The Red Violin 1998

The Red Violin
"What do you do when the thing you most wanted, so perfect, just comes?"
Starring:

Samuel L. Jackson
Christoph Koncz
Jean-Luc Bideau
Jason Flemyng
Carlo Cecchi
I had this movie in my queue for so long I totally forgot why I rented it. For those you who keep 50 or movies in their rental queue at all times know what I'm talking about. You place the movie in your queue and forget about it until it pops up in your mailbox.

The Red Violin stars Carlo Cecchi as Nicolo Bussotti the creator of the violin. His wife is ripe with child and he makes what is considered to be the perfect violin for his coming baby. A house servant also a fortune teller reads the wife's future and tells her of the great travels that await her after the child is born. All seems well and the future bright for the couple and child. However, tragedy strikes and he is left without child and his wife. The night his wife and child parish, he completes the violin giving it its red finish and then gives it an orphanage.

The violin is used by varies orphans for over 100 years until the time of Kaspar Weiss (Christoph Koncz) a young, very talented orphan. The monks in an effort to get the child proper training ask Georges Poussin (Jean-Luc Bideau) to tutor the boy. Poussin agrees the boy and the violin leave the orphanage. Sadly, Kaspar has a bad heart; the strain to please his teacher/father figure is too great and he dies before his playing can heard by anyone else. The monks bury the violin with the child but Poussin, in need of money breaks into the grave and take the violin to sell.

The violin travels the world with different owners mostly gypsies until it reaches England where it comes into the possession of Frederick Pope (Jason Flemyng) a highly passionate and famous violinist. From there it finds its way to China and remains there hidden because of the communist rule about foreign instruments.

After the death of its keeper the violin is taken back to modern day Montreal, where Charles Morritz (Samuel L. Jackson), discovers the truth behind the legend and the reason for the violin's unusual finish and sound. Once word gets out about The Red Violin the auction house it is commissioned to is filled with descendants and relatives of all the people the violin has come in contact with over the centuries. None of the descendants appear to be interested in playing the instrument; they simply want to have it for family reasons or to put it on display in a collection.
The movie ends with the violin continuing its journey.

Good movie if you are looking to spend an evening sitting on the couch, relaxing or if you are in the mood to be taken on a journey. I think Samuel L. Jackson was a great choice to play Charles Morritz and the role shows his varying acting range.