatock, managing editor
