Overview
A haunting journey through time, revealing the secrets of a legendary violin.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- ambitious
- romantic
- reflective evening
- classical music night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's ambition, elegant visual sweep, and especially John Corigliano's score, while finding its episodic storytelling uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The red violin remains the connective focus as its ownership and meaning change across centuries and continents.
The violin's sound, craftsmanship, and influence shape the lives of its makers, performers, collectors, and listeners.
The narrative moves from seventeenth-century Italy through Austria, Oxford, Cultural Revolution China, and modern Montreal.
Charles Morritz studies the violin during a Montreal auction while trying to establish its identity and secrets.
Films like The Red Violin, and why
Cloud Atlas
centuries-spanning historical drama structured through linked stories and recurring objects
The Piano
music-centered mystery with romantic, melancholic atmosphere and an enigmatic central artifact
The Best Offer
artistic historical drama using a prized object to connect ambition, obsession, and human relationships
Orlando
ambitious period-spanning mystery with lush visual design and emotionally charged storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- François Girard
- Release Date
- 1998-11-13
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (463)
Cast
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Carlo Cecchi
- Irene Grazioli
- Anita Laurenzi
- Tommaso Puntelli
- Aldo Brugnini
- Samuele Amighetti
- Jean-Luc Bideau
- Christoph Koncz
- Clotilde Mollet
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Red Violin about?
- A legendary violin links artists, collectors, and lost passions across three centuries of upheaval and desire.
- What is The Red Violin like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Red Violin as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Red Violin violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Red Violin as mild.
- What did critics think of The Red Violin?
- Critics broadly admired the film's ambition, elegant visual sweep, and especially John Corigliano's score, while finding its episodic storytelling uneven.
- Which films are like The Red Violin?
- Films with a similar feel include Cloud Atlas, The Piano, The Best Offer, and Orlando.
- How long is The Red Violin?
- The Red Violin runs 130 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Red Violin?
- In United States, The Red Violin streams on Starz Apple TV channel.
