Humanities Information

The Red Violin - Film Review


The film portrays the creation, fate, and redemption of a father's legacy to his unborn child: a violin. Nicola Bussoti, a master violin craftsman, has created the "most perfect acoustic machine," in hope of his unborn son to be a great musician. Anna, Bussoti's wife, seeks knowledge about her future through an old woman, and her ability to foresee her fate with Tarot cards. The old woman makes five predictions about Anna's future: she will travel, there will be mountains and forests; there will be sickness everywhere she goes; she will meet with a man: the devil itself; and finally the rebirth: she will be desired amongst people, where her journey will come to an end. Bussoti's wife dies, taking with her their unborn child. This event will move Nicola Bussoti to finish his creation, varnishing the violin with her wife's blood.

The red violin arises as a symbol of Ana's life and the prophecies predicted by the old woman. During the first story, when the violin finds its way to the hands of a young orphan in Austria, it seems an easy assertion that the instrument will bring death or disgrace to whoever plays it. However, a more detailed interpretation of the second prophecy-sickness will go everywhere you go-and the subsequent visions, wash away this concept. The red violin is not a carrier of disgrace, but the greed and passion of its bearers.

Although confusing on the beginning, when we see Frederick Pope fall for the enchantment of the violin, it is not this last one that seals his fate. The violin does not lead him to suicide. His demise is consequence of his own acts and decisions, as well as his Chinese servant's influence. The violin will find its way to China, where it will almost be destroyed by Mao Tse Tung's cultural prosecution. It will be kept safe by Xian Pei's high school music teacher. Neither fate nor disgrace falls upon these two characters, but only the inevitable lapse of time.

The violin finally arrives to Montreal to be appraised and auctioned: "you will be desired," said the old woman to Anna, "your journey will come to an end." Charles Morritz carries the task to authenticate the violin's precedence and craftsman. Mr. Morritz will immediately sense the true value of this object.

Is the violin a symbol of Anna's life, extended through centuries, or a supernatural object carrying her fate? Are the old woman's prophecies a curse, or a vision into Anna's future? Evidently, the film transfigures Bussoti's wife and her life into the stories depicted with the red violin. The blood covering this instrument symbolizes what Anna had left to experience, and the redemption of his husband's legacy to his unborn son. Morritz (Samuel L. Jackson) rescues the violin and clearly states his intention to give it to her daughter.

Miguel P. is a college student seeking an Associates in Applied Science, currently working full time in the IT industry. He has a passion for autmobiles, specially those powered by rotary engines. You can contact Miguel or read more material at MyRotaryCar.com


MORE RESOURCES:

01/25/2025
To label or not? A choice experiment testing whether labelled green bonds matter to retail investors

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 25 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04395-w

To label or not? A choice experiment testing whether labelled green bonds matter to retail investors

more info


01/25/2025
Let’s talk about language—and its role for replicability

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 25 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04381-2

Science strives towards a credible and comprehensive understanding of the world around us. Across disciplines within the social and behavioural sciences (and beyond), limitations in the implementation of the scientific approach have been identified in recent studies, showing low replicability of many results. This is an issue for knowledge accumulation, theory-building, and evidence-based decision and policy making. Researchers have proposed several solutions to address these issues, focusing mainly on improving statistical methods, data quality, and transparency. However, relatively little attention has been paid to another key aspect that affects replicability: language. Across fields, language plays a central role in all steps of the research cycle and is a critical communication tool among researchers. Neglecting its role may reduce replicability and limit our understanding of theoretically interesting differences and similarities across languages. After identifying these challenges, we provide some recommendations and an outlook on how replicability challenges related to language may be addressed.

more info


01/25/2025
Impact of digital greening synergistic transformation on urban economic resilience in China: Evidence from quasi-natural experiments

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 25 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04358-1

Impact of digital greening synergistic transformation on urban economic resilience in China: Evidence from quasi-natural experiments

more info


01/25/2025
Bayesian neural network modelling for estimating ecological footprints and blue economy sustainability across G20 nations

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 25 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04378-x

Bayesian neural network modelling for estimating ecological footprints and blue economy sustainability across G20 nations

more info


01/25/2025
Exploring the innovation potential of urban space at the micro scale: a case study of Suzhou’s main urban area

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 25 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04385-y

Exploring the innovation potential of urban space at the micro scale: a case study of Suzhou’s main urban area

more info


01/25/2025
Self-serving regret: experimental evidence from a reciprocity game

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 25 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04314-5

Self-serving regret: experimental evidence from a reciprocity game

more info


01/24/2025
Being there but where? Sense of presence theory for virtual reality applications

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 24 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04380-3

The sense of presence—the psychological experience of “being there”—has emerged as a critical phenomenon in Virtual Reality (VR) research. While traditional approaches have predominantly focused on technological features as primary drivers of presence, this paper argues that such a view is fundamentally incomplete. We contend that presence is primarily a psychological phenomenon shaped by three critical dimensions that extend beyond mere technological sophistication: (1) the impact of content and narrative structure in virtual environments, (2) the influence of users’ individual characteristics and socio-cultural contexts, and (3) the relationship between presence and users’ intentional structures. Through a synthesis of current evidence, we demonstrate that these psychological and social factors often outweigh technical considerations in determining the quality of presence experiences. As immersive technologies become increasingly prevalent in shared environments and sensitive contexts such as education and healthcare, this more sophisticated understanding of presence becomes crucial for designing effective virtual experiences. We argue that future VR development should shift from a predominantly technology-centered approach to one that carefully considers these psychological and social dimensions to achieve intended outcomes while accounting for individual and cultural variability.

more info


01/24/2025
The impact of online customer service and store features on consumer experience and willingness to revisit their preferred online store

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 24 January 2025; doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04383-0

The impact of online customer service and store features on consumer experience and willingness to revisit their preferred online store

more info



home | site map | contact us