A musical feast for the eyes, ears and heart.

Rating: Null/10 (9 June 1999)

Years ago there was a type of film which followed a particular item through the years as it passed from owner to owner ("The Yellow Rolls Royce"). Francois Girard has directed and written (with Don McKellar) a beautiful drama detailing the life of a red violin from its manufacture in the late 17th century through its sale at an auction in the present.
Samuel L. Jackson portrays Charles Morritz, an antique violin authenticator. This auction is the framing device for the rest of the film. The tale flashes back to the tale of Nicolo Bussotti, a fictional violin maker. He is planning to give it to his unborn child. His pregnant wife (Irene Grazioli) goes to an old woman fortune teller who proceeds to relate some of the future of the Bussotis and other owners of the instrument.
The violin continues on through the years coming into the possession of an orphan (Christoph Koncz). It then is owned by a virtuoso soloist (Jason Flemyng) who gets his inspiration by playing it during love-making with the lovely Greta Scacchi. The instrument passes across the ocean to China where Xiang Pei (Sylvia Chang) is caught in the middle of the cultural revolution. Finally, as a valuable antique, it is brought up for auction in the film's final sequence.
This cursory summary cannot do justice to the lush beauty of this film. Joshua Bell plays the violin on the soundtrack to a fine score by John Corigliano (CD on Sony Classical). At an early screening Bell explain that the children in the orphanage are actually violinists. Bell's hands are also shown in other scenes as the instrument is played. The movie cost only $9 million but the production has an epic feel to it. McKellar explained that this is accomplished by lavishing the expense on one elaborate scene in each vignette. It definitely works.
Girard has fashioned a wonderful story that probably should have been saved for the fall season. It has award winner written all over it. Especially in the areas of costumes, scenic design and music. It's a feast for the eyes and ears.