Glenda da Fonseca

To my surprise, none of the several reviews I read here mentioned the China story, which catapults the viewer from Europe of the distant 17th and 18th centuries into the more recent 20th century, in the early days of the Chinese communist revolution, with the proletariat rising against western cultural decadence. The red violin, which somehow finds its way to China (did a European bring it there during the Opium Wars?). All the actors are wonderful, esp the violin player, who is made to feel shame for playing western decadent music. The plucky young woman who restores the violin to him, the kids singing in nationalistic fervor, all under the looming poster of Chairman Mao, the alleys and back streets of the Chinese town in which the action takes place are vlvividly portrayed. Special mention to the actress in the first story who plays Cesca, the sibylline old servant at the Cremona house who gravely and sorrowful predicts the grim fate that awaits each owner of the violin. And violinist Joshua Bell provides some spectacular playing on the soundtrack. I saw this film 2 nights ago at an outdoors screening at the Lincoln Center Plaza in NYC, as part of the Met Opera's annual festival of opera films, which heralds the start of the Met's new season. All in all, a wonderful film with an original concept, and one which long lingers in the mind.