The Devil's Violinist (2013)

19th Century violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini incurs the wrath of his diabolical manager while preparing for his debut performance in London, and falling for the daughter of an English impresario.

Director:

Bernard Rose

Writer:

Bernard Rose

Stars:

David Garrett, Jared Harris, Joely Richardson

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
David Garrett	...	Niccolò Paganini
Jared Harris	...	Urbani
Joely Richardson	...	Ethel Langham
Christian McKay	...	John Watson
Veronica Ferres	...	Elizabeth Wells
Helmut Berger	...	Lord Burghersh
Olivia d'Abo	...	Primrose Blackstone
Andrea Deck	...	Charlotte Watson
Kristian Portz	...	Fighter
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Thomas Anton	...	Burly Man
Peter R. Bishop	...	Journalist
Peter Bosch	...	Officer
Ben Cura	...	Charlotte's Husband
Jennifer Davison	...	Antonia Bianchi
David Godden	...	Ticket Tout

Storyline

1830. Violin virtuoso and notorious womanizer Niccolò Paganini (David Garrett) is at the peak of his career, acclaimed throughout Europe. His name alone suggests countless affairs and scandals - which is exactly what his manager Urbani (Jared Harris) is doing his utmost to cultivate, for it is in his interest to market his famous client the best way possible. Only the London public has yet to be conquered. In a plan to lure Paganini to London for his British debut, English impresario John Watson (Christian McKay) and his mistress Elisabeth Wells (Veronica Ferres) risk all they own. Business-savvy Urbani ultimately manages to bring Paganini to the British capital, albeit against his will. And thanks to the rave reviews by journalist Ethel Langham (Joely Richardson), Urbani's strategy seems to be working better than he imagined. Protestors throng his hotel, causing pandemonium. Musician and manager are forced to take refuge at Watson's home, where Paganini quickly takes a liking to his ...

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Plot Keywords:

violinist | 19th century | love | london england | business manager | 

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Taglines:

Fame is desire, love is a curse

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexuality/nudity, and for drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official Website

Country:

Germany Italy

Language:

English French

Release Date:

30 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

El violinista del diablo

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summerstorm Entertainment,Dor Film Produktionsgesellschaft,Construction Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Limelight is used in several concert scenes (including showing the actual chunk of lime), but the film is set in 1830 and the first use of limelight for a performance of any kind was 1836 and for theater performance in 1837. Further, Paganini had ended his concert performances in 1834 and his lifestyle and health made it highly unlikely that he would have ever stood in the limelight before his death.

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Quotes

Niccolò Paganini: I'll tell you something about God's grace. God's grace. Your God. He has left me. He has given me a gift. And then left me in a world alone, has not understood this gift.

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Soundtracks

The Devil's Violinist
Score produced and orchestrated by Franck Van der Heijden
Conducted by Ulf Schirmer
Score performed by Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Historical Orchestra: Orchester 1756 der Salzburger Konzertgesellscaft auf historichem Instrimenatarium'
Paganini Music Arrangements by David Garrett and Franck Van der Heijden
All Songs licensed courtesy of Decca Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited.
© & (P) 2013 Decca, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited.

User Reviews

using a legend's shadow

beautiful decor and costumes, nice story and flavor of atmosphere, the old Faust pact and rock star motifs mixed . the problem is that all that pieces are not really enough. because Paganini is more than a legend and that movie use, in fact, only its shadow. because the golden images, the mixture of old and pretty ingredients who can reminds Farinelli or Amadeus are only for decoration not for be roots of an authentic , convincing story. it is a beautiful movie. but only aesthetic and , unfortunately, not at whole. and for not blame the team behind it - the honest good intentions are obvious - , it is important to choose the inspired parts - the music, the presence of Helmut Berger, the work of Jared Harris to save appearances. but , with little more courage and different angle about Paganini trajectory, it could be really an interesting movie. despite the ambition of makers, it is only a promise using the shadow of a legend.