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Storyline
The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. Beside all the work he is known for, the composer once wrote a famous love letter to a nameless beloved and the movie tries to find out who this beloved was. Not easy as Beethoven has had many women in his life. Written by
Smoothhoney1265
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Taglines:
The genius behind the music. The madness behind the man. The untold love story of Ludwig von Beethoven.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Jeroen Krabbé, who plays the part of Schindler, was going to play the part of Beethoven. Later on the part went to
Gary Oldman and Krabbé was asked to play Schindler.
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Goofs
The producers of the film made painstaking effort to ensure that authentic late classical-era pianos were used on set, yet the music that is allegedly coming out of them is unmistakably from a 20th-century instrument.
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Quotes
Ludwig van Beethoven:
[
completely deaf, he is watching musicians perform his "Kreutzer" violin sonata]
I can't hear them, but I know that they are making a hash of it.
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Connections
References
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
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Soundtracks
Für Elise
Written by
Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by
Murray Perahia See more »
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!