''The Devil's Violinist'' is a 2013 film written and directed by Bernard Rose. It is based on the life story of the 19th-century Italian

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * Li ...

and composer

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; ; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices ...

. The film had its US premiere on 10 March 2014 at the Miami International Film Festival.

Plot

When he is approached by a supporter wishing to finance his musical career, Niccolo Paganini becomes attracted to the life which Urbani the promoter has come to offer him. He signs a contract to oblige him to perform as scheduled by Urbani which appears to temporarily ease his financial discomfort. Still, Paganini cannot control his lust for gambling and begins to challenge even Urbani's ability to finance him. At one gambling house, he empties his pockets from his losses and then even wagers his violin for the table stakes in a card game. The proprietor offers him the option of simply playing something on the violin for the patrons of the club in order to cover the stakes of the bet, but Paganini refuses and says "I am nobody's servant". The bet stands and Paganini ends up losing his violin. At a practice in London, Paganini borrows a violin from the first violinist in the orchestra. At a later concert, the King enters his box at the theatre and Paganini interrupts the sequence of his scheduled numbers to perform an improvised version of

God Save the King "God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" when the monarch is female) is ''de facto'' the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is one of national anthems of New Zealand, two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of the Isle ...

, to tumultuous applause. Paganini is again a success and the first violinist makes a gift of his own violin to Paganini. Meanwhile, Paganini begins to form a relationship with Charlotte, the daughter and protégé of his manager John Watson, who is an accomplished soprano. Paganini composes a duet to perform with her which is very well received and appears to push the protégé into the spotlight. When a romantic relationship springs up between Paganini and Charlotte, her very youthful appearance causes the police to take notice and Paganini is arrested for seducing a minor. Urbani rescues him again by presenting proof that Charlotte is not underage and Paganini is released. To deal with the situation of Paganini being distracted by this protégé, Urbani arranges a rendezvous between Paganini and Charlotte after one of his performances, however, he invites a courtesan to visit Paganini's dark hotel bedroom before Charlotte arrives. Paganini assumes in the darkness that it is Charlotte come to visit him and does not realize that he is sharing his bed with a courtesan. When Charlotte learns of Paganini's philandering she is livid and the chances of a relationship with Paganini become permanently tainted. Urbani's plan to alienate her affections by hiring the courtesan has succeeded. Paganini then returns to fulfilling his contract with Urbani and performing at various venues throughout Europe. Paganini's romance with his manager's protégé ends and she leaves the country. Eventually she marries and starts a family abroad. As the years pass, Paganini becomes severely ill from his years of living a prodigal life of sexual license and opium addiction and he dies of related symptoms bringing his virtuosity and career in music to an end.

Cast

David Garrett David Garrett Christian Bongartz (born 4 September 1980), known by his stage name David Garrett, is a German classical and crossover violinist and recording artist. Early life When Garrett was four years old his father purchased a violin f ...

Jared Harris Jared Francis Harris (born 24 August 1961) is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2009–2012), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seri ...

as Urbani *

Andrea Deck Andrea Deck (born February 5, 1994) is an American film, television and theater actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is best known for her voice role as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, in '' Alien: ...

as Charlotte Watson *

Joely Richardson Joely Kim Richardson (born 9 January 1965) is a British actress. She is notable for her roles as Julia McNamara in the FX drama series '' Nip/Tuck'' (2003–2010) and Katherine Parr in the Showtime series ''The Tudors'' (2010). Her credits in ...

as Ethel Langham *

Christian McKay Christian Stuart McKay (born 30 December 1973) is an English stage and screen actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film '' Me and Orson Welles'', for which he was nominated for over two dozen awards includ ...

as John Watson *

Veronica Ferres Veronica Maria Cäcilia Ferres (; born 10 June 1965) is a German actress. Her 2007 portrayal of Sara Bender in ''Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie'', based on the true story of Jutta Fleck, earned her the award for Best Actress at the ''Deutsche ...

as Elizabeth Wells *

Helmut Berger Helmut Berger (; ''né'' Steinberger; 29 May 1944 – 18 May 2023) was an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is r ...

as Lord Burghersh *

Olivia d'Abo Olivia Jane d'Abo (; born 22 January 1969) is a British actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Karen Arnold, Kevin Arnold's rebellious teenaged hippie sister in the ABC comedy-drama series ''The Wonder Years'' (1988–1993), as fema ...

as Primrose Blackstone

Production

Filming took place in Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Music

Violinist

performs many of Paganini's pieces throughout the film, including Caprice No. 24 in A minor and "

Carnival of Venice The Carnival of Venice (; ) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy, famous throughout the world for its elaborate costumes and masks. The Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday (''Martedì Grasso'' or Mardi Gras), which is the day before the star ...

". The English version of "Io Ti Penso Amore" features lead vocals by

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...

provides vocals sung in Italian in the film. The melody of the song is set to the violin introduction of the second movement, Adagio flebile con sentimento, of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 4.

Release

The film premiered on 31 October 2013 in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 27 February 2014 in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and had its US premiere on 10 March 2014 at the

Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival, formerly Miami International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida, each March. Since 2015 the festival also runs a smaller Fall Festival, known as the Miami Film Festival GEMS, which presents ...

Reception

Simon Abrams writing on

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

opens his review of the film by saying "While ''The Devil's Violinist,'' an arresting biopic about inspired/possessed violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini, ends on a sour note, it's also beautiful and thoughtful."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devils Violinist, The 2013 films English-language German films 2013 biographical drama films 2010s musical drama films American biographical drama films American musical drama films Biographical films about musicians British biographical drama films British musical drama films Films directed by Bernard Rose (director) Films about classical music and musicians Films about violins and violinists Films set in the 19th century Musical films based on actual events Cultural depictions of Niccolò Paganini Films with screenplays by Bernard Rose (director) 2013 drama films Films about composers 2010s American films 2010s British films English-language biographical drama films 2013 musical films