Surprisingly gripping portmanteau picture

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2020)

The life of a violin over a couple of centuries may seem an unlikely subject for a feature film but then remember that Julien Duvivier was able to assemble an all-star cast for the story of a tail-coat. "The Red Violin". which Francois Girard directed in 1998, was suficiently a hit to win the Oscar for its score and it has a suitably starry international cast, not all of whom last as long as the violin of the title, presumably because this particular instrument carries with it a curse.
It's a handsome and intelligent portmanteau picture which, in its period settings, looks genuinely authentic and it's to director Girard and co-writer Don McKellar's credit that the violin itself takes on a personality of its own with the film playing out very nicely as a thriller. If you missed it first time round, then you should seek it out now.