The Red Violin – In 1681 in Italy, Nicolo Bussotti created his masterpiece, a red violin, a musical instrument of perfection, according to this less-than-perfect movie. His wife Anna was expecting a child and has what she thinks is her fortune told, but her servant Cesca actually tells her the future of the violin (at intervals each Tarot card introduces the next segment of the movie).

The story tells of the travels of this violin to a boys’ orphanage in Vienna and the hands of young Kaspar Weiss, to gypsies and into the hands of a 19th-century English concert-violinist Frederick Pope (this segment involving his muse Victoria is erotic and comedic), to China during the Cultural Revolution, and finally to an auction (with each segment a different interested party wanting to purchase the violin because of an association with its history enters the picture) in Montreal (this concluding segment with Samuel L. Jackson turns into an action thriller). Inconsistent in tone and quality of performance (especially the English segment and ending).

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Patrick Ivers can be reached via e-mail at .