Immortal Beloved

Starring:Michael Culkin, Luigi Diberti, Rory Edwards, Hannes Flaschberger, Christopher Fulford, Donal Gibson, Valeria Golino, Marco Hofschneider, Gerard Horan, Barry Humphries, Jeroen KrabbÃ©, Geno Lechner, Miriam Margolyes, Matthew North, Gary Oldman, Alexandra Pigg, Isabella Rossellini, Claudia Solti, Johanna ter Steege
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

This sumptuous and moving 1994 film written and directed by Bernard Rose (Candyman) investigates the artistic and romantic passions of one of the greatest composers of all time. Featuring a superb performance by Gary Oldman (Sid and Nancy) as Ludwig van Beethoven, Immortal Beloved is full of uncommonly vivid, rich imagery as it charts the tumultuous life of the deaf child prodigy and his rise to the height of musical achievement. Along the way, he attempts to play mentor to his nephew, attend to his many passionate romances--the most stable one was with a countess (Isabella Rossellini)--and fight bouts of depression and madness that ruled his life and his art. The film is framed around a "Rosebud"-type letter found after the composer's death that makes up the crux of the story. Jeroen Krabbé (The Fugitive), playing Beethoven's lifelong friend, attempts to discover who Beethoven's muse really was, becoming as driven as his friend in discovering the unlikely identity of the composer's "immortal beloved." Through this we gain an insight into the nature of obsession, romance, and the heights and sacrifices of artistic achievement. The film exhibits some extraordinary sound design, and the finale features a magical encapsulation of Beethoven's life and loves set to his "Ode to Joy." As an exciting and passionate journey, Immortal Beloved is its own masterpiece. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Beethoven's Immortal Beloved.......2007-06-15

This take on Beethoven's love life may elicit giggles or outrage from scholars of this composer, but it made for a great movie! The characterization of Beethoven himself seemed rather extreme at times, but it made a valid point. I especially enjoyed the almost constant background music from the composer's great works, and the portrayal of life in general during this time was very vivid.

While it says nothing about the real life of Beethoven, the movie is a pleasant romance.......2007-06-05

While I admire Gary Oldman's acting abilities and some of his achievements in this film, the film itself has so many flaws that it is hard to forgive. It is vital to note right from the start that the story of this film has almost nothing to do with the life of the actual Ludwig van Beethoven. Oh, you could point to this or that biographical detail and claim that such an event occurred, but the movie wrenches everything so far out of context in the service of a fictitious romance that even the truths become false.

Since this movie is a romance, I think it would have been better if they had made up a name for the name Adrian Leverkuehn for Arnold Schoenberg in Doctor Faustus. Even this wasn't enough because in later editions Mann had to put in a disclaimer that Schoenberg had actually invented the twelve tone compositional technique and that Leverkuehn is fictional. We get no such disclaimers in this film and the violence done the actual Beethoven is far greater. I suppose if they had made up the name of a composer then they couldn't have used the true star of this film, the excerpts of Beethoven's music forming the soundtrack. The recording of this soundtrack was a pretty good seller back in 1994.

The funeral scene is pretty good. It was a mob and an even bigger event than shown in the film. I also like the way Beethoven's deafness was shown at times. However, in the periods shown in the film, his deafness was not as complete as it was later. His social awkwardness was not as deranged as it is shown in the film. Since we lack any sense of the social order of Beethoven's time, I suppose the filmmakers felt that the character had to be shocking for our time, hence the storming man in need of medication sadly unavailable in his time. No, Beethoven was shocking because he simply claimed priority for himself through his art.

But the whole premise of the film is foolish. There is a letter to an "Immortal Beloved" whose identity has been sought out since Beethoven's time, but Maynard Solomon made a very good case for Antonie Brentano back in 1972. And this woman isn't even in this film! The only reason people debate this issue is because people tend to like unsolved mysteries and romances. However, there are facts that point to Brentano and away from every other proposed candidate. And even the phrase "Immortal Beloved" might not be anything more than a clumsy man trying to say something romantic rather than something summing up his life's love.

While the scene is totally made up, I did find the scene of Oldman leaning close to the piano to play the "Moonlight Sontata" a nice effect. The scene of Beethoven stumbling through the "Emperor Concerto" never happened. Beethoven's hearing was bad enough that he knew better than to play in public by 1811. The first performer of the work was Friedrich Schneider, a local church organist in Leipzig. The Vienna premier in February 1812 was Carl Czerny, a Beethoven pupil and later a great piano teacher as well as performer.

Anyway, if you enjoy the film, fine. Just don't mistake ANYTHING in it as pertaining to the life of the real Beethoven. Especially NOT the identity the movie supposes for the "Immortal Beloved". Suspect every detail in the film because even events which have some connection to history are completely out of context. Oh, and there are a couple scenes of gratuitous partial nudity to make it seem more romantic, I guess. Just enjoy the movie as a romance and don't suppose you have learned anything about Beethoven and you will be OK. If it inspires you to go read about the actual life of Beethoven and his music, all the better.

Es müß sein........2007-05-29

One longs for a movie that treats a great artist's life as something other than the ravings of a madman.

While the wait carries on, however, IMMORTAL BELOVED is delicious entertainment. The mysterious woman of Ludwig von Beethoven's scrawled final testament turns out to be his sister-in-law, the widow of a brother killed by consumption, and--in the end--the mother of the nephew Beethoven snatched from her. The boy himself was an unfortunate soul who in the end turns out to have been flesh of Ludwig's flesh.

If this sounds a bit like supermarket tabloid stuff, well, the difference lies in that Ludwig von Beethoven was no momentary celebrity whose life will flare out after its requisite fifteen minutes of fame. On the contrary, Beethoven was one of the West's and indeed humanity's great artistic geniuses. A conspiracy tale wraps so much more satisfyingly around a life like his. This is especially so when the story is accompanied by the man's own music, played with ominous solemnity the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir George Solti's baton.

I somehow missed this film when it was released in 1994. Other things were going on. A Memorial Day weekend spent with the DVD is a pleasure that more than requites the wait. Jeroen Krabbé's performance as Friend-of-Ludwig Anton Schindler deserves at least the merit that Gary Oldman as Beethoven and Isabella Rosselini earned for their arguably lesser performances.

Krabbé becomes the film's dramatic center as he vollies between historical personages in an attempt to piece together the contours of Beethoven's loves. His stolid weightiness makes him perfect for such an anchoring role.

The filming (Chekoslovakia) is gorgeous and there is, always, the music.

IMMORTAL BELOVED turns Beethoven's life and death into a tragedy. Although the historicity that makes this artistic decision plausible is debatable, it is arguable that only a man well acquainted with the tragic could have written such enduring, powerful, seductive music.

Vielleicht, dann, es mußte sein.

Enchanting.......2007-05-25

I won't waste your tim with a long or droll review. I will simply say the New York Times is pretentious and overrated. Though it has been a couple years since I saw this movie, I rented it time and again and continued to enjoy it every single time. I am now buying for my husband, who enjoyed it even more so. Though I'm sure it was a dramatic view of the composer's life, it was positively wonderful. It wasn't just simply entertaining, it was enchanting.

Super Seller.......2007-05-14

Great quality and wonderful DVD - fast shipping and super seller = great transaction!

Average customer rating:

Immortal Beloved [Blu-ray]
Starring: Gary Oldman
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
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