Genius Within

Glenn Gould was one of the most celebrated and controversial classical musicians of the 20th century, a pianist whose approach to the work of Bach and Brahms represented a bold and inventive new take on the composers' styles, and whose obsessive quest for perfectionism while rejecting the influence of the audience led him to abandon live performances in favour of recording in 1964, only nine years after the release of his celebrated interpretation of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations'. While Gould's very public eccentricities have been nearly as well documented as his talents, filmmakers Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont pose a very provocative question in their documentary GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD: Was Gould truly as strange as he was believed to be, or were his quirks part of a facade the artist carefully constructed to intrigue and challenge the listening audience? Hozer and Raymont present rare footage of Gould in performance and in interviews, and examine the private life of the pianist as they explore the facts behind his legendary hypochondria, his drug use, and his relationships with women.