The Red Violin

Buy This Item The Red Violin by Lions Gate  Available from Amazon  $9.99  on 11-15-2008     Mounted in high lavish style, from the opening strains to coda, <I>The Red Violin</I> 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 <I>La Ronde</I>. But while this approach is employed elsewhere to cause one scene to reverberate against another, <I>The Red Violin</I> 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. <I>--Jim Gay</I> Reader Reviews I love to watch and listen to this movie. It's a musical disguised as a historical mystery that ends up as a heist flick. The story follows a masterwork violin throughout its three hundred year history and untold number of owners. Suspense is built with repeated flash-forwards to a modern day auction where the violin is the star attraction. The unorthodox technique sometimes makes it hard to follow the story, but the complexity makes it fun to watch the movie several times. The film never becomes tiresome due to great acting--especially by Samuel L. Jackson--great locations/historical periods and music beautiful composed with solos by Joshua Bell. I would have given the DVD 5 starts, except there is no commentary and sparse special features. This is a singularly edited movie and a director's commentary would have been interesting and made the DVD more valuable in a home library. Still in all, this is a movie you want to own, not just rent for a single viewing. The Shopkeeper

The Red Violin Available from Amazon Price: $9.99 Updated on 11-15-2008.

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