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How others will see it. An entertaining, briskly paced movie with handsome sets and costumes and ample drama. A large majority of viewers will enjoy the film, and not care about its minor excesses.
How I felt about it. It's a good movie, nearly a very good movie. It has broad appeal, it moves quickly, the characters are distinctive, the sets and costumes are colorful and demonstrate great care on the part of the producer and director. It's a film to be proud of, if not to celebrate.
It is worth noting, however, that the television movie guide I use only gave this lauded film a stingy 2 and a half stars out of 4. Some underpaid, overworked film critic buckled popular sentiment and applied a strict grade. Why?
Well, the film is overdone at times. The nervous, obsessive character bent on owning the red violin doesn't make it to the auction until it is up for bid. How dramatic!
Then there's the tragic deaths, of which there are many, apparently associated with the violin's curse. The silliness of certain sex scenes involving a genius playing a violin while being groped by his successful author lover should make even fans of the movie roll their eyes, if not turn red from embarrassment.
It does seem difficult to believe that a violin used on a daily basis by a mission, a child prodigy, a band of gypsies, et cetera, over the course of centuries, would last in any condition, and would retain much of its original blood-red finish.
Samuel L. Jackson steals the red violin by switching it with an inferior copy. Is the audience supposed to celebrate this act? Well, perhaps the curse will strike again.
Picking this high quality film still further apart, why would Cesca tell the fortune of the red violin, instead of the wife and unborn child? She's not giving birth to a violin. I guess this falls into the category of 'otherwise there wouldn't be a story,' long trotted out to explain plot problems.
Still, what a charmer this film is. Surely, you were surprised when the child prodigy drops dead, when it is revealed that the violin was buried with the child, when a violin (the violin?) is thrown into the fire. Did I give anything away? Nope, because you've seen the movie.