Immortal Beloved Movie
Storyline
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The genius behind the music. The madness behind the man. The untold love story of Ludwig von Beethoven.
Ludwig van Beethoven dies and his assistant/friend Schindler proceeds to deal with his affairs (last will and testament). There is a question as to who really is his "immortal beloved", and so tries to find out who this might be.
| Gary Oldman | Ludwig van Beethoven |
| Jeroen Krabbé | Anton Felix Schindler |
| Isabella Rossellini | Anna Marie Erdödy |
| Johanna ter Steege | Johanna Reiss |
| Marco Hofschneider | Karl van Beethoven |
| Miriam Margolyes | Nanette Streicherová |
| Barry Humphries | Clemens Metternich |
| Valeria Golino | Giulietta Guicciardi |
| Gerard Horan | Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven |
| Christopher Fulford | Kaspar Anton Carl van Beethoven |
| Alexandra Pigg | Therese Obermayer |
| Luigi Diberti | Franz Josef Guicciardi |
| Michael Culkin | Jakob Hotscevar |
| Donal Gibson | Karl Holz |
| Matthew North | Young Karl van Beethoven |
| Bernard Rose |
7.10 out of 10 (7622 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Isabella & Valeria Held My Interest
posted on 19 Jul 2009Very Disappointing movie. I felt like Bernard Rose was trying to match the Amadeus production. I think the only problem here was the budget. The movie had the right idea in the storyline - but I felt the movie was rushed and most of the acting sub-standard. My biggest disappointment was that it didn't really cover Beethovens life, it only covered snippets of it. As my title says Isabella & Valeria Held My Interest - that is off course Isabella Rossellini and Valeria Golino who seemed to spark up the screen and generate more interest when they were on. Gary Oldman was adequate, but I felt the script was mostly to blame for his performance. The movie needed to be more developed and longer to show its true potential.
mysterious Beethoven biopic
posted on 26 May 2009Bernard Rose's superior film about the life of Ludwig van Beethoven takes as its central premise a mention in the composer's will of an 'immortal beloved', identity unknown. So far, so intriguing.With the casting of versatile British actor Gary Oldman as Beethoven, there was potential for a lot of depth of character (which we get, as the passage of time convinces throughout as Beethoven moves from skirt-chasing youth to crabby and deaf old age).Also impressive within the cast are Jeroen Krabbé as Schindler, Johanna ter Steege as Johanna Reiss, and Isabella Rossellini as Anna Marie Erdody. What could have been a stodgy film is buoyed up greatly by their presence, but it is the central performance of Oldman which counts (he really is a peerless performer of real-life characters - Sid Vicious, Joe Orton, Lee Harvey Oswald ...).My only gripe would be that the music is sometimes given short shrift, but when it is there, it is wonderful. You get the emotional impact in the snatches of sonatas, symphonies and concertos you hear - but it would have been nice to acknowledge that the film was about a creative artist and musician and let us hear a bit more of his work!
Underrated-Realistic Movie & Unbelievable Performance by Gary Oldman
posted on 20 May 2009Oh! .. isn't a joy to listen to these wonderful symphonies of Beethoven !! What if you have a chance to see how was his life .. Beethoven is a very controversial man .. he was known of his bad manners and for being ignorant haughty man .. the amazing thing about Beethoven that he accomplished his best musical achievement while he was depth which was something miraculous somehow.Gary Oldman is not that good actor and not that bad actor either but sometimes he amazes me with powerful performances like his performance in "Leon" .. I believe he did his best playing Beethoven .. he totally conquers Beethoven like if he was born to play him.The movie was so realistic and didn't risk its realism to compliment Beethoven. The movie isn't enough to know everything about Beethoven's life but his fans will have some kind of satisfaction in it .. it shows a glimpse about one of most controversial geniuses in the last five centuries (at least) .. the music is absolutely very good .. everything was good, nothing that special though but the important thing that it was generally good and did pay off at the end .. it is not a perfect movie but I prefer it to "Amadeus" which was overrated in my opinion.
A movie about my favorite one of my composer! A theme very dear to my own heart!
posted on 21 Mar 2009I really enjoyed the way the story was told. Starting with Beethoven's will being probated the executor had to find out who was the immortal beloved. Very solid story telling. I play the piano and I love to play Beethoven. One of the reasons I do is because unlike Mozart's work few can tell when you make a mistake, the audience immediately cannot hear the mistake. With Bach's and Mozart's music, if you make a mistake is easily identifiable, but
Beethoven's work is so full of dissonant cords that I know when I make a mistake, and perhaps musicians that are familiar with his work do, or perhaps critics (frustrated musicians) would know, but the average audience would not know. The level of difficulty is high, and that intricate work makes want to make sense out of it and keep going. Perhaps that is parallel to his own life that had more discords than accords. I don't want to give the movie away except to say that Gary Oldman (JFK) is fantastic playing
"Ludwig van Beethoven." Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet) is perfect for the part of "Anna Marie Erdody" because of her European flair, and her parents that we all respect a lot. At least I do.
Beethoven's life had a lot of sadness and anger to it, on top of it all he became deaf, and still did the 5th Symphony. The theme of the movie is from one of my favorites pieces, Sonata Pathetique, op.13, the Adagio cantabile,
The more I play it the more I understand the nuances, Beethoven himself said: " music carries one directly to the mental state of the composer."
It is like understanding his soul. I find it amazing, the more of
Beethoven I play the more I feel that I understand his soul, his pain, suffering, his anger and also his few moments of joy. I believe were those moments that he wrote his music.
Favorite Scenes: When ‘Anna Marie Erdody" joins Jeroen Krabbé (The Fugitive) "Anton Felix Schindler " to search for the immortal beloved. Through out the whole movie the audience has no idea of who the immortal beloved was. Favorite quote: Ludwig van Beethoven: "It is the power of music to carry one
directly into the mental state of the composer."This is an excellent movie which I highly recommend!
Another diamond mistaken for cubic zirconium (by the "experts")
posted on 01 Feb 2009For those of you who have indicated that the critics did not like this movie, I have the equivalent of Assimov's 3 laws of robotics. I call them the 3 laws of movie critics.Law #1- Those who can act , act. Those who can't, become criticsLaw #2- An actor-cum-critic's dislike for a film or performance is directly proportional to the quality of the performance. Law #3- A film is truly bad only, and only if YOU don't like it.Now that we settled that little issue, this movie is in my obnoxiously humble opinion, FAAAAABULOUS.WARNING; MAJOR PLOT SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPHOf course the nephew comes into the picture forcefully. Anyone with cranial activity during the movie would have picked up on the fact that he was his son, making his struggle all the more ironic and heartbreaking.But this film, like its kindred, Amadeus, is about the music. How a desperate soul finds expression and relief for its pain not in "tagging" buildings, or raping and pillaging, but in creating some of the most moving music we have ever heard.Anyone with a pulse above cryogenic storage speed will be moved by this film and its message of hope and redemption, because in the end, all human struggles, trials and tribulations boil down to that, redemption. Have we left a good memorable mark on the world?
Oldman shines, movie doesn't
posted on 27 Nov 2008While Oldman's performance is interesting and enjoyable if not great to watch as the composer Beethoven (he even looks like him), the rest of the film falls flat in showing the relationships between the other characters/people in his life.We get no sense of why he is the way is, and everyone else in the film is a mystery. It starts off interestingly enough by creating a mystery, but then gets side tracked in showing his life, and then comes back with the solution when by that time in the film it's no surprise and a big non-event.There's also a pointless corelation showing how he was an abused child. So is that what made him a recluse? a jerk? a great composer? what? In the end it's distracting and adds nothing to the film.Good work by Oldman, enjoyable music, bad storytelling.Rating 5 out of 10.
A note for UK DVD owners
posted on 04 Sep 2008If you live in the UK and are desperate to see this film in all its glory on DVD then follow Amazons link to their German site. Everything apart from the sleeve and the notes inside are in English. The film, menus and special features all default to English language. Why isn't this sold in the UK!?!?!? And the film....? Excellent!!! Thoroughly enjoyable with great performances by all the cast.
Music, Love, Tragedy, and fin.....
posted on 26 Aug 2008One of the greatest musician Beethoven's death. And the will that his all property will be "Immortal Beloved's". His pupil, Schindler, decided to find out the girl. And the girl is....In my life, there were two were three classical movie made me impressed. This movie is the one of them. The most important point in this movie is that it is not for Beethoven's life, but it is for his humanity, and his sorrow for his music and tragical love for immortal beloved. His decision that makes his son(But, the son knows Beethoven as a uncle) great musician got failed and His love always have ended sad. As his life was cruel and sad, his lovers got suffered. Unfortunately, their after life becomes remain their pains.Actually, this movie isn't real, but Beethoven's pupil didn't find the girl after all. As a result, this movie feels more sorry about Beethoven. His life was an ironic itself before he died; the comedy is over....
Did they lose their history books?
posted on 14 Aug 2008When I first saw "Immortal Beloved," I enjoyed it immensely. Gary Oldham played Beethoven wonderfully, gave the character depth and inspired plenty of emotion in me. I loved how the music was used, too.However, this movie is a little like "Braveheart" -- I lost a little respect for it later when I read the real story and saw how historically inaccurate it was. Still, it's a wonderful movie, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves period pieces. But if you're looking for the final word on Beethoven, go read a book.
Beethoven--A True Hero
posted on 05 Aug 2008What is a hero anyway? Nothing more than an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. These people are usually rugged individualists. They are also people who overcome overwhelming odds to accomplish great things. And this was Beethoven. He refused to be shackled by the confines of society and was an independent thinker. He also wrote one of the greatest musical compositions in history without having heard a note of it. He may not have been a cowboy, or a soldier, or a great politician (is that a contradiction in terms?). He wasn't even a policeman or a fire fighter. But in every sense of the word, Beethoven was a hero, and, if nothing else, this movie got that part right. 8 out of 10. Great music, great man. Minus two points for historical accuracy.
To hear Beethoven's music with a new awareness, but if you expect historical accuracy, then watch a documentary.
posted on 18 Jul 2008This film like all works of art, can and does provide a catalyst for the "average" person in the 21st Century to become newly aware of the world through the eyes and ears of creative genius. Many people who knew nothing more of Beethoven that a ring tone of Fur Elise or worse, have been given an opportunity to appreciate a passion for him, for his life, and for his music.John Suchet (reviewer in madaboutbeethoven.com) states that "The philosopher and music lover Sir Isaiah Berlin drew the distinction between composers whose life was reflected in their music and those whose life was not. In the latter category: Verdi, Bach, Mozart, Rossini. Pre-eminent in the former category: Ludwig van Beethoven.How right he was! Did ever a composer more overtly set his own life to music than Beethoven? The pain and despair, the tragedy and misfortune, the ultimate triumph over his deafness.It is all reflected in his music. Listen to the Piano Sonatas, the String Quartets, the Symphonies, without knowing anything about Beethoven's life, and you will hear only music. Know what was going on in his life at the time, and you will hear them through totally different ears."THIS is the real capacity of the film Immortal Beloved. The hear Beethoven's music through totally different ears. If you expect historical accuracy, then watch a documentary.
Lots of high points
posted on 15 Jun 2008I wrestled with the rating because there is much to dislike about Immortal Beloved. However there is also much to like, among which are Beethoven's music, the plot twist which I felt worked well, and set design. The highs are very high. Oldham may not have nailed the great composer but he is a reasonable representation and the director's method of presenting his affliction is poignant.To the negative the film is a bit clunky, continuity seems just a bit off, and some scenes could have been omitted or edited to speed things up. Beloved is not a character study as everyone is pretty much a caricature. It is a mystery and as such works pretty well even though the basic plot might have been written to the lives of less formidable personages without changing the real story. Beethoven's involvement provided additional depth and interest but no more sense of tragedy, and ham handed direction/editing watered down the impact even then.That said, I'm glad I saw it and would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind considerable artistic license being taken with the life of Ludwig Van.
An unforgettable event of cinematic poetry...
posted on 12 Jun 2008'Immortal Beloved' opens with Beethoven's death, followed by his funeral attended by the mourning masses...Beethoven's final will and testament are found by the composer's mentor, Anton Felix Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) who reads that all of Beethoven's music and fortune shall go to his sole heir, his secret passion, his immortal beloved... No one then, or now, knows who the 'immortal beloved' is...Director Bernard Rose decided it might be interesting to take a guess... So he framed his film in a puzzled story with Beethoven's confidante searching across Europe for clues...Determined not to rest until he discovers the maestro's greatest love, Schindler travels to see several ladies in an attempt to learn the identity of the woman who meant so much to Ludwig van Beethoven...Along the way, he meets with three candidates: Giulietta Guicciardi, Beethoven's attractive piano pupil, to whom Ludwig dedicated his 'Moonlight' sonata; Johanna Reiss, Beethoven's immoral sister-in-law, who 'could not hate the man who could write such music;' and Anna Marie Erdödy, the beautiful Hungarian Countess, who opened her heart to the German composer...All of the mentioned women loved Beethoven, and one of them could certainly be his angel, his all, his other self...With the use of the Ninth Symphony's "Ode to Joy," there is a beautiful shot of young Ludwig floating in the firmament, lost thereafter between the luminous celestial bodies... Another scene is quite poignant of Beethoven, unaware even that the music had ceased, is also unaware of the tremendous burst of applause that greeted it... 'Immortal Beloved' is a love story which not only captures the ideas of early 19th century romanticism, but ultimately attempts to fasten the emotional state of the music to the events that Beethoven lived through... We are given a look into the composer's personality... Beethoven is seen impatient, impulsive, unreasonable and intolerant; deafness adds suspicion and paranoia to these attributes... We are invited to watch his treasured feelings... We are even touched by an artist who yearns to express himself creatively through music... He is an hostile, obstinate lover who would fly into a rage at the slightest provocation, but a sensible human being who carries the music in his heart, and whom the thorns of life had wounded so deeply... Like all pianists of the late 18th century, Beethoven is raised on the sonatas of expressive music at a time when music was regarded as the art of pleasing sounds... The dramatic scene of his 'Moonlight Sonata' communicated to a deafened ear, expresses all his emotional pain: We listen beautifully what he cannot... He reveals, through his delightful piece, his soul and the inner torment he is suffering... We perceive what the music is evoking in his mind... we also find that he is a temperamental lover who seeks to reach the perfect love... With finesse and style Gary Oldman stars as the first composer, always stubborn, unyielding and struggling against destiny... Oldman seems to feel the brave, the commanding, and the impetuous of the virtuoso pianist more than what is reassuring or gentle... The muscles of his face swell, and its veins start out... His wild eye rolls doubly wild... His mouth trembles as he looks overpowered with the character's deafness, strengthened by a stubborn nature...Set in Vienna, but exquisitely shot in and around Prague, 'Immortal Beloved' concentrates on Beethoven's women, his cruel battle for custody and control of his little nephew, his constant fight with himself, with the sound of agitation...'Immortal Beloved' is a film enriched by a passion, drama and turbulence of an era... The scenery of the aristocratic palaces, elegant middle class town houses, churches and chapels, monuments and fountains are beautiful and exquisite... Beethoven's compositions (wonderfully performed by the London Symphony Orchestra) are splendid and voluptuous...
Great historical fiction (not a biopic!)
posted on 19 May 2008This is the most creatively written historical fiction I've seen since Amadeus. Writer/director Bernard Rose did a fantastic job of piecing together scraps of history and filling in the blanks with an outrageously clever theory. Make no mistake; this is NOT a biopic. So don't think you can cram for tomorrow's Beethoven exam by watching this movie... your teacher will flunk you right out of the conservatory.But if you approach this film as a sort of "conspiracy theory", and if you have a reasonable--but not too precise--familiarity with the facts of Beethoven's life, you will be very entertained, shocked and intrigued at the story.Real quick historical synopsis: In papers found posthumously, Beethoven did indeed mention an "immortal beloved", much to the surprise of the world which thought him to be a solitary soul. The identity of this person has vexed historians for centuries, and speculation has been the cause of many a knock-down, drag-out fight amongst them (those historians can be pret-ty feisty). Here we have a possible explanation which pulls together several interesting episodes from Beethoven's life and weaves them into a believable plot. The historians can duke it out whilst we can enjoy the show.Gary Oldman, as always, delivers a fantastic performance which elevates this film to classic status. Sure, there are flaws in this film, but nothing that cannot be overlooked in light of the acting and of course the music. My only gripe is that the film focuses very heavily on plot (and rightly so, I guess), but in so doing, it sacrifices the poetry of the situation. We rarely get a good, quiet, reflective moment where we can look into the tortured soul of the composer. Instead we get plenty of fiery episodes and situational drama, which is good but can leave us exhausted after a while.Contrast this with the film Amadeus which breaks up the action with carefully crafted monologues and time to breathe & reflect. "Immortal Beloved" can seem like a fast paced action flick compared to that--but again I suppose the complex plot demands it. This is really a minor criticism. Although Amadeus needn't worry about losing its place in my list of best movies ever, Immortal Beloved is certainly worthy of playing in the same league.
wow..greatness on film
posted on 13 Apr 2008O.K. , you know the music is going to be fantastic, but did you know the life of Beethoven during incredibly turbulent times would be told to his music as if the music was written for this film? It is a fantastic feat of writing and direction. Beautifully photographed and Gary Oldman convinces you his rendition of Beethoven was overseen by Ludwig himself. Rent it, Buy it, or borrow it but please...see it! 10/10
Immortal music
posted on 01 Apr 2008The music legend Beethoven died. Although his brother wanted to take his legacy, his agent insisted that Beethoven would give his everything to a nameless beloved as said in his letter. The key was who was his beloved. According to the letter written by Beethoven, he was planning to meet her in a hotel. It turned out to be that they failed. His agent decided to find out who was his real beloved with the only clue------his letter.According to the memory of other people, Beethoven's life was unfolded with an elegant way. His immortal music ran through from start to end. So just the music is a good reason to watch this movie.If it could have a deeper depiction for Beethoven, it would be as good as another masterpiece Amadeus. Gary Oldman's performance brought me an unforgettable Beethoven.An excellent movie you should not miss. 8/10
Beautiful Music, Wonderful Acting, Not quite factual story
posted on 08 Mar 2008Beethoven is my favorite composer, and I've read several books about him. After watching this, I really wish it was a true story! It doesn't seem likely, having read so much about him. However, having said that, Gary Oldman MORPHS into the maestro so beautifully that you don't even remember that it's him! What a wonderful portrayal. Also, there is fine acting from Jeroen Krabbe,Isabella Rossellini,Johanna ter Steege, and the rest of the cast. If watching this film doesn't make you a fan of his music, you're not listening! The music plays a central role in the movie, thankfully. There's even a little humor. Mr. Oldman makes Beethoven a sympathetic character while not moving away from the rather nasty person he is reputed to be. Poor man must have been so frustrated all of his life! Oldman's portrayal makes you understand what it must have been like for him. Enthusiastic thumbs UP!!!
Film by the Numbers
posted on 08 Jan 2008Spoilers herein.There are several episodes in this bio where LvB is absolutely oblivious to what the orchestra or his own piano is doing, yet he sometimes gets through by going through expert motions.Some of that metaphor holds for this film if you take away the elements that LvB was a genius and that he was performing works he knew. This is not a work of genius, instead a very expert construction using the standard filmmaker's playbook.It has the by now canonical Wellesian construction. It contains lush photography, some lovely women, passion, the passionate music leading through a maze of lust. It contains a great actor.But that photography has neither style nor passion itself. It mistakes passion in music for some sort of soap operaish angst -- it in fact employs the cinematic device of showing the depth of music through the mooneyed swooning of superficial women. Alas, this joins other examples where films about other arts somehow forget about the soul of those arts. So we have films about writing, dance, music, math, chess which have nothing to do with the essence of those things. ter Seege was in Altman's van Gogh which DID understand painting and was itself painterly. This film has music in it, but it is most unmusical. Rather like a wellmade musicbox.And then we have Oldman. Oldman himself is a passionate performer, but we end up watching Oldman's passion and not Ludwig's. This is an oversight of a weak director I think, but only could have been avoided in the casting. Oldman has such flourish, such flash in his work that he can only effectively play characters who are performers themselves, like the smarmy republican in `Contender.'So what we end up with is a crisp confection, with no soul. I suppose people who like music (but don't understand the danger of real music) will probably like it. Try `Hilary and Jackie' for a mainstream film about music, which does have soul, where all the acting is invested in the characters not the applause, where the story is actually more true, and where the passion of music is shown more aptly.
Distortion of facts to get the dramatic effects
posted on 02 Jan 2008I am giving this movie a 3 and that is just because of Gary Oldman's fine performance. This movie is so full of historical and musical inaccuracies that one can write a book about it. To conclude that Beethoven's sister in law was the "Immortal Beloved" is absurd. And how about Anthon Shindler's portrayal? Anyone who is familiar with Beethoven's life knows that Schindler was nothing but a scoundrel! But hey, since when Hollywood cares about historical facts or truthfulness??!!!
A beautiful view of Beethoven's life, Gary Oldman is just amazing!
posted on 09 Aug 2009Immortal beloved: a masterpiece, Gary Oldman plays a strong and beautiful Beethoven. It is very difficult for me to understand he didn't get any award for such a wonderful performance. Awards not always land in the right people and this is the perfect example of that. The environments are just beautiful. The movie is about Beethoven's immortal music and passion, with Bernard Rose's view of the immortal beloved. Some scholars don't approve this idea. Nobody knows who really was the immortal beloved mentioned in Beethoven's letters but Bernard Rose is giving an interesting solution to this mystery. A wonderful movie with many emotional moments and the immortal music of the Maestro. The "ode to joy" linked to Beethoven's childhood is just beautiful!!. I will never forget the violins of the fourth movement in the ninth symphony and young Beethoven running away from his violent father!!, so powerful!. A masterpiece that any music lover should see. The casting is perfect!!.