"The Red Violin" A superlative film by Francois Girard with ingenious Score by John Corigliano performed by gifted Joshua Bell.

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2019)

A fantastic must-see movie from the late 1990's (hope it hasn't been forgotten) "The Red Violin" directed by Francois Girard (reflecting an International production by Canada, Italy and Great Britain) is a superlative film on many levels! The musical-Score/soundtrack was composed by the ingenious John Corigliano, with lead violin by the gifted Joshua Bell. The Story-segments creatively-uniquely contrast the tenuous/ uncertain/ ephemeral (even tragic) predicament of human existence against the more stable-inspirational-eternal (at least relative to human life-span) nature of Music itself and in this particular case directly-focusing on the distinguished 'instrument' of musical transmission/ communication/vital connection called the "Red Violin"
It tells of the Long & arduous (and quite heartbreaking) travels of the eponymous 'Red-Violin' (traversing both Nations & Centuries) = beginning as a handcrafted-masterwork/ highly coveted musical instrument (akin to a Stradivarius) created in 17th Century Italy (1681 to be exact), by master-violin maker Nicolò Bussotti (portrayed by Carlo Cecchi). Nicolò has a beautiful wife named Anna (played by Irene Grazioli) who is pregnant and about to deliver their first child. Nicolò prays this child will be a great virtuoso musician (bringing Great-Joy to the World in the process) and focuses on making that extra-special/ exquisite/ 'perfect' violin on which his future child will be able to play & communicate the most beautiful/ sublime Music! **spoiler** But all this was not meant to be as tragedy fiercely strikes, and the "Red Violin" serves as Bussotti's Final creation (with no further dreams to inspire him) = the red color is due to Bussotti mixing blood into the varnish. Thus the Red Violin begins its multi-Century journey passing from gifted hand-to-hand, touching the lives of everyone that comes in close contact.
The running-theme within the multi-segments of this film is that fate (and history) can be quite unsympathetically-cruel (or at least coldly-disinterested), regarding the 'hopes & dreams' of individual human beings ==> and yet as the additionally-contained stories illustrate, the 'Red Violin' (and the Music it mysteriously transmits & inspires) = continues to have a profoundly deep indelible impact on its owners, players & listeners alike, sometimes even stirring genuinely unexpected passions (both Literal & figurative) that can lead to both emancipation and un-anticipated imprisonment for those overcome by its innate powers.
**spoiler** The next player comes in the form of a child-prodigy (and orphan) in 1793 Austria who has a genuine chance at a decent Life (and even fame & fortune) due to his uncanny ability to masterfully play the 'Red Violin' He finally gets a chance to audition at a prestigious Viennese Court - but the boy becomes overly obsessed with the violin forming a deep emotional attachment to it. He is also intensely 'stressed' by the coming high-profile audition in Vienna (the orphan was apparently born with a congenital heart-condition) After a while, any physical 'separation' from the 'Red Violin' seems to cause the boy unbearable-anxiety (which exacerbates the heart-condition) - on the day of audition, when the Viennese-Court Prince appears to covet the 'Red Violin' and seems intent on purchasing it, another tragedy ensues.
A third story taking place in 1890 Oxford is again about unchecked 'obsession' but this time it also includes 'star-crossed' Lovers in the form of the beautiful writer Victoria Byrd (played by the equally beautiful Greta Scacchi) and wealthy (free-spirited) virtuoso Frederick Pope (Jason Flemyng). Frederick discovers the mysterious 'Red Violin' from Gypsies passing-thru and instantly realizes that the instrument possesses very unique & rare sonic qualities - he also soon discovers the beguiling qualities associated with Victoria, and a thoroughly symbiotic relationship ensues = his unbridled passion for Victoria directly-feeds his inspiration to play the 'Red Violin' with the intense-passion needed to excite the audiences in prestigious concert halls! But once again, best laid plans are undermined by fragile/ unpredictable/ fleeting human relationships & unexpected circumstances (and tragedy again enters center-stage)
The last historical-story (before the modern-Day auction in Canada) = ensues during the most terrifying period of Chairman Mao's 'Cultural Revolution' in China during the 1960's. The staging/ filming of events seems quite authentic = you can feel the cultural-anxiety &intense-fear of persecution that must have been in the air at that harrowing time as everyday citizens (though usually teachers, intellectuals, artists) were accused in makeshift courts charged with being unfaithful to the 'revolution' (in its purest, most brutal form) - and forced to denounce (and even destroy/ burn) any remnants of 'decadent' Western culture (not only Western books and ideas, but also European Art & Music). Classical-Music and of course the 'instruments' used to communicate/transmit such as the eponymous 'Red Violin' were in effect 'sentenced to Death' by massive-bonfire conflagration. Fortunately, there were more than a few courageous individuals within China that did not fully-adhere to this destructive-insanity and helped to preserve some of these priceless items/artifacts for future generations (the great irony is that after opening its doors to Western culture & trade after the 1980's, China now has a thriving Classical-Music cultural appreciation and a number of popular virtuoso players)
The final segment takes place at a prestigious auction house in Canada, with the beleaguered well-trodden 'Red Violin' expected to fetch millions (but is it authentic?) - in any case, there is a bit more to the Story but all-in-all this is an extremely well-made (and even artistic) film, that has added-dimensions weaving great-Music with emotionally-resonant (though often heartbreaking) human drama taking us on a trip (along with the 'Red Violin') thru History and even political upheaval. This is one of the few films that successfully conveys the idea of Music (and other creative-Arts) surviving thru tumultuous-times and continuing to be almost like a 'soundtrack' to our very existence!
note: Francois Girard had earlier written and directed the brilliantly-quirky film called "Thirty-Two Short Films about Glenn Gould" which ruminated on the exceedingly brilliant (but also exceptionally quirky) pianist.