The Red Violin

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The Red Violin

R

1999

2h 11m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

The intricate history of a beautiful antique violin is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi) paints it with his dead wife's blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montreal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson). Over the years between, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.

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Critics Consensus

A symphony of storytelling whose lulls lead to satisfying crescendos, The Red Violin weaves a centuries-long saga with the journey of a single instrument.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

3.5/4

The film is heedlessly ambitious. In a time of timid projects and easy formulas, The Red Violin has the kind of sweep and vision that we identify with elegant features from decades ago.

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David Keyes

Cinemaphile.org

Aug 15, 2013

3.5/4

Like the immaculate instrument it follows, "The Red Violin" is a piece of filmmaking fully refined by the hands of someone who believed in the material, and the effect it leaves us with is one of transcendence.

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Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

Aug 7, 2008

4/5

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

May 26, 2006

3.5/4

A surprisingly exciting and delicate epic.

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Oct 7, 2004

4/5

The story lines, while having little direct connection to historical events, are obviously grounded in musical and artistic legend.

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Judith Egerton

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Jul 2, 2004

2.5/4

It is disconcerting to see {Jackson}...after watching his exceptional performances as crazy criminals in two Quentin Tarantino movies.

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Christian K

@ckacar 1 hr ago

For a while this was a beautiful melancholic tale spanning centuries, then it just kind of fizzles out with a final act that feels disconnected and flat in its resolution.

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Cork B

@RT87142816 Sep 3, 2026

It's fine. It looks good, there is a lot of effort put into the set pieces. Jackson plays a much more subdued character, which was refreshing. That all said, the anthology structure doesn't give you time to care about any one character. I guess you could say the violin is the character, but it is a block of wood. The ending was confusing and dumb - if they were going with the tarot card structure, the violin should have met its demise at the end of the movie... unless they are setting us up for a sequel 300 years from now????

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Denny O

@DennyOR Jan 15, 2026

The cinematography is mind blowing from beginning to end. The section of the movie that takes place in China is the most realistic depiction of Mao's Cultural Revolution I've ever seen. For those two reasons alone, plus all the beautiful violin music throughout, I would definitely recommend it. (P.S. One of the movie's segments justifies the R rating, and there are some grim elements in the story.)

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Harold P

@RT65831586 Jul 30, 2025

Little known film of Samuel L. Jackson, but one of his greatest!

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Leo P

@RT23366938 Nov 20, 2024

The last card in the deck is always the card of Death. But this time around it's upside down. The varnish on the violin is human blood, but it's the soul of it that travels through centuries making it immortal. Some things are worthless, some have great value. It's not always easy to tell which is which, though.

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Julian M

@jumont20 Sep 26, 2023

💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

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François Girard

Director

Samuel L. Jackson

Charles Morritz (Montréal)

Don McKellar

Evan Williams (Montréal)

Carlo Cecchi

Nicolo Bussotti (Cremona)

Irene Grazioli

Anna Bussotti (Cremona)

Jean-Luc Bideau

Georges Poussin (Vienna)

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Synopsis

The intricate history of a beautiful antique violin is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi) paints it with his dead wife's blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montreal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson). Over the years between, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.

Director: François Girard
Producer: Niv Fichman
Screenwriter: Don McKellar, François Girard
Production Co: Mikado Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 11, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.5M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

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