| Immortal Beloved | |
|---|---|
Immortal Beloved theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Bernard Rose |
| Produced by | Stephen McEveety Bruce Davey |
| Written by | Bernard Rose |
| Starring | Gary Oldman Jeroen Krabbé |
| Music by | George Fenton Ludwig van Beethoven Gioacchino Rossini |
| Studio | Icon Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1994 |
| Running time | 121 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English Hungarian |
| Box office | $9,914,409[1] |
Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman). The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved) addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers. Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire interviewing women who might be potential candidates as well as through Beethoven's own tumultuous life.
Contents |
When Ludwig van Beethoven dies, his assistant and close friend Schindler deals with his last will and testament. There remains a question as to who Beethoven's "immortal beloved", an unnamed woman mentioned in one of his letters, may be. Schindler embarks on a quest to find out who this woman is. Retrospective footage of Beethoven from his younger years until his death is featured as the film progresses. The conclusion ultimately is that the individual is Johanna Reiss, the daughter of Anton Van Reiss, a prosperous Viennese upholsterer. In the film, she becomes pregnant by Beethoven; when by an accidental turn of events he does not marry her in time, she marries his brother, Kaspar. Their son, Karl van Beethoven, is raised by Ludwig in the vain hope of making him an important musician in his own right.
Filming took place in the Czech cities of Prague and Kromeriz and the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna, Austria between May 23 and July 29, 1994.
While the soundtrack utilizes modern instruments, the pianos that appear in the film actually date back to Beethoven's time.
After Beethoven's death in 1827, a three-part letter was found among his private papers addressed to a woman whom he called "immortal beloved". Written in the summer of 1812 from the spa town of Teplice, the letter has generated a great deal of speculation and debate amongst scholars and writers as to her identity. Among the candidates are (or were) Giulietta Guicciardi, Thérèse von Brunswick, Josephine Brunsvik, Antonie Brentano, and Anna-Marie Erdödy (some of whom appear in the film).
The film's writer and director, Bernard Rose, claimed that he had successfully identified the addressed woman as Johanna, a claim no scholar on Beethoven has endorsed. (The film also implies that Karl, Beethoven's nephew, was in reality his illegitimate son.) Biographer Gail S Altman disputed Rose's claim in a book[2] devoted specifically to the question of the woman's identity and Beethoven's relationships in general. See also Lewis Lockwood: "Film Biography as Travesty: Immortal Beloved and Beethoven." The Musical Quarterly 81/2, 1997, pp. 190–198.
(in order of appearance)
Critical reaction for Immortal Beloved was mixed. From the 31 reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, reviews tended towards the positive, with an overall approval rating of 58%.[3] Of Rotten Tomatoes' "top critics", however, Roger Ebert was highly complimentary of the film. He gave it 3½ stars out of four, stating in his review: "Immortal Beloved has clearly been made by people who feel Beethoven directly in their hearts". He asserted that Oldman "at first seems an unlikely choice... then we see that he is right".[4] Janet Maslin also offered a positive review, stating: "thanks to its hugely effective use of Beethoven's most thrilling, tumultuous music, this film exerts much the same hypnotic power". She praised the performance of Oldman, writing that "he captures Beethoven as a believably brilliant figure struggling with his deafness and other demons".[5]
In 2011, Total Film named Oldman's performance the fourth best of his career, writing, "If ever there was a better filmic chameleon than Oldman, we’ve yet to find one. Immersing himself fully into the role of the German composer, Oldman is here damn near unrecognisable."[6]
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||