| Product: |
Immortal Beloved (DVD) |
| Date: |
29/02/08 (52 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Sublime Music, Great Performances
Disadvantages: None
The Comedy Is Over
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The troubled life of Ludwig Van Beethoven is the subject matter of this biopic. His story is told through the eyes of Anton Schindler, his secretary for many years who is attempting to conclude his affairs after his death. His estate is bequeathed in a letter to his "immortal beloved", much to the annoyance of his brother,this is his dying wish.
The question is who is this mysterious woman?
Conclusion
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Most people know at least some of the story of Beethoven, the fact that he started to go deaf quite early in his life and most people will know some of his music, even if they don't realise it. Personally, I have been an admirer of his music for many years. The events are told in flashbacks as Schindler attempts to solve the mystery of the letter.
Gary Oldman plays Beethoven and what an amazing transformation it is, from paintings I've seen of the man himself Oldman looks just like him. His performance is full of passion and emotion. Top marks here.
Although Gary Oldman gets most of the credit here the biggest role in the film
is given to Jeroen Krabbé who plays Anton Schindler. His performance is very good, he has to be downtrodden and submissive and yet still strong, not an easy act to pull off, he does it well.
Isabella Rosselini plays her role well as a countess who takes pity on Beethoven when his deafness starts to become more prominent. She plays the part well.
I think the worst performance is by Johanna ter Steege who plays Johanna, Beethoven's brothers wife, it's not that bad but compared to the others it looks a bit wooden. Look out for a Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) in a bit part.
Despite the mostly excellent performances the real star is the music, considering the difficulties Beethoven he made many works of real genius, I think this is portrayed extremely well in the film and is in many ways the point of it. Who knows what his world really sounded like but I can easily believe it could well have been like it is portrayed here.
The music is of course sublime, if you're looking for a good introduction to his music then this could be a good start as some of his best are performed here. Apparently Oldman is actually playing the piano most of the time, I thought he was just pretending, although it looked right.
The DVD contains a thirty minute making of documentary that interviews the
director and most of the stars with the exception of Isabella Rosselini . There is also a directors commentary audio track that is quite interesting.
I can't say this movie will appeal to everybody. I looked for this film because I like the music and am a fan of Gary Oldman. If you have little or no interest in Beethoven or classical music then you probably won't get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I certainly thoroughly enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Main Cast List
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Gary Oldman - Ludwig van Beethoven
Jeroen Krabbé - Anton Felix Schindler
Isabella Rossellini - Anna Marie Erdödy
Johanna ter Steege - Johanna van Beethoven
Directed By Bernard Rose
Running Time 120Mins
Certificate 15
Summary: A Great Insight Into The Life Of A Musical Genius
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