Canadian Film Forum

carmela

(FOR LIDIA)

THE RED VIOLIN (Le violin rouge)

“The Red Violin” is a fabulous movie, written by François Girard and Don McKellar, and directed by the same François Girard. It is a hibrid co-production between companies from Canada, Italy and United Kingdom.
This drama has a cosmopolitan content because of the fact that languages as : Italian, German, Mandarin and French are spoken among the violin journey. Maybe, because of the fact that music has no boundaries, the writers included so many languages in the same movie.
“The Red Violin” is a passionate movie, which has as a main character an dispozitiv not a human, the violin has a mysterious influence on each of it s owners. Moreover, the violin from the “Golden Age” seem to be animated and will have an adventurous life, because it has “ Lazaru’s soul”.
In addition, the story itself has a intriguing plot built after the tip of Russian dolls, because is takes place different places around the world: Cremona, Vienna, Oxford, Shanghai and Montreal. The action starts in Canada and will be the “framing device”, where Charles Morritz will discover the violin hidden identity. The movie has a puzzle structure not all the stories being told in the chronological order.
In 1681, in Cremona city, Nicolo Bussotti, a violin maker, who is a demanding master used to destroy the violins made by his workers, that were not whorthy “to bear his signature”. He shows great affection to his wife, Anna Rudolfi, who is pregnant with their first child. For his child he craves his masterpiece, a marvelous violin that will bring good fortune in the family: “ the violin will bring us the pride and beauty to the world”. His wife, continues to be worried about the future birth and despite encouragements of Nicolo, who is a wealthy man and can provide her all that is required, she continues to be worried. Tormented by anguish she decides to go at some woman, a servant of them who can predict the future, because she wants to find the future of her baby. The woman says she can’t predict the future of an unborn child, but she can do something else, and she tells Anna to pick five cards.
Finally, the violin will be have another home and a different owner so that ‘the red violin “ will not stay long in the Bussotti family.
In 1793, the new home of “the red violin”, will be given to a German orphanage, placed in a wild area near snowy mountains. Here a wonderful children orchestra performs.”The red violin” will become the best friend of little Kaspar Weiss, who puzzles all monks with his virtuosity. Due his gift, the monks ask a certain Poussin to guide and teach the miracle orphan. Poussin will bring the child to “magnificent Vienna” and will try to change the child nature into what he thinks he should be: a celebrity. He even tries to estrange the child from his violin. The child, of course with his sensitive and estranged heart will fail in which regards some of his tasks.
In 1890’s the violin will be own by some gypsies and entertain their community, until a famous musician from Oxford become it’s new owner. The new possessor, a noble man has a very bizarre approach to music, seeking inspiration through hedonistic pleasures like: opium and sexual relations. Because of love affaires he will cannot play the violin and his Chinesse servant will sell the violin in Shanghai for a modest sum. Later on, the same violin now become the legendary red violin ,will be required for a fabulous sum.
In 1960’s in Shanghai the legendary violin will be under serious threat due to the Communist policy. Despite the danger, the violin will be safe and hide by a music teacher in his house. Finally the “guilty violin” will be discovered and due Mao Zedong policy, the violin will be sent in Montreal.
In 1997 at Montreal “the red violin” will become a possession of Duval auction house. Here Morritz will confirm it’s true identity and will fulfill his purpose :’’The ultimate thing…the divin marriage of science and beauty”. He is both thrilled and disoriented :“What you do when the thing you most wanted, so perfect just comes”.
Anyway at the auction house the violin will be claimed by several wealthy persons: the monks from Austria, a musician and a Chinese couple. But none of them will become it’s owner.

carmela · Trimis: 23/02/2012 19:30 Titlul subiectului:

[Lidia's sequence]

I choose to debate the sequence that presents Charles Morritz talking on the phone in his office. The actor is filmed with the,, medium close-up shot” and the mimic of his face is visible, but is not very expressive, because he is under pressure. He expects the results from University of Montreal, that will confirm his theory: the violin who were making tests on is his beloved,, red violin”. After that it comes a shot, in which the camera seem to be positioned inside the violin` s body, as a result the room is seen through a violin frame. All the screen is negru , only through the middle part of the violin`s body it can seen a gate, than a someone opens the gate and we can see half part of a man `s body and in the end the light turns on and Charles Morritz full body can be clearly distinguished , framed in the violin.