David Swaddell The Red Violin is an absolutely wonderful historical romance adventure, following a "perfect" violin through the Centuries and through the lives of the people who come under its influence. Samuel Jackson loses the language, but not the look of a man criminally obsessed and determined to obtain Red Violin for himself and his child. The story unfolds in an assortment of non English tongues, so the dialogue is subtitled throughout. There is a great sound track that adds emotional intensity even when the action is subdued. There is just enough science in it to capture the geek, and just enough punishment of pompous conceit to satisfy one's sense of poetic justice. I love this movie.

gavin6942 A perfect red-colored violin inspires passion, making its way through three centuries over several owners and countries, eventually ending up at an auction where it may find a new owner.I know precious little about violins or about Stradivarius and why his violins are considered the best in the world. But this story is told in such a way where you need to know nothing in order to appreciate that history. Everything is laid out here and in a much grander story arc than any real violin likely ever went through.Perhaps best of all was the casting of Samuel L. Jackson. He is the only real "star" in the cast, and his character is among the most complex. Though we go through several centuries and multiple countries, Jsckson's story really ties it all together -- like the moment in "2001" where the bone becomes the satellite, Jackson is the modern day counterpart to the violin's entire history.

homespun13 I enjoyed historical movies and in general find the life of a priceless antique worth reading about (or watching). I find it amazing that we can know every owner for example of a specific pearl going back several centuries, but most folks know about their own families usually just two generations back. So I thought this movie would be one I would enjoy. I also expected to hear some beautiful violin music. Wrong on both counts. The violin's history seemed too manufactured for the film's sake, not a real logical progression from one owner to another. Some of the major changes of ownership were left to the viewer's imagination and at least in my own case, I was unable to make the leap. The change did not make sense. How did the violin get to be owned by gypsies? How did it get to China? It would have made an interesting story, but where the manufactured history is stretched way beyond anything credible, the change of ownership is simply not explained. While I liked the overall concept of following the life of an object, the music, which I expected to be a major part of this film, was beyond disappointing. I don't play the violin but I can certainly appreciate beautiful music. There was very little "music" per se in this music. The only time anything that could be called "music" was played was some Chinese children's performance and it was made by accordions. The only sounds we heard coming from this supposedly incredibly valuable violin was the endless screeching, and this in spite of the fact that its journey took us through times when some of the most heavenly music on earth had been composed. Not one piece from Mozart, or resembling Mozart's style, had been offered. Just screeching. No music of any of the music's great composers was played at any time. More screeching. The sounds this violin made could have been compared to a cat scratching on a metal roof. That bad. Wonder how many CDs with the soundtrack they managed to sell. That would tell them just how "wonderful" the soundtrack was. The soundtrack was thoroughly modern, something that may be considered all the rage today. The music was probably difficult to play, but there is no sugarcoating it - the music is nothing but screeching. No melody, no rhythm, no emotion. No sweet sounds that leave a person in awe of beauty of sound. So no music, just noise. The ending climax likewise is not really any surprise like it is supposed to be, and most certainly not a shocking surprise, because I thought "the secret" was already implied in the beginning and so it didn't seem like any kind of surprise, at least not to me. If you can stand the noise that passes for a soundtrack, this is not a bad film. It's different. It's not very entertaining, but just the fact that it doesn't follow the standard mold makes it interesting. Best film ever made (as some of the reviews here indicate)? Most definitely not. I am writing this in 2013 (saw the film for the first time yesterday) and the film is all but forgotten today, 15 years after it was made. I happened to pick up an old VHS tape in a second hand store. Otherwise, it's forgotten.

johnstonjames This film was classic movie entertainment at it's finest. Everything about this production is superb. The Academy Award winning score is hypnotic and moving. The production values are impressive, and the script is clever and involving. The secrets behind the violin are somewhat disturbing(if you haven't seen it i won't divulge) but most secrets to life's mysteries are often very strange and unusual. Trust me. I know.Have a glass of red wine and kick back and enjoy a very entertaining film about life's mysteries and learn something about the truly strange world we really live in. Not the one our rational selves believe, but the true world, the one we don't actually understand. God Bless. Good luck with your journey and the paths you take.