The Red Violin (Le Violon Rouge)

Last night I watched a movie, The Red Violin, that I had previously seen, but I did not remember the specifics; thus, I enjoyed it again as much as I did when I saw it in 1998. Wow, that was 15 years ago! It is a very special movie for those who love music and history.

Le Violin Rouge follows the story of a violin, from when it's made to it's location in the modern world, Montreal. It's a rather long story, but still very interesting. The violin was made by Nicolo Bussotti, back in the 17th century. At some point of the story it shows how much effort  Bussotti put into making this exceptional violin. This red violin became one of the finest violins ever made.

The violin then takes a journey over time and space. I don't remember the exact order of the different stories, but they are as follows: A young prodigal boy (Christoph Koncz) makes beautiful music with that violin in his hands; An expert violinist (Jason Flemyng) gives the most amazing concerts with it; It's used by a music teacher in China, and it risks being burned when it was decided they wouldn't teach violin after the Cultural Revolution; It was also also owned by Gypsies at one point. All of this happens over a 300-year period. The last story takes place in Montreal, when an expert (Samuel L. Jackson) discovers the identity of the violin, and would do anything to get his hands on it. 

I highly recommend The Red Violin.