Immortal Beloved (1994)

Despite many critics' comments to the contrary, this movie is exceptionally beautiful. Panned for not being "accurate" to Beethoven's Life (whatever happened to Poetic License?", the music, the cinematography, and the PERFORMANCES in this film are MAGNIFICENT. Speaking of "magnificent", there IS Gary Old- man - who transcends just about anything. The man is a genius, his performance reflects it, and he is absolutely beautiful as well. Some people talk about the loveliness of the leading ladies in this movie, but with Mr. Oldman on screen, it is very difficult to look at anything else. He is simply electrifying, as he is in most of his movies. Please give this wonderful film another chance - and forget about the critics who didn't appreciate it. Gary Oldman should've received an Oscar, but what else is new?

Fmovies: I loved this in the theatre and recently purchased it on video.

Gary Oldman portrays Beethoven with all the warts, near-madness, rage and passion intact. Unlovable almost, except for the sympathy and compassion engendered by his deafness which humanizes him.

The music is wonderful here and tries to explain the emotions behind the man.

The McGuffin of the plot hinges on a letter that was never received by his "immortal beloved". I may have missed something along the way, but how did the narrator of the story get the letter ? That point aside, this is a well done story and captures the era perfectly. I

believe Prague was used for the setting and it is beautiful. This movie could be a matched set to "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" another film which captures his turbulence and frustration and the triumph of his composition of his 9th.

An 8 out of 10 for a very enjoyable movie.

If was a director, I would be sure to look at such films as "Kafka", "Quiz Show", and "Immortal Beloved"(and many many others) and hope that my film would have as much style and taste as these films, particularly "Immortal Beloved." From the first time I saw it, "Immortal Beloved" became one of my all-time favorite movies. For one thing, I love the cast. Director Bernard Rose has filled his movie with such top-notch European actors as Johanna Ter Steege, Valeria Golino, Marco Hofschnieder, Miriam Margoyles, Isabella Rossellini, and particularly in the choosing of his two leads--Jeroen Krabbe(my favorite actor) and Gary Oldman. I have seen and enjoyed all of these actors in one or more other project, and to have them ALL together is just wonderful. Plus the director genius, Bernard Rose, also wrote a great script:the flashback sequences give us a great look upon Beethoven, and they very carefully fit around the search that Beethoven's secretary embarks upon to find the mysterious woman, the "Immortal Beloved", whom Beethoven left his entire estate and music to in a letter. I like how he narrows he is able to narrow his search to just three women, after finding a nearly illegible signature the woman left behind at a hotel("is that a G or a J?" Schindler wonders. "Looks like an A to me," he is told by the hotel worker). I like being able to learn the impact Beethoven left upon all three, and the accounts of Schindler and his nephew provide some great insite as well. I love the chemistry between all cast members, particularly Oldman and Krabbe and Krabbe and Rossellinni. Well, I loved absolutely everything about this movie. I can only hope that if I ever made a movie, it would turn out to be as well-written, superbly acted, and as beautifully made as "Immortal Beloved."

Immortal Beloved fmovies. I can't believe I missed this gem at the movies, Oldman is just brilliant, his sheer charisma and presence in some scenes take the attention immediately and unfairly from others without him uttering a word first. The only fault I could find with this beautifully directed movie, was not enough of Beethovens music, the only time we really get to hear it fully is the wonderful scene at the end with his ninth symphony. The scene as well of a young Beethoven fleeing from his drunken father, and then floating in the pool of stars as the choral part of the symphony erupts, bought me to tears and will remain with me forever. The movie is incredible and the Academy awards should collectively hang their heads in shame for being so dull not to see this movie as worthy of even being nominated due to its silly rules, or for never recognising Oldman then or since for the wonderful and great English actor that he truly is.

On his deathbed, Beethoven, the greatest of all composers, leaves a note to his "Immortal Beloved." Like Citizen Kane's "Rosebud," this becomes a device to see the life of Beethoven through flashbacks. This interesting mixture of fact and fiction provides a portrait of the composer's social life but sheds little light on his genius for writing music. The soundtrack is all Beethoven (except for a little Rossini), as we get to hear bits and pieces of many of his works. The "Ode to Joy" sequence is well done, juxtaposing the premier of the 9th Symphony with flashbacks to Ludwig's childhood. However, the disjointed structure makes for a somewhat unsatisfying experience. Oldman certainly looks like Beethoven and manages to convey the anguish of a man who never heard most of his greatest works due to deafness, the most cruel fate for a composer.

Bernard 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!