Review on Vanessa-Mae's silent movei 'The Violin Fantasy'

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In review: Vanessa-Mae's silent movie

'The Violin Fantasy'

Introduction and general description
In the autumn of 1998, Vanessa-Mae created a silent movie - a movie without speech - under the title The Violin Fantasy in which she acted the leading role. The movie was produced by David Wickes Films and directed by John Davies. The script of the movie was not officially credited for, not in the end title, not in the booklet of the Asian release of the Original Four Seasons cd that hold the movie on the bonus vcd, and not in the Original Four Season Tour book either. The fact that no official credits were made, might indicate that Vanessa-Mae herself wrote the script, perhaps together with her mother Pamela Nicholson. However because of a lack of confirmation, we decided to make no assignment on this.

The Violin Fantasy is a 10 minute movie without speech in the form a musical fairy tale and it expresses drama without words in a very fine and artistic way. The movie provides pleasant watching and is worth looking at, of course especially for fans of Vanessa-Mae but without doubt for many others as well. The movie was produced in just under 8 weeks. In the movie, Vanessa-Mae used a spectacular diamond tiara created by Asprey & Garrard worth over £ 125,000. Also spectacular is the full length evening dress which progressed in colour from midnight blue to white under influence of the lightning that Vanessa-Mae used. She also wore this particular dress in the video clip for the Devils Trill single and during her Original Four Season Tour.

The Violin Fantasy was shown in cinema theatres in the UK as part of the Walt Disney animated movie Mulan for which Vanessa-Mae created the a violin version of Reflection as special arrangement of the Mathew Wilder song.

Personal Violin Fantasy experience: the extras
The final scenes of the movie were filmed in a venue of the Brixton Academy in London. A group of fans were selected to act as audience in a scene when Vanessa-Mae performs with the Laureate orchestra. To read the story of one of these fans, go to a personal Violin Fantasy experience. We quote form this story as follows:

'What a wonderful day! And what a rare opportunity, a chance to see The Violin Beauty at work. Wearing a beautiful long turquoise dress, with silver and gold embroidery, she looked like a Goddess on the stage of the ancient Greek-Roman temple scenery; so characteristic for the interior of the Brixton Academy. Surrounded by musicians, cameramen, a visagist, a stand-in, sound and light technicians and a skilled director,
Vanessa played the Largo of the Concerto No.4 in F minor 'L'inverno' (the winter theme) from Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
The storyline was filmed from several directions, including a close-up of Vanessa.'

The music in the movie
The music in this silent movie serves the role of the dialogue that normally evokes emotions between human individuals. Since there is no speech, the movie heavily relies on the music to create mood, evoke and reinforce the emotions of physical body language and the facial expressions of the actors. The music used in the movie is the Allegro and La Caccia from Winter (1st and 3rd movement) of Vanessa-Mae's rendition The Original Four Seasons that is based on Vivaldi's famous work The Four Seasons, and the Devil's Trill. During the scene that she is practising, Vanessa-Mae played part of the 3rd part of Tartini's Devils Trill Sonata.

Description of the contents and story timeline
The storyline of the film that lasts about 10 minutes is a kind of musical fairy tale set in a concert hall and in a winter landscape of ice and snow with reflecting lights to create a kaleidoscopic experience full of drama. The film and the fairy tale can be divided into 3 parts, or chapters so to speak. In the first part the violinist, Vanessa-Mae, as character in introduced. during the second part, she is seduced by an unknown man; or is this just a dream. during the third party, the violinist, awakes. The question remains: did she dream or was it reality.

Chapter 1: introducing the violinist, Vanessa-Mae
The movie starts with the opening titles and credits for David Wickes Films for the production - captures 1 and 2. Then Vanessa-Mae's ands appear tuning her bow and violin - captures 3 and 4. She is shown in close-up - captures 4 to 7 - and then the camera zooms out to show the stage with Vanessa-Mae in exercise outfit doing her rehearsal accompanied by the Laureate orchestra conducted by her long time collaborator Vasko Vassilev - captures 9 and 10 - playing the first part of Winter of Vivaldi's Four Season in her own Original arrangement. The rehearsal comes to an end and the members of the orchestra pack their instruments to leave the stage, but Vanessa-Mae makes no move to join them in this, in fact she remains concentrated and continues to practice solo by playing parts of the third movement of Tartini's Devil's Trill sonata - capture 11 to 13.


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Chapter 2: seducing the violinist, Vanessa-Mae
Once all the members of the orchestra have left the stage, Vanessa-Mae remains practicing Tartini's music . However, suddenly, Vanessa-Mae observes an unknown strange man sitting somewhere in the middle of the hall - capture 14. She stares in an attempt to recognise the man, but he remains in the dark about his whereabouts - capture 15. At that moment, the man holds up a violin to show to Vanessa-Mae, and she glances to understand the meaning - capture 15 and 16. Suddenly, the violin is under ice and storming wind starts to blow through the hall and blows away the music scores left by the orchestra - captures 17 to 19. Then all at once, Vanessa-Mae finds herself in a landscape of ice pillars and snow, dressed beautifully in a luxury long silver blue evening gown, wearing a diamond tiara and being heavily made up. She and the man engage passionately in an electrifying dance as two lovers - captures 20 to 23 - on the music of The Devils Trill. Then, when the music comes to rest, the man holds Vanessa-Mae and looks at her, caresses her face that is obviously covered with heavy make-up - captures 24 and 25. Then finally, Vanessa-Mae is shown lying on a bed sleeping and just waking up - capture 26.


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Towards the end of the dance, Vanessa-Mae's face is shown in close-up, her visage filling the screen from left eye corner to right eye corner, showing the heavy eye make-up of intense definition with dark line and mascara, bright blue shadow that fills up to the perfectly shaped black accentuated brows - capture 27. Then to illustrate and emphasise the electrifying passion that exists between Vanessa-Mae and the man, Vanessa-Mae's image fade to light up the image of the man in an equal close-up - captures 28 to 31. This nice trick effectively conveys the emotional power the man possesses over Vanessa-Mae in the movie.


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Chapter 3: the violinist, awakes. The question remains: did she dream or was it reality
Vanessa-Mae awakes as she is lying on a bed, her head resting on a light red cushion; the dreaming expression in her eyes suggests that she is wondering: 'what have I been dreaming of' - capture 32 and 33. What has caused me to wake up, she wonders: then the zoom tone attracts her attention to the monitor that reminds her for the 'last minute call' - capture 34. that She walks towards the dressing table and puts an extra ribbon in her hair - capture 35. Vanessa-Mae then goes to the table where her violin is lying and she notes that her precious instrument is covered with ice flakes; her hands and fingers affectionately caress the body of the instrument - captures 36 and 37. Vanessa-Mae then suddenly realises that it is almost time to come on stage and she glances at her mirror image to quickly check her make-up that she has on for full covering face wear. Vanessa-Mae brushes with her finger over the bright blue shadow that fills the space between her eyes and brow enhance fading effects of the colour - captures 38 to 41. She then hurries towards the stage, meeting Vasko Vassilev who is waiting for her and anxiously wondering why she is so late - captures 42 and 43. Vanessa-Mae comes on stage and smiling accepts the ovation of the audience - captures 44 to 46. Vanessa-Mae then stats to play the 3rd movement of Winter concert of the Four Season in her own Original arrangement; Vasko Vassilev glances a few times at her, still wondering what had happen that caused Vanessa-Mae to appear on stage so late - captures 47 and 48. The expression and hidden smile on Vanessa-Mae's face suggests that she is enjoying a private joke, no doubt related to the mysterious dream she had just minutes before and about which she still guessing the meaning - captures 49 to 51. The close-ups of Vanessa-Mae face clearly show that she is indeed very heavily made up - captures 53 to 57. Then towards the end of the concert, a man enters the venue on the balcony, it happens to be the man she saw in her dream - captures 58 to 62. This leaves Vanessa-Mae wondering: was this romantic encounter in a passionate dance just a dream, or was it for real? - capture 63. Finally, the credit titles end the Violin Fantasy.


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