Synopsis

In 1968 Prague, Costanza hears a violinist play a haunting reverse canon and learns that the instrument carries a buried history. The story moves back to prewar Czechoslovakia, following gifted violinist Jeno Varga, his friendship with David Blau, and his love for pianist Sophie Levi. Their artistic ambitions and personal loyalties are tested by class divisions, family secrets, and the approach of war.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on Paolo Maurensig's 1996 novel Canone inverso.

• Although it is an Italian production, the film was made entirely in English and filmed in Prague, helping its Central European setting retain an international atmosphere.

• Music is both the film's subject and its narrative mechanism. Ennio Morricone wrote the score and the featured Concerto Romantico Interrotto, performed within the story by piano and violin.

• The title refers to a musical canon in which a melody is imitated in reverse rather than simply repeated in the usual direction.

• The production received five David di Donatello Awards, including honors for cinematography, editing, production design, and Morricone's score. It also won three Silver Ribbon awards.

• The film's Italian end credits contain a technical error: two performers are associated with the character Karl Levi, while the character Hischbaum is omitted.

• The film was released in Italy on February 11, 2000, and later circulated under the alternate English title The Inverse Canon.