The Red Violin (1999)

Mounted in high lavish style, from the opening strains to coda, The Red Violin pays homage to the careful uses of color and composition without bothering to support these qualities with any real substance. Oh, it's a class act on the surface all the way, while failing on nearly every other level to convince. The story tells the story, revealing precious little else. The 17th-century Cremonese instrument-maker Niccolo Bussotti finishes his final violin with a curious red varnish, the secret of which spans the film, yet will come as a surprise only to the very sleepy. The odd voyage of this unique violin through history is then explored from one episode to the next, from child prodigy to gypsies to Victorian virtuoso to a clandestine enclave of art lovers in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution. This is all framed by the violin's rediscovery in present day by instrument appraiser Charles Morritz (Samuel L. Jackson), for whom the perfect instrument strikes a resonant chord. The main scheme of the film, an object connecting a number of seemingly disparate stories, has been used many times, most notably in Max Ophuls's La Ronde. But while this approach is employed elsewhere to cause one scene to reverberate against another, The Red Violin is content to leave each episode thematically unconnected with any of the others. On the decorative level, the film may satisfy many viewers with its sensuous attention to tone and detail, as well as its eclectic and expertly performed score. But as narrative it is very slight. Just pierce the pretty crust of this puff pastry and gaze in wonder at the pocket of air within. --Jim Gay Amazon.com

MY REVIEW OF THE RED VIOLIN

I thought the film was great. I play the violin myself, & have come across some Stradavarii, & Guanarius in my time,& know what it is like to have such a find. It is not always possible to trace the history of not only an instrument,but the many other items that have come down to us from times long ago. So it was wonderful being able to see something as important as a violin being traced.Except for the injection of spiritism, the showing of nudity,sexual promiscuity,& the suggestion of one engaging in such conduct,which I did not think had any place in such a film,except for these things, I enjoyed the film itself,very much. The 1st time I watched it I was not really watching it, I was busy on the computer, so it was more like listening to it, & looking up every once in a while.The 2nd time, when I really watched it, I was shocked at the above items, & when I could tell they were coming, I skipped over it by pushing the forward button 'til I was sure I had passed those scenes. July 22, 2008

Pretty Vignettes, Nothing More

I came to this film backwards, from the experience of the Red Violin Concerto composed by John Corigliano, on the basis of the musical theme he contributed to the movie. The concerto is a vigorous, dramatic piece of music, with even a bit of emotional profundity about it, so I was expecting a movie of some depth. I have to say, I was disappointed. This is a sprawling edisodic melodrama, set in Renaissance Italy, Rococo Austria, Victorian England, and Maoist China, and when bow comes to string it's a movie about an art thief who succeeds, with no apologies. Now it's not every day that I get to practice my Italian, German, and Mandarin all in one sitting, so that's worth one star. The Italian and Austrian sets were beautiful, so there's another star. The "monastery" in the Alps was in reality a castle where I've spent time, so one star more for nostalgia. The depiction of China during the Cultural Revolution was mortally vivid, so there's a fourth star. However, the whole thing stalled unmercifully for lack of anything approaching suspense or drama, so I'm deducting one star, leaving three.

By all means, listen to the CD of the full Red Violin Concerto, as performed by Joshua Bell. It's a work of art. July 2, 2008

A Great Story Done in an Original and Most interesting Way

This movie should have received multiple Academy Awards, but alas, I guess there werte not enough explosions in the movie. The story of a wonderful instrument, and all the lives it touched over the centuries, is one of my favorite moviers ever. June 12, 2008

Worth watching and maybe even buying

I don't buy many DVDs, but I own this one. I typically prefer to purchase comedies, but this is a pretty good drama/saga. I don't think it was as good as The Green Mile, American Beauty, Shawshank Redemtion or other top notch dramas that I have seen. However, I found it as good or better than movies like Pollack, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, No Man's Land, and a few other off the high volume path. If you don't know any of the movies I have mentioned and you are looking for something with a typical Hollywood theme, then this movie is not for you. This movie is more like a bunch of little stories (little dramas) woven into two larger stories (the origin of the violin and the story of the violin being auctioned off). The mini-stories do not typically have happy endings, there is a lot of tragedy. There is a sense of justice implied by the actual ending of the film, but I would not call it a happy tale and it is not particularly ethical or moral. I know, it doesn't read like an endorsement, but I do think that this is a good film and worth watching more than once. April 27, 2008

The Red Violin Movie

I love this movie which traces a violin built in the middle ages through all the different owners which have have heard it being played and had to possess it at all costs. The tragic story of the violin makers' wife (which I won't reveal here) is woven throughout the story of the violin. Beautifully filmed. I would highly recommend this movie. April 26, 2008

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