The Red Violin

1998 Drama

Francois Girard directed this drama tracing the history of a musical instrument through five countries and three centuries. In 1681, to keep the spirit of his wife alive, an Italian paints the violin with a red varnish made from her blood. It is later found in the Austrian Alps when a prodigy gives a performance in the court of Vienna in 1792. Taken by gypsies, the instrument is acquired by a Dionysian composer. After a journey by boat to China in 1966, it is hidden during the Cultural Revolution. In contemporary Canada, it is spotted at an auction house by a violin expert (Samuel L. Jackson) who becomes obsessed with it. Scripted by Girard and Don McKellar. Filmed on a $10 million budget in Montreal, China, Italy, Austria, and Oxford.

Director: François Girard

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson,Don McKellar, Carlo Cecchi, Irene Grazioli, Jean-Luc Bideau

 25 Reviews  11 Awards

Reviews

  • While it's possible to view this movie like a short-story collection, putting check marks beside the selections one likes best, to do so would deny the pleasure of experiencing this beautifully crafted, intricately designed story the way it was intended, as an organic whole.

    - Los Angeles Times

    20 January 2013

  • There really is a little something here for everyone: music and culture, politics and passion, crime and intrigue, history and even the backstage intrigue of the auction business.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    20 January 2013

  • Some will say this film is overly ambitious, but what the hell. The man put five years of his life into making this epic mystery. We can surely give it two hours of ours.

    Bob Graham - The San Francisco Chronicle

    20 January 2013

  • Although not all of the movements are fleshed out to their full potential, The Red Violin still attains a certain symphonic grandeur that -- at a time when so many filmmakers are churning out cinematic ditties -- deserves to be applauded.

    Mark Caro - The Chicago Tribune

    20 January 2013

  • Girard invests each episode of this production with dramatic credibility and emotional strength.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    20 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Music, Original Score

    Academy Awards (2000)

  • Best Original Score

    Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (2000)

     

  • Best Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design

    Genie Awards (1999)

  • Best Foreign Language Film

    Golden Globes (2000)

     

  • Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

    Grammy Awards (2000)

     

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