Review of Immortal Beloved (1994) by Robert H — 23 Mar 2016

It's probably been almost 20 years since I first/last saw IMMORTAL BELOVED on VHS, but it made enough of an impression on me to have remembered it all these years. As a pianist and classical music lover, it should come as no surprise that Beethoven is one of my favorite composers, having written some of the greatest works in the repertoire.

Ergo, this film, which combines two of my great interests (history and music), is one of my favorites. By no means is it perfect or, to be honest, historically accurate (the film's central conceit mostly), but it paints an interesting portrait of a tortured artist.

The premise behind the film, faulty though it may be, is that Beethoven, upon his death, left his entire estate to an "Immortal Beloved," and Schindler, his secretary, spends the bulk of the film going around to find out who this mysterious person is.

Thus, Beethoven's story is told in flashbacks by people who knew him, not unlike the similarly themed AMADEUS (although this film is decidedly less comical). As such, we only get fragmentary glimpses into who Beethoven was a person.

However, Gary Oldman makes up for this narrative/structural issue by giving a very humanistic portrayal of someone, who by many accounts, was very difficult to get along with. And by the end of the film, with the central question (sort of) answered, we have reached a deeper understanding of what drove and motivated him, regardless of the historical accuracy of what we have seen.

From a technical perspective, Bernard Rose put together a film that is beautiful to behold, with exquisite period detail and cinematography. The score is composed entirely of Beethoven music, and I thought that his more well-known pieces were put to good use in various scenes.

In particular, his Pathetique Sonata and Choral Symphony were quite moving in the context of the film. Finally, everyone in the cast gave excellent performances, but especially Gary Oldman, who disappeared into his role like he always does.

His vocal delivery did have shades of Count Dracula (at least in terms of register), but it really wasn't too much of an issue. Ultimately, IMMORTAL BELOVED is a sumptuous period drama which, although playing with the facts, provides some keen insights into artistry and the passions that compel us.