Main Cast: Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé, Isabella Rossellini, Johanna ter Steege, Marco Hofschneider, Barry Humphries, Miriam Margolyes
Release Year: 1994
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 121 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This biography of Ludwig von Beethoven (played here by Gary Oldman) builds its narrative around an actual letter found after his death, addressed only to the composer's "immortal beloved." The responsibility of discovering this mysterious person's identity falls to Beethoven's friend and secretary (Jeroen Krabbé), who sets out on an investigation that soon becomes an exploration of the composer's life. Through recollections and scattered hints, we receive glimpses of Beethoven's relationships with women, particularly his close interaction with a pair of very different Countesses. The film also pays prominent attention to the composer's oddly obsessive relationship with the young nephew whom he attempted to mold in his own image, and Beethoven's eventual hearing loss and descent into emotional instability. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
An attempt to do for Beethoven what was done for Mozart in Amadeus (1984), this fanciful blend of fact and fiction is a marvelous drama, if lacking in the sumptuous, visual feast qualities of the film it's aping. Rose creates one gorgeous sequence in which a youthful Beethoven escapes an abusive father, flees through the woods, and floats in a pond that reflects the starry night sky above, as the Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony blasts over the soundtrack. The rest of the film never quite reaches such heights, but it's properly grounded in the grumbling, wounded performance of Gary Oldman, who not surprisingly captures precisely the right intonations of a self-absorbed, prideful genius (perhaps not much of a stretch for the notoriously difficult actor). Rose's script posits that the composer's behavior was the result of a broken heart, and while scholars may certainly dispute many of his story's claims, the end result is a moving and soulful work, fleetingly ecstatic, and interestingly structured on the template provided by Citizen Kane (1941). If Immortal Beloved runs second to Amadeus on the list of great composer biographies, the margin between the two films is not a wide one by any means. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Valeria Golino - Guilietta Guicciardi; Gerard Horan - Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven; Christopher Fulford - Casper 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 - Elector Max Friedrich; Tomas Hanak - Jacob Raicz; Petr Pospichal - Thin Man; Barbora Srncova - Erdody's Servant; Marek Vasut - Custody Policeman; Sandra Voe - Marie Frolich; Bruce Davey - Artillery Captain; Geno Lechner - Josephine von Brunsvik
Credit
John Myhre - Art Director, Olga Rosenfelderova - Art Director, Marion Dougherty - Casting, Maurizio Millenotti - Costume Designer, Lee Cleary - First Assistant Director, Bernard Rose - Director, Dan Rae - Editor, Stephen McEveety - Executive Producer, Sir Georg Solti - Musical Direction/Supervision, Peter Glossop - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jiri Hlupy - Production Designer, Peter Suschitzky - Cinematographer, Bruce Davey - Producer, Nigel Holland - Sound/Sound Designer, John Stronach - Supervisor/Manager, Bernard Rose - Screenwriter, Stuart Robertson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Jim Lemley - Production Supervisor, Ludwig van Beethoven - Featured Music
Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composerLudwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman). The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved) addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers. Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire interviewing women who might be potential candidates as well as through Beethoven's own tumultuous life.
When Ludwig van Beethoven dies, his assistant and close friend Schindler deals with his last will and testament. There remains a question as to who Beethoven's "immortal beloved", an unnamed woman mentioned in one of his letters, may be. Schindler embarks on a quest to find out who this woman is. Retrospective footage of Beethoven from his younger years until his death is featured as the film progresses.
After Beethoven's death in 1827, three short letters were found among his private papers addressed to a woman whom he called "immortal beloved". Believed to have been written in the summer of 1812 from the spa town of Teplice, the letters have generated a great deal of speculation and debate amongst scholars as to the subject's identity. Among the leading candidates are Giulietta Guicciardi, Thérèse von Brunswick, Antonie Brentano, Johanna van Beethoven, and Countess Anna-Marie Erdödy (all but one of whom appear in the film).
The film's writer and director, Bernard Rose, controversially claimed that he had successfully identified the addressed woman, a claim no scholar or writer on Beethoven has so endorsed. Biographer Gail S Altman notably disputed Rose's claim in a book[2] devoted specifically to the question of the woman's identity and Beethoven's relationships in general.
Piano Concerto No 5, Emperor (love theme, ending credits).
Sonata for violin and piano No 9, Kreutzer: Adagio sostenuto- Presto.
Symphony No 6, Op. 68, Pastoral: Storm.
Symphony No 7, Op. 92: Allegretto (Karl's theme).
Für Elise.
Symphony No 9, Op 125: Ode to Joy.
String Quartet, Op. 135.
Reception
Upon release, critical reaction for Immortal Beloved was mixed. From the 30 reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, reviews tended towards the positive, with an overall approval rating of 53%.[3] Of Rotten Tomatoes' "top critics", however, Roger Ebert was highly complimentary of the film. He gave it 3 1/2 stars out of four, stating in his review: "Immortal Beloved has clearly been made by people who feel Beethoven directly in their hearts". He asserted that Oldman "at first seems an unlikely choice... then we see that he is right".[4]Janet Maslin also offered a positive review, stating: "thanks to its hugely effective use of Beethoven's most thrilling, tumultuous music, this film exerts much the same hypnotic power". She praised the performance of Oldman, writing that "he captures Beethoven as a believably brilliant figure struggling with his deafness and other demons".[5]
