Immortal Beloved

Buy This Item Immortal Beloved by Sony Pictures  Available from Amazon  $8.49  on 11-14-2008     This sumptuous and moving 1994 film written and directed by Bernard Rose (<I>Candyman</I>) investigates the artistic and romantic passions of one of the greatest composers of all time. Featuring a superb performance by Gary Oldman (<I>Sid and Nancy</I>) as Ludwig van Beethoven, <I>Immortal Beloved</I> is full of uncommonly vivid, rich imagery as it charts the tumultuous life of the deaf child prodigy and his rise to the height of musical achievement. Along the way, he attempts to play mentor to his nephew, attend to his many passionate romances--the most stable one was with a countess (Isabella Rossellini)--and fight bouts of depression and madness that ruled his life and his art. The film is framed around a "Rosebud"-type letter found after the composer's death that makes up the crux of the story. Jeroen Krabbé (<I>The Fugitive</I>), playing Beethoven's lifelong friend, attempts to discover who Beethoven's muse really was, becoming as driven as his friend in discovering the unlikely identity of the composer's "immortal beloved." Through this we gain an insight into the nature of obsession, romance, and the heights and sacrifices of artistic achievement. The film exhibits some extraordinary sound design, and the finale features a magical encapsulation of Beethoven's life and loves set to his "Ode to Joy." As an exciting and passionate journey, <I>Immortal Beloved</I> is its own masterpiece. <I>--Robert Lane</I> Reader Reviews First and foremost, I am a huge Beethoven fan and a lover of all great classical music. This may be part of the reason that I was dissapointed by Immortal Beloved. This film does not at all capture the fact that Beethoven was one of the greatest geniuses in all of human history. The film also provides no insight at all into his compositional method and doesn't succesfully convey the beauty of his music. I think that a major motion picture based on the life of Beethoven should have an obligation to show non-fans of classical music why Beethoven was so great. This film fails at doing that. The film Amadeus, by comparrison, makes people want to learn about and listen to classical music. On top of these flaws, this film is also boring at times, and the story is very hard to follow. I would only reccomend watching this film if There is nothing else better in your collection.

Immortal Beloved Available from Amazon Price: $8.49 Updated on 11-14-2008.

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