Immortal Beloved (film)
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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.
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.
, 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 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)
, reviews tended towards the positive, with an overall approval rating of 58%. 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". 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".
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."
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
(played by Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
). The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé
Jeroen Krabbé
Jeroen Aart Krabbé is a Dutch actor and film director who has appeared in many Dutch and international films.-Biography:...
) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved
Immortal Beloved
Immortal Beloved may refer to:*Immortal Beloved, the name given by composer Ludwig van Beethoven to an unknown person in a famous love letter.*Immortal Beloved , a 1994 film about the life of Beethoven....
) addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers. Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
interviewing women who might be potential candidates as well as through Beethoven's own tumultuous life.
Plot summary
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 ReissJohanna van Beethoven
Johanna van Beethoven was the sister-in-law of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. She is remembered for the bitter custody battle between herself and the composer over her son Karl, one of the most ugly and traumatic episodes in the composer's life....
, 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
Kaspar Anton Karl van Beethoven
Kaspar Anton Karl van Beethoven is remembered to history as the brother of the celebrated composer Ludwig van Beethoven.-Youth:...
. Their son, Karl van Beethoven, is raised by Ludwig in the vain hope of making him an important musician in his own right.
Cast
- Gary OldmanGary OldmanGary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
as Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of... - Jeroen KrabbéJeroen KrabbéJeroen Aart Krabbé is a Dutch actor and film director who has appeared in many Dutch and international films.-Biography:...
as Anton Felix SchindlerAnton Felix SchindlerAnton Felix Schindler was an associate, secretary, and early biographer of Ludwig van Beethoven.His Life of Beethoven was first published in 1840 and, in its subsequently expanded form , had a great deal of influence on later Beethoven biography... - Isabella RosselliniIsabella RosselliniIsabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
as Anna-Marie Erdödy - Johanna ter SteegeJohanna ter SteegeJohanna ter Steege is a Dutch actress.She won the European Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her movie debut in The Vanishing...
as Johanna ReissJohanna van BeethovenJohanna van Beethoven was the sister-in-law of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. She is remembered for the bitter custody battle between herself and the composer over her son Karl, one of the most ugly and traumatic episodes in the composer's life.... - Christopher FulfordChristopher FulfordChristopher Fulford is a British actor who is best known for his supporting roles in many British TV shows.In his early career he often appeared in British crime dramas. He was guest star of both the ITV crime series Inspector Morse, in Driven to Destruction and as a killer in the early A Touch...
as Kaspar van BeethovenKaspar Anton Karl van BeethovenKaspar Anton Karl van Beethoven is remembered to history as the brother of the celebrated composer Ludwig van Beethoven.-Youth:... - Marco HofschneiderMarco HofschneiderMarco Hofschneider is a German actor known for his biographical portrayal of Solomon Perel in the 1990 acclaimed World War II film Europa Europa...
as Karl van Beethoven - Miriam MargolyesMiriam MargolyesMiriam Margolyes, OBE is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence .-Early life:...
as Nanette Streicherova - Barry HumphriesBarry HumphriesJohn Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
as Clemens MetternichKlemens Wenzel von MetternichPrince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was a German-born Austrian politician and statesman and was one of the most important diplomats of his era... - Valeria GolinoValeria GolinoValeria Golino is an Italian-Greek film and television actress. She is best known to English language audiences for the 1988 film Rain Man, and the Hot Shots! films...
as Giulietta Guicciardi
Production
Filming took place in the Czech cities of PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Kromeriz
Kromeríž
Kroměříž is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. The town's main landmark is the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace, where some scenes from Amadeus and Immortal Beloved were filmed...
and the Zentralfriedhof
Zentralfriedhof
The Zentralfriedhof is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of interred in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.-Name and location:...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
between May 23 and July 29, 1994.
While the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
utilizes modern instruments, the pianos that appear in the film actually date back to Beethoven's time.
Historical background
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 TepliceTeplice
Teplice , Teplice-Šanov until 1948 is a town in the Czech Republic, the capital of the Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is the state's second largest spa town ....
, 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
Josephine Brunsvik
Josephine Brunsvik was probably the most important woman in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, as documented by at least 15 love letters he wrote her where he called her his “only beloved”, being “eternally devoted” to her and “forever faithful”...
, Antonie Brentano
Antonie Brentano
The Immortal Beloved is the mysterious addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6–7 July 1812 in Teplitz...
, and Anna-Marie Erdödy (some of whom appear in the film).
The film's writer and director, Bernard Rose
Bernard Rose (director)
Bernard Rose is an English actor and film director most famous for his direction of the 1992 urban horror film Candyman and the 1994 historical romance film Immortal Beloved....
, 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 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
Immortal Beloved
Immortal Beloved may refer to:*Immortal Beloved, the name given by composer Ludwig van Beethoven to an unknown person in a famous love letter.*Immortal Beloved , a 1994 film about the life of Beethoven....
and Beethoven." The Musical Quarterly 81/2, 1997, pp. 190–198.
Music
- The Orchestra: London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, conducted by Georg SoltiGeorg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
- Instrumental soloists
- Murray PerahiaMurray PerahiaMurray Perahia KBE is an American concert pianist and conductor.-Early life:Murray Perahia was born in the Bronx borough of New York City to a family of Sephardi Jewish origin. According to the biography on his Mozart piano sonatas CD, his first language was Judaeo-Spanish or, Ladino. The family...
- Murray Perahia
(in order of appearance)
- Symphony No 5, Op. 67.
- Für Elise (complete).
- Symphony No 3 In E-Flat Major Op.55 Eroica.
- Piano Sonata No 14, Moonlight: Adagio Sostenuto.
- Symphony No 6, Op. 68, Pastoral: Storm.
- Piano Trio No 5 In D Major, Op. 70, No 1 Ghost.
- Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61.
- Piano Sonata No 8, Pathetique.
- Piano Concerto No 5, Emperor (love theme, ending credits).
- Missa Solemnis: Kyrie.
- Symphony No 7, Op. 92: Allegretto (Karl's theme)
- Violin Sonata In A Major, Op. 47, Kreutzer: Adagio sostenuto- Presto.
- Symphony No 9, Op 125: Ode to Joy.
Reception
Critical reaction for Immortal Beloved was mixed. From the 31 reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, reviews tended towards the positive, with an overall approval rating of 58%. Of Rotten Tomatoes' "top critics", however, Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
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". Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
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".
In 2011, Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
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."