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Re: Tim Page Article



At 10:47 AM -0400 9/21/97, Philip A Garon wrote:
>This Sunday's (Sept. 21) Washington Post includes a lengthy and
>interesting article by Post music critic (and GG maven) Tim Page about
>GG.  The article was prompted by the presentation of a series called
>"Glenn Gould on Film" at the American Film Institute at the Kennedy
>Center this Thursday through Sunday evenings.
>
>The article should be available today, and maybe all week, at the Post's
>web site: www.washingtonpost.com.

    Hi folks, just a quick follow-up on this note: The direct link to the
article through the "G" section of the on-line paper (I think it's the Arts
section) appears to be broken. I couldn't get it to work no matter how many
times I tried. Fear not, however, because performing a search on the word
"Gould" will bring up a healthy link to this article.
    And a good article it is, too. A nice "man-on-the-street" perspective
on Gould - I especially like where Page says that 32 Shorts was a bit too
solemn for its own good and would have been more representational of
Glenn's funloving personnae if it were more like the spoof-film "Airplane!"
or perhaps a Three Stooges Movie. That's a new one!
    Also, let me take this opportunity to once again spew a little vitriol
at Sony Video or Bruno Monsaingeon or whomever was responsible for the
presentation of the god-awful GG home video edition. Tim Page says it
adroitly,
"And the four "Conversations With Humphrey Burton" represent
Gould at his most brilliant and engaging; it is a shame that they were so
poorly
represented in Sony Classical's gigantic Glenn Gould video edition. (The
material on those tapes is wonderful; the presentation is execrable. Why
couldn't
we have had Gould's own programs, on which he labored with such care,
rather than this flashy, diced-up mash, complete with soppy connective
narrative?) "
    I sympathise with the precarious marketing position that Sony was put
into when planning the release of the films; if they release hours and
hours of complete programs, the pool of potential buyers becomes smaller
and more specialized and Sony stands to lose money. If they chop the films
up and form compilations, they have a wider appeal but they lose their
original intent. Tough choice, but I think they made the wrong decision.
The films should have remained intact.
    It's enough to make you wish you lived in Washington!

Regards,
Kristen

______________________________________________________________________________

"There must be room for mess, for vulgarity. Sometimes, we have to touch
people."

                                  -- Bruce Charlton, writing as Glenn Gould