The Devil's Violinist

The Devil's Violinist follows Niccolò Paganini, the Italian violinist and composer whose extraordinary talent made him a star across early nineteenth-century Europe. By 1830 he stands at the height of his career, famous as much for his scandalous love life as for his playing, and rumoured to have traded his soul for his gift. His manager Urbani works to keep those stories alive while pushing for a London triumph. There the British impresario John Watson and his mistress stake everything on presenting him, and Paganini's performances win over the public. Hiding from his admirers, he takes refuge in Watson's house and meets the host's daughter Charlotte, a gifted singer, and the growing bond between them troubles Urbani, who begins plotting to keep his hold over his client.

Bernard Rose directed and wrote the screenplay. The film is the eleventh of the fourteen he has directed, arriving between 2 Jacks and Sx_Tape. David Garrett, a violinist himself, plays Paganini, with Jared Harris as Urbani, Joely Richardson as the journalist Ethel Langham, Andrea Deck as Charlotte Watson, Christian McKay as John Watson and Veronica Ferres as Elizabeth Wells.

The German-Italian production, made with ARD, ARTE, Construction Film and ORF, runs 122 minutes and took about 4 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6 out of 10 from around 4,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.6 from 186. A critics' rating of 5.3 from 13 reviews sits below both audience scores.