Nicolo Bussotti is a 17th century master craftsman who creates the perfect violin for his unborn child. A tarot reading given for Anna, his pregnant wife, predicts not the future of her own life, as is at first understood, but instead that of the violin in which her spirit resides. When both the child and his mother die during childbirth Bussotti is obsessively compelled to finish making the instrument.
The story begins in present-day Montréal where the violin is to be auctioned. The sale has attracted the attention of musicians and collectors worldwide, and as the bidding commences, the history of this unique instrument is gradually revealed to us. Beginning its life in Cremona, Italy in 1681, the violin travels across continents, cultures and centuries – to Vienna, Oxford, Shanghai and finally to Canada – inspiring love, passion, obsession, betrayal and sacrifice in every life it touches.
Girard's episodic technique of using different periods and cultures does not result in just a chain of separate stories, but allows for a larger frame of reference, making the film's message resonate more widely. What becomes more important is not the differences between the episodes, but the similarities, the recurring motifs and themes which bind the varying strands together. What emerges is a film about survival in adversity; it is a tribute to the universal and enduring pleasure that music provides when all around is destruction and pain. A beautifully told tale of romance, adventure and intrigue.
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