The Red Violin stunned many moviegoers and probably bored an equal number. On DVD, the movie looks gorgeous in an 1.85:1 widescreen presentation, providing fine color saturation and superb contrast. The Dolby Digital Sound is the real winner here, as
Joshua Bell's virtuoso violin playing sounds pristine, immediate, and stunning. When necessary, onscreen subtitles are easy to read, as the white text is shadowed black for extra contrast against the movie. The bonus features are fairly standard, providing adequate background information, but nothing more. "Soundtrack Presentation" is simply a 30-second sample of the film score played over images of the CD case, the symphony, and Bell. "Production Notes" extends through ten screens of fairly hyperbolic background information, detailing past and present collaborations between director/writer
François Girard and actor/writer
Don McKellar. "Cast and Filmmakers" presents brief biographies and filmographies for Girard and actors
Samuel L. Jackson,
Greta Scacchi,
Colm Feore, and
Sylvia Chang. Why McKellar wasn't included in this section is somewhat of a mystery. The "Chapter List" gives instant access to the DVD's 18 chapters through still frames and chapter titles. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide