The Red Violin (1999) (Meridian Collection)

Travel in Space and Time with "The Red Violin"

By alex  Nov 5, 2006

Pros: Spectacular musical scoring/ a film in 5 languages

Cons: some may find foreign dialogues distracting, not us though

We went on an epic journey watching this movie. It looked almost real and documentary-like, thanks to the excellent writing of Don McKellar and Francois Girard (who is also the film's director). This movie tells the story of the most coveted, &qu...ot;perfect" acoustic instrument, a 17th century Stradivarius, made by Nicolo Bussotti for his wife, Anna, and their unborn son. This film will bring you to different continents as the red violin not only travels with those who possess it but also travel in different generations as the violin stood time, and is the only "witness" to death, despair, betrayal, greed, and grandeur. But what really impressed us is the spectacular and haunting musical scoring of the movie. And rightly so, it wouldn't win an Academy award for nothing. Joshua Bell's solo violin renditions with Philharmonia Symphony in the background are particularly impressive and moving. We are deeply touched by the haunting melodies that it must have settled in the very depths of our souls. It is also interesting to note that the film's language dialogue changes depending on the location. So you'll hear a little bit of Italian, German, French, and Mandarin. But it is mostly in English. This is such unforgettable film which we rate highly in our books. And we can still "hear" Joshua Bell playing and the bidding procedure up to now. Read more Less