Re: Q about 32 Short Films

[Arin Murphy <la_murph@alcor.concordia.ca>]

I too readily confess to being a Colm Feore fan. Having parents who live
in Southern Ontario makes it easy to pop down to the Stratford Festival, 
and I've seen my share of Feore live. He did the best Benedick in _Much 
Ado About Nothing_ that's I've ever seen, and sang the Pirate King in the 
Festival's performance of _Pirates of Penzance_ - which was to die for.

I'd have to lay the blame re the impersonal feel of 32's Gould at the 
feet of the script, though. There's only so much one can do with what one 
is given, and I think Feore got pretty deeply into Gould. The Personal Ad 
sequence was so quietly witty - how far out can you get? Feore's
voice sounded like he was chuckling to himself all the way through. I'd 
like to think that Gould was like that too.

Lots of the sequences were very distanced - take the framing sequences 
filmed up north. The films weren't meant to let a viewer get to know 
Gould (excluding the interviews, of course) - it's 32 short films *about* 
GG, not *of* GG. See what I mean? It was an artistic endeavour, not an 
A&E bio (since we've used that comparision before). It tantalised, 
invited you to ask `who was this man?' - it didn't tell you who that man was.

And it worked, didn't it? Both you and I pursued it!


Arin Murphy
Concordia University, Montreal
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The absolute requirements of literary labour not unfrequently compel an 
irregular distribution of time, and with it irregular social and moral 
habits. (J.W. Kaye)