Liberace was adored by his audiences for his musical talent and unique showmanship.

Liberace (Wladziu Valentino Liberace) is most remembered for his extravagant costumes and trademark candelabra placed on the lids of his flashy pianos. Its features the musician playing parts of his repertoire live and includes conversations in which he talks about some of his favorite composers. This film, originally part of the PBS Lively Arts series, won the 1969 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Many regard him as one of the greatest Chopin interpreters of all time. (7.4/92*) Arthur Rubinstein – The Love of Life (1969)Īrthur Rubinstein is widely regarded as one of the great pianists of the 20th century. While organized chronologically, the vignettes offer quick and quirky glimpses into Gould’s life, one that Roger Ebert described as “lived curiously but well.” The finale-a Gould recording of Bach carried into deep space by a Voyager spacecraft-will leave you speechless. Performance footage and recordings are Gould’s and interspersed with the narrative. The film is structured into 32 segments that follow Gould’s life but also reflect the Goldberg Variations’ structure of 32 short movements (at least as played by Gould). He became one of the great concert pianists of his time, and then, abruptly in 1964, he gave his last concert and refused to perform in public ever again (foreshadowing the Beatles’ last public concert in 1966?), focusing on recordings and radio performances. Early in his career, he gave concerts in Canada and the United States, where Leonard Bernstein was one of his admirers.

Gould (played by Colm Feore) was a Canadian classical pianist who could read and play music by the age of four. 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)Īlthough not exactly a household name these days, more than 50 years ago Glenn Gould’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was huge. IMDb ratings (out of 10) and/or Rotten Tomatoes’ critics score (in percentages) are given for some of the films.

Movie about child music prodigy