The bow is the Cinderella of the orchestra—the overworked and overshadowed ally to its more glamorous partners. Few people, even among lovers of classical music, think of the bow as an instrument in its own right, but players of stringed instruments see them differently. To musicians, the bow is as essential to expressing the soul of the music as the violin or cello.
The film follows the journey of the “silent servant” of the music world—from the workshops of the virtuosos of the trade, to the birthplace of the bow in France, and to Brazil, home to the imperiled tree from which the world’s finest bows are made.
THE BOWMAKERS is an artful exploration of one of the most esoteric corners of the music world—as unknown to the public as it is essential to professional musicians.
3 day rental • NR • 106 min.
“Watch these masters at work, and there’s no mistaking the intensity of the relationship between bowmaker and bow.”
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Chicago Tribune
“Anyone who loves music, who loves art, who loves craft will appreciate this lovely, illuminating film.”
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Nicholas Kazan, Screenwriter
“A remarkable film tracing the development of the bow by the few remaining masters of the art.”
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Stephen Tobolowsky, actor and writer