Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Red Violin (1998)

A review of The Red Violin by Catherine Delors. According to Madame Delors:
Taken individually, these short films, engrossing as they are, signify nothing. Together, they serve as a reminder of the passage of time, the power of music, the tenuous quality of human existence and even history. The disjointed narrative leaves us with brief, poignant images, snapshots of grief: the profile of Brother Kristof during the funeral of his former pupil Kaspar, the gaping holes of the violated tombs in the monastery’s graveyard, Ming’s frozen face when he realizes that he has betrayed his mother’s most precious and dangerous secret.
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4 comments:

Julygirl said...

This Sunday's Washington Post had an article that Hollywood studios are finding that during the past year adult-oriented films have been box offic disappointments. With the expense to make and market movies, Hollywood has gone for sure bets based on a successful book or vidio game.

Catherine Delors said...

Thanks for the link, Elena!

And Julygirl, the trend you mention is disturbing, but I would not describe this film as a Hollywood product. The director, François Girard, and most of the excellent cast, are Canadians (and the modern setting is Montreal, less expensive to shoot.)

The hopeful note, so to speak, about this is that no one needs a giant Hollywood budget to make a great film.

elena maria vidal said...

You are quite welcome, Catherine! You are quite right about the film, and I am pretty sure that Julygirl would agree with you, too!

Julygirl said...

Yes, Catherine, I absolutely agree. I was not referring to "The Red Violin" specifically. The Blog post merely brought to mind the article I had just been reading referring to excellent films that in 2009 had disappointing boxoffice returns.In fact the article went on to say that there have been many successful films made on a low budget that captured the public's attention and went on to be successful at the box office such as "Little Miss Sunshine" made several years ago. The bottom line is that the film industry has been paying exorbitant salaries to the mega stars for 'adult-oriented films' that then 'fail' at the box office in terms of bringing a return to balance the cost of production. The article cited "Julie and Julia" as one of the few 'adult oriented films' that is currently successful at the box office. It also stated that in order to get "Michael Clayton" filmed, George Clooney agreed on a smaller fee.