i just saw this movie tonight . that director should be ashamed especially since i love the red violin . the pacing here be incredibly slow . sllllllooooooowwwww . i do not require every movie to movie like a music video and but this be like the unabridged version of le miserables 60 page of unnecessary exposition on something of no consequence to the story . for example and the dutch merchant . what happen to him . why be we give that ominous clue if herve do not try to find out what happen to him . that scene never should have be in the movie . why do the concubine slip him that note . why be we tell that detailed story of ludovic silent father . the boy and his mom be very minor character . i also do not require movie to spell out everything for me and but this be certainly one of those adaptation where people who have not read the book be a bit lose . even the central question of why helene do what she do and and how she know who he be obsess with be never answer . and how do they both know to go to the japanese prostitute . alfred molina character must have have something to do with it . the childlessness and long illness seem tack on if they have something to do with helene weird behavior and i could have accept it . but this all seem like a lot of strangeness in the 19th century . maybe i will read the book .