This is a superb film in which the star of the film is a violin known as "The Red Violin'. It is a story that begins in Italy in the late seventeenth century and ends in the twentieth century. The violin is crafted by an Italian violin maker for his unborn child and is a work of sheer love. The viewer sees this distinctive red violin travel in time, as it becomes an integral part of the life of a variety of owners, transcending culture, race, class, and talent. It ultimately ends up as an offering at an auction house.The story is told in a series of intricately woven vignettes that are justaposed to the past and present in a series of well placed flash backs and flash forwards. The past is set in seventeenth century Italy, where the viewer sees what happens to a master violin maker's beautiful pregnant wife and unborn child. The present is set in the twentieth century at a posh auction house in Montreal, Canada, where a host of characters, who have a connection to the red violin's extraordinary and mysterious past, have gathered to bid upon it.
The film is a lushly beautiful one due to its notable cinematography. The music is exquisite, its impressive soundtrack made so by the superlative playing of violinist, Joshua Bell. The acting is uniformly stellar. The vignette of nineteenth century Victorian England virtuoso, Frederick Pope (Jason Flemyng), is wildly sensuous and erotic. There is even an quality of mysticism about the film, as the story in Italy begins with a fortune teller's predictions, which the violin maker's pregnant wife mistakenly thinks is about her, when in reality the fortuneteller is foretelling the future that lies in store for the red violin.
In the twentieth century, Charles Morritz (Samuel L. Jackson) is an expert violin appraiser who has an appreciation of the now legendary red violin and covets it. While authenticating it for the auction house, he learns the secret of the distinctive red varnish that earns this instrument its sobriquet, though the viewer will, no doubt, guess its origin, long before he does. Morritz also does something that ensures that the red violin will stay with one who appreciates its value, so that the violin will have almost come full circle. In the end, all the elements come together beautifully, as the director, Francois Girard, deftly and seamlessly, weaves the violin's past with its present. There is not one discordant note in this richly complex and brilliant film. It is simply a masterpeice. Bravo!
I viewed this DVD on a 46-inch Samsung LCD high definition TV, played on a Toshiba 1080p HD DVD player--and the picture and sound are stunning. If you play this DVD on a player that can "upconvert" a regular DVD (such as this release),the resulting image is already high definition--no need for a separate Blu-ray or HD DVD edtion.
The movie is itself, is of course, quite engaging and has more of a European/foreign film flair about it. The only well-known American movie star in this film is Samuel Jackson, who, although he is somewhat miscast in this role (as other reviewers have also noted), still manages to make his character believable--his inclusion in this movie was not a train wreck for me. The rest of the cast is quite good, although likely to be largely unknown to American audiences. If you appreciate beautiful violin music, accurate and elaborate period sets, other cultures and foreign languages (English subtitles are provided)--then you will love this film.
The "R" rating for this film could have easily been avoided. There are two brief scences in one segement of the story involving partial nudity, one of which is a sex scene (involving the violin, no less), but these scenes are not graphic or violent--one of them is actually more like a pose ("caught in the act" as it were). These scences could easily have been modified without compromising the plot, resulting in a PG-13 or even PG rating instead. Otherwise, there is no profanity or violence anywhere else in the film. This is a very light "R" film. I have seen PG-13 films that contain a greater amount of more objectionable material (frequent cursing, double entendres, etc.). This is a film that you will watch again and again. The Meridian Collection edition of "The Red Violin" is Highly recommended!Fans of the French piece "Tous les Matins du Monde" (Alain Corneau, 1991) will enjoy this creation of French-Canadian Director Francois Girard, whose prior forays into film include documentaries involving Bach Cello suites and television specials starring cellist Yo-Yo Ma. It's no wonder then that Girard was able to capture the sheer majesty and fascination of the violin; in this film we follow this captivation through the centuries. Samuel L. Jackson plays Charles Morritz, an expert in antique musical instruments. The story opens with Morritz' arrival at an auction, where a very significant and unique Bussotti violin is being sold. As the film flashbacks throughout periods of time in the violin's history, we visit its making in Cremona, Italy, its burial in the hands of a young Austrian prodigy, the musical career of a Victorian virtuoso, and its banishment from Revolutionist China. As Morritz studies the famous instrument, he unearths deep secrets about its origin, and must face the ultimate dilemma himself: "What do you do when the thing you most wanted, so perfect, just comes?"
The music, composed by John Corigliano, won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Score. Violinist Joshua Bell (who also starred in the 1999 film Music of the Heart, playing himself) provides the music of the Red Violin, and was able to capture the different centuries as if he had played in them himself. The part of the Austrian music teacher Georges Poussin, played by Jean-Luc Bideau, is especially delightful in its comedic undertones; also not to be missed is the tarot card reader who is setting up the story; her role ties the film together and gives it the continuity needed in this kind of format. Overall it is a very engaging film full of passion, music, and history.
Read Best Reviews of The Red Violin (1998) Here
The first time I saw "The Red Violin" was over seven years ago. I didn't own a television at the time and watched the film instead on a ten inch monitor in a college dorm room. I had plucked the DVD from the bargain bin at the local video store for only a few dollars. I'd never heard of the film and bought it simply because I liked Samuel L. Jackson. Well, not only that, the decisive factor was that, at the time, all I had was a few dollars. So it was either this or a low budget Dolph Lundgren action flick (which I am not above, I might add). Still, I chose wisely. For two hours I was completely absorbed by the deftly told tale of a perfectly crafted violin's global journey throughout the centuries, culminating in the shockingly beautiful conclusion that ties together all the threads in a neat, satisfying tapestry.On that note let me make this clear were I reviewing the film itself it would be five easy stars, as it's an under appreciated contemporary classic with beautifully shot cinematography and a screenplay so moving that Ingmar Bergman wishes he had written it. The acting is top notch as well: two highlights include the real life musical prodigy Christoph Koncz's moving portrayal as his fictional counterpart Kasper Weiss and Jason Flemyng as English violin virtuoso Frederick Pope. This Blu-Ray release, however, is a half hearted attempt at giving the film a high definition transfer and giving it as much as three stars would be extreme generosity on my part. As it is, two stars is more than fair.
I owned the original Lions Gate release from that bargain bin years ago, then later upgraded to the Meridian Collection release (also by Lions Gate), which featured a slightly enhanced transfer of the film. It also included two new special features, one focusing on the trade of rare violins and the auctions that supply them along with another that focused on composer John Corigliano's heart-achingly beautiful score for the film. Once I received word of an upcoming high definition Blu-Ray release of "The Red Violin", I was sold from day one.
Once I discovered that this is a Canadian import released by Alliance, I bought the Blu with rather low expectations. Alliance is known for releasing films with threadbare presentation values and lackluster audio/subtitle options, and "The Red Violin" makes no effort to enhance this reputation. There are three audio tracks, a 5.1 DTS English track, 5.1 Dolby Digital English track, and a 5.1 Dolby Digital French track. The trouble begins with the subtitle selection, or in this case the complete lack thereof. The disc provides mandatory subtitles for any spoken language other than English. If the viewer has trouble understanding or hearing the English scenes they're simply out of luck. There are absolutely no special features included, not even so much as a commentary track or a theatrical trailer.
Continuing the disappointment, the film transfer was clearly supervised with minimal effort, an apparent hallmark of Alliance. "The Red Violin" has an image only marginally sharper than the Meridian Collection DVD. Even factoring in that it's a twelve year old catalog title, the HD presentation leaves much to be desired. The colors are much too muted and there is a distinct lack of clarity such as we expect from Blu-Ray. The film would benefit from a small degree of artificial enhancement, though such things must be handled with extreme delicacy and thus it's fortunate Alliance didn't attempt it.
For the time being, I advise all fans of this nineties classic to retain their DVD copies. The dearth of options and lackluster film transfer simply doesn't warrant the hefty import price. Wait instead for the as yet unscheduled American release, which will hopefully receive the same care and attention the Meridian Collection DVD was given. Hopefully.
Want The Red Violin (1998) Discount?
This review is for those who have already seen The Red Violin, loved it, and are now wondering whether the 2008 Meridian Collection DVD is worth the extra cost over the bare bones 2003 Lions Gate DVD. My short answer is a resounding yes.The commentary track with co-writer/director François Girard and co-writer Don McKellar is informative and entertaining. The give and take between the two commentators works well for the most part. They discuss the production, the locations, the actors, the music, and scene-specific details. Although I came to the DVD having already seen and loved the film, I came away from the commentary track with an even greater appreciation for both the film and its creators. With the things I learned from the commentary track, I know my next viewing of the film will be that much more enjoyable.
There are two featurettes on the DVD. I found both featurettes informative and entertaining.
1) "The Oscar-Winning Chaconne" -approximately 15 minutes in length and features composer John Corigliano and violinist Joshua Bell.
2) "The Auction Block" -approximately 17 minutes in length and features Elizabeth Pitcairn and her Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius which was the inspiration for the fictitious Bussotti Red Violin.
As an aficionado of good music, good film, and good film commentary, I am very pleased with this Meridian Collection DVD. For me, the extra cost was well worth it.
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