Red Violin With Such Disjointed Stories, One

Red Violin

With such disjointed stories, one would think that Francois Girard's The Red Violin (1998) would not coalesce to form one single story about the film's main character: the red violin itself. But the magic of the red violin came through in this film, because this item itself tied all of the stories together, forming a powerful connection that has spanned not only countries and cultures, but also time. Through the storytelling, the vivid scenic time periods, and -- most importantly -- the music, Girard's movie created such vivid depictions of a journey that's got even Roger Ebert proclaiming the movie's beauty and "perfection" (Ebert, Roger).

The storytelling of The Red Violin mixed the past and present time periods. In the present time period, the story follows Charles Morritz (Samuel L. Jackson) and his experience with discovering the past and the authenticity of what could possibly be Nicolo Bussotti's final violin. In Montreal, he witnesses the group of potential buyers who have, in some form or other, a reason for purchasing such an artifact. Simultaneously happening is a view of the beginnings of the red violin in question: at the home of Nicolo Bussetti himself, in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th century (Grove, Jeff). This Bussetti scene is poignant, because the story really does encompass Anna's journey, proved vicariously possible through the journey of the violin. During a tarot card reading, chronological scenarios begin to play, those corresponding to the cards drawn from the deck. Here, the storytelling takes the audience to a series of segments, all of which take place at a different time period, with varied characters.

There is no discussion of The Red Violin that could be complete without speaking of the time periods and the scenery. Not only does the movie take the viewer to Italy and Canada, the film also shot directly at Vienna, the United Kingdom, and Shanghai (Grove, Jeff). The viewers watched as, 100 years after the violin's conception, the violin made its way to a child prodigy Vienna; in Vienna, the film sought to showcase the musical capital and the emotional connection between the player and the owner. Another century later, the violin makes its way to Oxford, London, where the aristocratic owner sought inspiration through carnal desires -- not an uncommon pastime during the Victorian era. And lastly, the violin winds its way in experiencing the 1960's Cultural Revolution in Shanghai, which was so riveting to film that "hundreds of armed policemen [sealed] off the streets" during the film's scheduled shooting in Shanghai (Johnson, Brian).

Through this entire adventure, it was the music that gave a vivid connection between the different storylines. Composer John Corigliano successfully reflected the "musical sensibilities of [the] different time periods" in the film (Grove, Jeff). In each time period, the viewers and listeners were treated to musical variations of the Red Violin etude, one that transported the audience to that particular time period, without losing the theme's overall sound. With the large undertaking that encompassed different characters, cultures, and time periods, the music was an essential bridge between the scenes.