Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould 2009

A.O. Scott, New York Times: A tour de force of archival research and dogged interviewing, and the portrait it presents is remarkably complete. Read more

Paul de Barros, Seattle Times: In the end, though the film is a trifle dull, one does come away with a sense of Gould as a human being... Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: Truly compelling, however, is the material about Gould's innovative studio recordings and radio documentaries. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Gould remains an enigma, but now he's a more resonant one. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A thoughtful, confident, completely engrossing documentary about a cultural figure every bit as iconic as Jim Morrison or James Dean. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Genius Within presents an artist who was, yes, "eccentric" (the gloves, the overcoat, the hypochondria), but also visionary, curious, unpredictable, and funny. Read more

Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle: It's a fascinating story, and well told. Read more

Claude Peck, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Those who believe the private life of the artist is best left in the background may not appreciate all the candid interviews with former friends and lovers. Those seeking a fuller view of Gould's life and music-making will be spellbound. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: Unlike Francois Girard's dizzyingly cinematic '32 Short Films About...', this just looks like standard arts telly. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Gould is as much of a mystery at the end as at the beginning. You get the feeling that's the way he'd have wanted it. Read more

John Anderson, Variety: While the pic is far from perfect, the helmers certainly deliver a must-see film for serious music fans that should make beautiful music at the arthouse. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: Devotees will perhaps find something new in this deep pool of archival footage, and newcomers will get an appropriate introduction to the beguiling charisma of a most media-savvy isolationist. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: 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. Read more