Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Peter Raymont and Michèle Hozer and released in 2009.Liam Lacey, "Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould". The Globe and Mail, December 3, 2009. The film is a portrait of Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould, centred in part on his romantic relationship with artist Cornelia Foss.Jay Stone, "Discovering Glenn Gould; New documentary". Montreal Gazette, December 3, 2009.
Distribution The film premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival,Peter Howell, "An awkward fit Canadian outsiders abound; Outsiders abound at this year's festival as Canadian filmmakers contemplate our place in the global puzzle". Toronto Star, September 4, 2009. and was screened at the 2009 Vancouver International Film Festival,"Films at VIFF". The Globe and Mail, September 30, 2009. before going into commercial release in December 2009.
In 2010 the film was broadcast on Bravo in Canada as a standalone documentary special,Kevin Bazzana, "The thriving career of Glenn Gould; More than a quarter century after his death, the pianist is more popular than ever". Victoria Times-Colonist, March 28, 2010. and on PBS in the United States as an episode of American Masters.Noel Murray, "American Masters - 'Genius Within: The Inner Life Of Glenn Gould'". The AV Club, December 27, 2010.
Reception On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85 per cent based on 39 reviews. At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail wrote that "though the film serves as a competent introduction to Gould, it is unlikely to reveal much to anyone familiar with his reputation. There's little insight into what exactly distinguished him from other pianists: his technical clarity, his habit of altering tempo, his concept of "ecstasy." In short, everything that made him exceptional is barely touched on. At best, the film offers Gould as a charismatic figure - attractive, humorous, well-spoken and iconoclastic - and the highlights are archival footage of him as a young trailblazer, arriving at Columbia Records in New York, where he soon became a sensation."
Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post wrote that "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".
A.O. Scott of The New York Times said that "A tour de force of archival research and dogged interviewing, and the portrait it presents is remarkably complete".
Awards Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient Result Canadian Cinema Editors 2011 Best Editing in a Feature Documentary Michèle Hozer Cinema Audio Society Awards 2010 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Non Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials Bruce Cameron, Ian Rodness Gregg Kilday, "Cinema Audio Society Announces Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter, January 6, 2011. Directors Guild of Canada 2010 DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film Peter Raymont, Michèle Hozer Marise Strauss, "DGC nods for Chloe, Bridge". Playback, July 8, 2010. Gemini Awards 2010 Best Biography Documentary Program Peter Raymont "Gemini winners announced". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, November 3, 2010. International Documentary Association 2010 Best Music Documentary Peter Raymont, Michèle Hozer Etan Vlessing, "Genius snags IDA nomination". Playback, October 28, 2010.
The film also made the initial Academy Award shortlist for Best Documentary Feature Film prior to the 84th Academy Awards in 2011,"Gould doc in Oscar race". Edmonton Journal, November 23, 2010. but was not one of the final nominees.
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