written 7.18.99
You'll enjoy this if you liked:
Amadeus, Shakespeare in Love
WINNER 8 Genie Awards (Canada):
Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction/Production Design, Costume Design, Original Score, Editing, Sound
NOMINATED Golden Globe - Best Foreign Film
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2 hr 11 min. Odeon Films, dist. Lions Gate Pictures |
"The Red Violin" (Le Violon Rouge) tells the story of an enigmatic reddish violin as a modern-day art historian works
to uncover its identity while the odyssey of the unusual instrument is revealed to the audience. François Girard and co-writer Don McKellar (whose compelling "Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" received critical acclaim)
once again deliver a movie dealing with pursuit of perfection under the spell of music. This time, love rather than accomplishment drives the players. The film recalls "The Maltese Falcon" in the central object's strange ability to captivate those who come in contact with it, and several mysterious elements in its creation and ultimate disposition.
Screenplay
gracefully flits across 300 years to follow the journey of the violin, the masterpiece of a violin maker modeled on Stradivarius and other geniuses. Clever use of auction scenes showed again and again from slightly different times and vantage points
(a technique used with great success in Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown")
allows the film to gracefully slip back and forth in time until we have the full history of the resilient and lucky instrument. "The Red Violin" reveals its secrets gradually, making the film an interesting mix of historical costume drama, heated romance and modern whodunit. Best surprise comes when we realize fortuneteller's predictions commingle the violin maker's wife with his masterpiece. Gee, wow!!
That is the magic of movies.
Girard keeps the story moving, using Charles Morritz (Samuel Jackson)
the historian authenticating instruments for auction in Montreal, to keep continuity. Jackson delivers a good performance as Morritz, unexpectedly enchanted by the battered violin with a nonexistent pedigree and moved to rapture by its voice. The movie reveals the historical sequences as Morritz investigates, showing us the human drama as he uncovers facts. Girard does a fine job using local scenery (particularly German countryside and Italian color) to place scenes firmly in their respective countries.
Exquisite lighting and
production design changes from sequence to sequence, giving Italian and Austrian scenes a painterly, formal composition referencing vanitas,
portraits and landscape compositions popular in that time period. Modern-day Montreal scenes have technology shots (looking up from inside the violin, jittery and rapid movements, a quickly cut
action scene) and chilly blue cast, separating different time periods by overall look as well as costuming and surroundings.
The film wisely changes its style and speed throughout. Italian
sequences are slowest, lovingly composed with rich textures and dramatic lighting. English scenes taking place in the 1800s are filled with the hothouse hodgepodge of objects and styles associated with
that time period. The Chinese scenes set in Shanghai during Mao Tse-Tung's triumph are gripping. The violin's fate is decided by a brave Communist party member as examples of Western corruption
(including musical instruments) are destroyed willy-nilly during the Cultural Revolution. This sequence is the strongest as drama and solidly played, especially by Sylvia Chang as the gutsy Xiang Pei,
who jeopardizes her safety to save a friend and the violin. Chang is terrific as the defiant, wistful Pei. Her sadness and determination are poignant and powerful, especially when she asks
her son to keep a secret and as she tries to escape detection while she races to find a safe haven for the banned instrument. The Shanghai sequence is easily the strongest in the film, followed by the
end of the Montreal auction scenes -- keep your eye on the tag, and on co-writer McKellar as a pivotal character.
Creepy Austrian scenes done in porcelain, pastel colors of icy blue and white tell the
story of French composer Poussin, desperately hinging his fortunes on the uncanny skills of the orphan prodigy Kasper Weiss (10-year-old real-life prodigy Christoph Koncz, in a very good performance) whose
feelings for the Red Violin are tied to his own life. This sequence comes to a shocking end in front of a decadent ruler whose long nails, black garb and wild eyes are straight from classic German
vampire film "Nosferatu." The English scenes are erotic and gorgeous in the style of "Dangerous Liaisons" as the violin becomes the focus for dangerous passion and jealousy between sensual novelist
Victoria Byrd (Greta Scacchi
from "The Player" and "Jefferson In Love") and her lover Lord Frederick Pope (Jason Flemyng from "Rob Roy").
Pay attention to costumes and
color in this film. Scacchi's appearance in head-to-toe red (superb costume design by Renée April) adds to the flair of a big emotional scene, with her red figure fleeing down a white gravel road like a drop of blood on flesh. Lighting work is carefully thought out and
bolsters nicely composed shots (production team does terrific work with historical accuracy and authentic look). Enormous amount of costumes in this film, and none strike a false note. They run
from the billowing white gowns in 1600s Italy, to 1800s England opulent silk robes, to starchy Red Army uniforms, to Morritz's understated and elegant ensembles. John Corigliano's score
is the most compelling soundtrack since the sweeping romanticism of "The English Patient." The music, like the film, is haunting, emotional and wistful and sure to be a big seller. Violinist Joshua Bell performed selections from the score in New York City, to glowing reviews.
Ambitious and sprawling, "Red Violin" is a joint Italian/Canadian production filmed in Austria, Italy, England, China and Canada with speaking parts in five languages, financed by British, Austrian,
Canadian, Italian and American funds. It borrows and references from many films, particularly "Red" (the metaphysical link between violin and its maker's wife) and "Amadeus" (integral use of music and
visuals to tell a story by slowly revealing secrets).
Girard has a good eye for the visual element, which sometimes lapses into pretty for the sake of pretty, but he never loses sight of the
narrative. Very, very good job keeping essential tension in a film that skips about so much and uses so many characters. It's always a relief when a director understands how to use the visual to
communicate information enabling the story to fluidly traverse nationality and time with ease. This is well demonstrated as the same window view of German mountains, used as a linking device as the
story jumps back and forth from the 1700s to the present day. Smart decision to use quick pacing and leaps back and forth in time keeps the film's epic style -- rarely seen nowadays -- from falling
into art-house languor. Screenplay keeps the focus squarely on the violin, making us as interested as Morritz in seeing whom among the numerous bidders will finally possess it. And what a
surprise to find out who finally takes the violin home! I won't give it away, but suffice to say, the violin created out of love finds a worthy owner. "The Red Violin" should receive an Oscar nod
for Best Foreign Film.
Wildly romantic, compelling and always entertaining, "The Red Violin" is another intelligent and very well done film from Girard. Highly recommended, a must-see for fans
of "Amadeus." Won't lose much on the small screen.
Art tidbit: the poster image of the woman's back as violin is lifted from a famous
photograph by 1920's surrealist Man Ray. |
