Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Red Violin

Play trailer Poster for The Red Violin R Released Jun 11, 1999 2h 11m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
The intricate history of a beautiful antique violin is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi) paints it with his dead wife's blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montreal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson). Over the years between, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Red Violin

The Red Violin

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A symphony of storytelling whose lulls lead to satisfying crescendos, The Red Violin weaves a centuries-long saga with the journey of a single instrument.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (41) Critics Reviews
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 19, 2002 Full Review Bob Graham San Francisco Chronicle Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review David Keyes Cinemaphile.org Like the immaculate instrument it follows, "The Red Violin" is a piece of filmmaking fully refined by the hands of someone who believed in the material, and the effect it leaves us with is one of transcendence. Rated: 3.5/4 Aug 15, 2013 Full Review Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Rated: 4/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid A surprisingly exciting and delicate epic. Rated: 3.5/4 May 26, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Leo P The last card in the deck is always the card of Death. But this time around it's upside down. The varnish on the violin is human blood, but it's the soul of it that travels through centuries making it immortal. Some things are worthless, some have great value. It's not always easy to tell which is which, though. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/24 Full Review Julian M 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩 Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/23 Full Review Glenda R My son and I don't always agree on movies. His genre is often to dark for my tastes. But his enthusiasm over this movie won me over. He and I couldn't stop talking about it! What a beautiful and mysterious ride throughout history. How could it be almost 25 years old and no one we know has seen or heard of it. We are avid movie buffs, but somehow we missed this treasure. Now we both consider it to be one of our favorite movies of all time! You must see it to appreciate it. You might even want to see it twice to really appreciate it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/16/23 Full Review Benjamin G As one professional reviewer stated, "This is filmmaking of the highest order" and I would have to agree. Each piece of art in this world has its own story that many of us will likely never know, some mundane while others full of wonder and mystery. This film does a remarkable job portraying the so-called "red violin" story that travels far and wide both in distance and time. It reveals the power of music/art's ability to connect us through culture and history. The auction serves as a focal point that helps emphasize shared appreciation across the world over relics and antiques that we hold onto dearly for value, admiration, appreciation, status, to name a few nouns. I'm personally not usually a fan of flashbacks but enjoyed how the movie weaves the story back and forth between the auction and the violin's history, allowing itself to capture various aspects of humanity from rich to poor, religious to secular, East to West, and manages to do so without an ounce of snobbery or foolishness. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review dave s The Red Violin follows the trail of a rare instrument from its creation in 17th century Italy to its sale at an auction in Montreal in the present day. Along the way, it passes through the hands of lovers, prodigies, artists, and revolutionaries, inspiring all those who touch it. From beginning to end, the story is riveting, helped along by an Oscar-winning score, beautiful cinematography and set design, and strong performances from an impressive cast, including the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Greta Scacchi, and Sandra Oh, among others. The Red Violin, as it whisks the viewer around the world and through time, never fails to entertain. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review isla s I enjoyed this in terms of being a part period drama, with a mystery element. I liked seeing how the lives of the various owners of said violin changed in time, what happened and so on. I did find it a little confusing/frustrating due to the fact it kept changing from one timeline to another, from, say, hundreds of years ago and suddenly back to the modern day (or as it was when the film was released, in the late 1990s). However, my favourite aspect to this film was the actual violin recitals played throughout - I'm not a big lover of classical music but the music was/is very good. This is an intriguing part character drama, with numerous characters depicted and also a mystery film, with some great instrumentals present. I would definitely recommend this film, yes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Red Violin

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

The Red Violin

The Red Violin: Official Clip - A Beautiful Specimen The Red Violin: Official Clip - A Beautiful Specimen 1:31 The Red Violin: Official Clip - The Perfect Marriage of Science and Beauty The Red Violin: Official Clip - The Perfect Marriage of Science and Beauty 1:26 The Red Violin: Official Clip - The Theft The Red Violin: Official Clip - The Theft 2:45 The Red Violin: Official Clip - Do You Get It? The Red Violin: Official Clip - Do You Get It? 1:02 The Red Violin: Official Clip - Pope's Concert The Red Violin: Official Clip - Pope's Concert 2:05 The Red Violin: Official Clip - The Audition The Red Violin: Official Clip - The Audition 2:21 The Red Violin: Official Clip - Our Secret The Red Violin: Official Clip - Our Secret 2:07 The Red Violin: Official Clip - You're Leaving Me The Red Violin: Official Clip - You're Leaving Me 1:54 The Red Violin: Official Clip - Gypsies The Red Violin: Official Clip - Gypsies 2:13 The Red Violin: Official Clip - This Is My Masterpiece The Red Violin: Official Clip - This Is My Masterpiece 2:10 View more videos
The War Zone 84% 83% The War Zone Watchlist The Caveman's Valentine 46% 51% The Caveman's Valentine Watchlist One Eight Seven 30% 67% One Eight Seven Watchlist Great Expectations 39% 56% Great Expectations Watchlist Besieged 76% 80% Besieged Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis The intricate history of a beautiful antique violin is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi) paints it with his dead wife's blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montreal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson). Over the years between, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.
Director
François Girard
Producer
Niv Fichman
Screenwriter
Don McKellar, François Girard
Production Co
Mikado Films
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 11, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.5M
Runtime
2h 11m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital
Most Popular at Home Now