Pure Passion

Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2001)

How can music have the power to stir one's soul? Perhaps it lies not in the music itself, but within all that the music comes with- the history of it. Its past, all the different hands that have gone into shaping it, the work of the individual that creates that music at that moment. Music is the most delicate of the arts, for once created, it can never be re-created identically. And each moment is fleeing, dynamic, related to the moment before and the moment that follows.
This movie follows the path of a violin, as it exchanges hands over centuries, touches lives, brings passion and pain. The theme of the movie, first hummed by the violin-maker's wife, becomes the voice of the violin, linking the human soul with that of the violin. I wouldn't go so far as to say that her soul inhabited the violin, as other reviews here have. However, I think the movie tries to show how everything that has occured in the life of this violin has affected and shaped it, made it into the perfect musical instrument it is.
I was especially impressed by the performance of the little boy in vienna. He is actually playing the violin- amazing!!! And the soundtrack, of course, is incredible. Joshua Bell is God.
Above all, this movie is about passion. Feelings are not just intangible wisps of nothingness that vanish as soon as they are created. They remain in the vessels that create them, and in the vessels that are affected by them. In this case, all the passion that surrounded this violin became a part of it. When one person played it, the music brought back the memories of all those who had played it before.
The story is slower than most movies today, yes. But why let that dissuade you? Why go see a movie if you aren't willing to let it take you in, absorb you, and free you from the time contraints of everyday life? The movie is made to be watched, not as an accompaniment to popcorn. Let the story be spun around you, and take things in as they come. Trust in the storyteller to unfold the events fully and satisfactorily. You have all the time in the world to watch this movie.
Finally, let the music itself envelop you. Feel the sweep of the phrases and the rich fullness in the violin's voice. Enjoy the lopsided, fun, gypsy's theme (my personal favorite), the firey passion of pope' theme, the frenzied desperateness that comes with the little boy in vienna. Take in the despair that was the cultural revolution in China, where anna's theme, full of longing and sadness, comes to its prime.
Anna knows she is going to die, hence her melancholy humming. The violin became her child, her last creation, and her voice. See this movie, and let it take you in.