Francois Girard directed this drama tracing the history of a musical instrument through five countries and three centuries. In 1681, to keep the spirit of his wife alive, an Italian paints the violin with a red varnish made from her blood. It is later found in the Austrian Alps when a prodigy gives a performance in the court of Vienna in 1792. Taken by gypsies, the instrument is acquired by a Dionysian composer. After a journey by boat to China in 1966, it is hidden during the Cultural
Revolution. In contemporary Canada, it is spotted at an auction house by a violin expert (Samuel L. Jackson) who becomes obsessed with it. Scripted by Girard and Don McKellar. Filmed on a $10 million budget in Montreal, China, Italy, Austria, and Oxford. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
It's breathtakingly gorgeous and almost comically clichéd, which [Francois] Girard's humorless direction only exacerbates, but the Oscar-winning score by John Corigliano is wonderfully alive.
If The Red Violin is any indication, style doesn't always need substance to succeed. In fact, sumptuousness can trump depth with a carefully constructed composition.
François Girard ... with co-writer Don McKellar and an able cast, has spun a yarn that crosses all manner of boundaries: geographic, artistic, and taste.
Derided by some contrarian critics for being "safe", this is an ambitious and at times uneven epic that stretches several continents and centuries . . .
This is a 2.5-hour episode of "Hoarders" where collectors of stuff turn into Gollum in the presence of this precious creation. I'm not judging - by the end of the movie, I too became Gollum. How many people alive today carry personal tales of the world's people, places and events of the past 300 years? How many other
violins have been in a Ménage à trois? How many items born into this world came at such a high cost to its creators? Where's my 2 million dollars? I'm ready to do some antiquing!
No quotes approved yet for The Red Violin (Le violon rouge). Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'The Red Violin (Le violon rouge)'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
