Immortal Beloved (1994)

Director:

Bernard Rose

Writer (WGA):

Bernard Rose (written by)

Release Date:

6 January 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Music | Romance

Tagline:

The genius behind the music. The madness behind the man. The untold love story of Ludwig von Beethoven.

Plot:

The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. Beside all the work he is known for, the composer...

Plot Keywords:

Beethoven | Last Will | Love Letter | Composer | Letter

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Ludwig van Beethoven
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Anton Felix Schindler
Isabella Rossellini	...	Anna Marie Erdödy
Johanna ter Steege	...	Johanna Reiss
Marco Hofschneider	...	Karl van Beethoven
Miriam Margolyes	...	Nanette Streicherová
Barry Humphries	...	Clemens Metternich
Valeria Golino	...	Giulietta Guicciardi
Gerard Horan	...	Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven
Christopher Fulford	...	Kaspar Anton Carl van Beethoven
Alexandra Pigg	...	Therese Obermayer
Luigi Diberti	...	Franz Josef Guicciardi
Michael Culkin	...	Jakob Hotscevar
Donal Gibson	...	Karl Holz
Matthew North	...	Young Karl van Beethoven

Also Known As:

Ölümsüz sevgi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Amada inmortal (Argentina) [es]
Amata immortale (Italy) [it]
Amor inmortal (Spain) [es]
Athanati agapimeni (Greece) [el]
Halhatatlan kedves (Hungary) [hu]
Ikuinen rakkaus (Finland) [fi]
Ludwig van B. (France) [fr]
Ludwig van B. (Germany) [de]
Ludwig van B. - Meine unsterbliche Geliebte (Germany) [de]
Min odödliga kärlek (Sweden) [sv]
Nehynoucí láska (Czech Republic) [cs]
Nesmrtno ljubljena (Slovenia) [sl]
Paixão Imortal (Portugal) [pt]
Sonate au clair de lune (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:14A | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Kromeríz, Czech Republic

Company:

Icon Entertainment International

Trivia:

Anthony Hopkins was the original choice to play Beethoven.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The grave shown at the end of the movie is neither Beethoven's grave as it was in 1827 at Währing cemetery nor it is after 1888 when his remains was moved to Zentralfriedhof. It is similar but it is missing the harp golden emblem on the middle of the obelisk, near the top, a serpent emblem of eternity, enclosing a butterfly.

Quotes:

Ludwig van Beethoven: [completely deaf, he is watching musicians perform his "Kreutzer" violin sonata] I can't hear them, but I know that they are making a hash of it.

Movie Connections:

References Citizen Kane (1941)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

A favorite

This is one of my all-time favorite movies! I thought the music was well done, and I don't understand the criticisms I've read in this forum at all. The central idea of the movie is just one man's theory of who the "immortal beloved" was. No one knows who it actually was, and most theories I've read disagree with the film. No matter! I thought the premise was interesting, whether or not is was true. What was factual is that Beethoven WAS grouchy (wouldn't you be if you couldn't hear but music was your passion, your life??), and that he had digestive problems. Also factual was that he won custody of his nephew, Karl, and that his relationship with his brother's wife was antagonistic. The other people (countess Erdody, Schindler, etc) were factual people...of course any script written would have to put words in their mouths...big deal. I guess some people just are passionate about what their idea of the truth is (even though NO ONE KNOWS in this case) that they are blinded to the rest. The director is a Beethoven fanatic, and I found this movie to be a loving portrayal. Gary Oldman was absolutely fantastic! He learned to play the piano (spent months doing it) in order to be authentic. Thumbs WAY up on this one.