Abel Gance's Beethoven (Un Grand Amour de Beethoven)

Starring:Harry Baur, Annie Ducaux, Jany Holt, AndrÃ© Nox, Jane Marken, Lucas Gridoux, Paul Pauley, Lucien Rozenberg, Yolande Laffon, Jean Debucourt, Jean-Louis Barrault, Georges Paulais, Georges Saillard, Jean PÃ¢qui, Philippe Richard, Marcel Dalio, Enrico Glori, AndrÃ© Bertic, Sylvie Gance, Roger Blin
Director: Abel Gance
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
If one were to gather the hundreds of books written about Ludwig van Beethoven, sift through each with a fine-tooth comb, and extract every simple mistake, wild speculation, and outright falsehood, the result would still be nowhere near as fabulous and artificial as this 1936 biopic, which rewrites the composer's life story into a throbbingly melodramatic tale of genius ignored and love unrequited. Director Abel Gance, best known for his expansive silent classic Napoleon, wasn't interested in the truth of Beethoven's life, but instead the romantic ideal of a great man tormented by history; Gance's Beethoven is merely a variation of the filmmaker's beloved Bonaparte, triumphant yet scorned by his inferiors in the artistic realm rather than the political. (Needless to say, among the film's many omissions is Beethoven's bitter rededication of the "Eroica" Symphony.)

Amazon.com

If one were to gather the hundreds of books written about Ludwig van Beethoven, sift through each with a fine-tooth comb, and extract every simple mistake, wild speculation, and outright falsehood, the result would still be nowhere near as fabulous and artificial as this 1936 biopic, which rewrites the composer's life story into a throbbingly melodramatic tale of genius ignored and love unrequited. Director Abel Gance, best known for his expansive silent classic Napoleon, wasn't interested in the truth of Beethoven's life, but instead the romantic ideal of a great man tormented by history; Gance's Beethoven is merely a variation of the filmmaker's beloved Bonaparte, triumphant yet scorned by his inferiors in the artistic realm rather than the political. (Needless to say, among the film's many omissions is Beethoven's bitter rededication of the "Eroica" Symphony.)

Beginning where every portrait of Beethoven the man must, with the identification of the Immortal Beloved, the film nominates (wrongly) Giulietta Gallenberg, née Guicciardi, reconstructing their brief passion as a lifelong obsession. During each of Beethoven's struggles--with love, poverty, deafness--thunder cracks against the sky and the opening notes of the Fifth burst onto the soundtrack to punctuate the action. Meet the film on its own novelette-like terms, however, and it can be quite moving, not least for the magnificent presence of Harry Baur in the lead, who captures to perfection the tortured nobility the film foists upon its protagonist. Baur's conception is as outsized as Gance's, but also gentler and less sentimental; he humanizes what could have been a treacly salute to a marble statue. An unusual final credit places the actor's name alongside the director's, a touching admission by Gance at how indebted his film was to its star. --Bruce Reid

Description

The silent epic and international cinema legend Abel Gance is most celebrated for his sweeping and pioneering biography masterpiece Napoleon. But this touching and tortured document of the legendary Beethoven's creative genius deserves equal tribute and attention. Like Napoleon, Beethoven is Gance's portrait of a great mind, a giant of history, here crafted as a romantic vision of the artist. The film chronicles the years of Beethoven's greatest successes and his struggles against overwhelming adversity--poverty, the onset of deafness and his unrequited passion for his "Immortal Beloved." Writer/director Gance conducts a symphony of images set to an expressionistic score, depicting not only the events but the spirit of the composer's life. 117 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Un amour de Beethoven..........2002-12-14

There are not many filmed biographies dedicated to the Music master of all times, the latest being "Beethoven in Love" (which is Hollywoodiana at its worst).
In Abel Gance's version, "Un Grand Amour de Beethoven", not only do we find some of the best French actors of an Era long gone, but we have a true effort at character study.
Like in the Austrian movie, which nowadays is practically unavailable, called "Eroica", another excellent example of a screen translation of the man's life, "Un Grand Amour..." is a fair attempt at giving us Beethoven, the man, not the lover, not just the composer, but a man in his time.
In this one, somebody may still ask himself if Beethoven's love went to women, to a particular woman, or to a simple and probably more logic choice, to his music.
But there is more. The man's interior struggles are shown.
In a time period in which Revolutionary thinking seemed to permeate society, Beethoven comes through as the German "revolutionary" composer he was.
Beethoven craved for human love like any other human being, but in the end, as a realist as he was, and viewed the handicap he was facing, deafness, he concentrated totally and exclusively to his music.
In this movie, one can see that struggle for love, but instead of being a defeat to Beethoven (as in the above mentioned trashy movie), the man turns it into a triumph over the senses and brings himself, as well as his own music to an apotheosis never since equaled by any other composer.
Abel Gance seems to have understood this and respecting the genius of another master of the artistic trade, delivers a very touching account of the master's life.
The only downside to this effort is the poor technology filmmakers had in those days. At times the sound is dreadful and some conversations can only be understood by reading the subtitles (mind you, I speak French fluently, but I still could not understand some passages).
The music is hauntingly beautiful, but lacks depth and roundness. Poor Abel Gance, he must have struggled hard to finance this project.
Despite all this, this is, together with "Eroica" (if one can find it), the only true effort made, at bringing the great master back to life.
Being a theatrical director and an actor myself, I am still hoping to be able to, one day, put together some music historians, a dignified cast and crew and start what I always wanted in my childhood: film the entire life of Ludwig van Beethoven, according to his own letter exchange and the biographies of his closest friends and admirers.
Beethoven needs and deserves a faithful reconstruction of his life, told to generations to come.
He was more than just a musical genius. He was a highly controversial historical, philosophical and revolutionary/reactionary figure.
Abel Gance's effort is just a tiny cut in Beethoven's life and by reducing it into a two hour effort, he just partially managed to expose the man behind the composer, turning it naturally, as one would expect from a master such as Gance, into a masterpiece.
And yet, it is still lacking amplitude.
Nevertheless, this movie is a must for every Beethoven fan, if not of master Abel Gance.
Let's hope to find soon a larger and better product than "Bethoveen in love".

ABEL GANCE'S BEETHOVEN!.......2001-09-29

THRILL as the great French Director who brought us the epic of "NAPOLEON" brings us the story of the great German composer! SEE Beethoven as not only a romantic artist but a tragic hero! LISTEN to how Gance uses sound in an expressionist film, which uses the visual techniques of the SILENT cinema! READ the English subtitles of this French language film! SEE Harry Baur frown repeatedly as Ludwig Van Beethoven even while composing some of the GREATEST MUSIC the world has ever heard!

On Abel Gance's Beethoven.......2001-08-05

On Abel Gance's Beethoven

I have mixed reactions about Abel Gance's Beethoven. It was a great movie and Harry Baur's portrayal of Beethoven was impeccable, but there was too much use of Beethoven's 5th Symphony as soundtrack music. To Gance, Beethoven seems to equal the 5th Symphony. This is untrue. He wrote a lot of great music that was not used in the film. One of the features of this film that I really liked was that it did not include any vulgar sex scenes that I found in the movie, The Immortal Beloved. But what I consider the ultimate strengths of this movie is that it metaphorically shows the composer struggling against the disappointment of hearing that the woman he loves has fallen in love with someone else, coming to terms with his worsening deafness, and struggling against poverty by trying desperately to earn a living through his music. Although most of the scenes are fictional, these scenes are metaphors of his existence as a human being.

"Immortal Beloved" done correctly..........2000-03-29

"Un grand amour de Beethoven" (1936), Directed by Abel Gance, is so full of passion, love and music -- beautiful music! It is a lyrical biography with actors who are well cast and quite talented -- unlike the 1994 movie version "Immortal Beloved".

Harry Baur's acting performance, as Beethoven, is heart felt and very strong. Abel Gance was a true cinematic artist, we could see that in the restored version of his silent epic "Napoleon". But his movie version of the life of Beethoven may truly be his greatest achievement, his masterpiece.

If you love Beethoven's music and you long for movies that tell an interesting story with passion, heart, truth and honesty (unlike most of todays movies), I highly recommend this movie to you.

Enjoy...

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