Review of Immortal Beloved (1994) by Michele S — 28 Jan 2010

One of my favorite love stories...Immortal Beloved. It is said to be "the untold story of Ludwig van Beethoven."Ahhh, where to begin! I will start with Gary Oldman's performance as Beethoven...it was OUTSTANDING, MESMORIZING, and MEMORABLE. I was absolutely captivated by his performance and he superbly brings Beethoven's story to life.

The movie begins with the death of Ludwig van Beethoven (1827) and the reading of his will, which unravels a mystery that sets forth a series of stories that eventually leads us to his one true love. His final testament reads, "All my music and all the capital of my estate shall go to my sole heir, my Immortal Beloved." Beethoven's longtime friend, Anton (Jeroen Krabbe), goes on a journey to find Beethoven's "immortal beloved." He learns of a mystery woman that Beethoven met at a hotel. The visit did not go according to plan and Beethoven became enraged and trashed the hotel room. It becomes clear to Anton that this mystery woman must be the woman he is seeking, for Beethoven never expressed having such strong feelings for any woman. Anton then visits two women from Beethoven's past and learns more about Beethoven's special relationship with each one. Anne Marie Erdody (Isabella Rossellini) and Giulietta Guicciardi(Valeria Golina) also graced the movie with outstanding performances. These may have been special women in his life but they weren't the only women he shared his time intimately with. It's a mystery that kept me guessing through the entire movie.

Although the movie is primarily a love story, it also reveals the hardships he faced as a child and later in life. He was a very difficult man to deal with but despite his gruff personality, he was eventually respected as a musical genius.

Unfortunately, he was deaf and couldn't play what he wrote but he hears the music in his mind and what he hears is absolutely beautiful. The musical score to this movie is obviously amazing...if you are familiar with Beethoven's music then you know what to expect...PERFECTION!

Writer and Director Bernard Rose perfectly incorporated Beethoven's music within the movie and provided beautiful scenes that kept my full attention. There is one scene that stands out the most to me...as a young boy, Beethoven is beaten by his father...he then runs to a pond, takes his night shirt off and floats in the water; he appears to be floating amongst the stars along to one of his most notable pieces, Ode to Joy. The scene is truly captivating.

A beautiful love story, a difficult life, a fascinating era, and Beethoven's musical score...all great reasons to see this movie!