Immortal Beloved (Deluxe Edition)

Bernard Rose's film Immortal Beloved portrays the tumultuous life of the musical genius
Ludwig Van Beethoven and he does so quite beautifully. The film opens with Beethoven's
funeral in March 29, 1827. His assistant and friend Anton Felix Schindler (Jeroen Krabbe) is
attempting to settle Beethoven's affairs, his Last Will and Testament. He holds a letter addressed
only to an Immortal Beloved, with it he sets out to find this mysterious woman who is to be the
sole heir to Beethoven's fortune.
The film tells of three women whom Beethoven was involved with, the first being Giulietta
Guicciardi (Valeria Golino) whom he schooled in piano for a short time and was engaged to be
married to. Their relationship ended after her father's intrusion caused an act of betrayal. The
second was Johanna Reiss (Johanna Ter Steege) Beethoven's immortal beloved. They met when
they were younger while she was involved with his brother Caspar. One night Johanna was to

meet Beethoven at a hotel, he was to arrive much later than expected so he sent a letter to her
informing her of this and of his tremendous love for her. She never received the letter and left the
hotel, heartbroken and lonely. Upon his arrival and discovery of her absence Beethoven went into
a rage. This terrible miscommunication caused Johanna to marry his brother Caspar and have a
son, Karl Van Beethoven whom was actually Ludwig's son. Johanna and Beethoven were both
aware of this. Beethoven's life began to decline after the dissolution of their relationship. He
sought to harm Johanna and after the death of his brother he was eventually successful in
obtaining guardianship of their son in a corrupt court. Beethoven ceased composing and was
determined in transforming Karl into a virtuoso. His son grew to hate him.
Schindler discovers through Beethoven's third lover, Anna Marie Erdody (Isabella
Rossellini) that Johanna is Beethoven's immortal beloved. It is from this point that the finest part
of the film begins. Johanna's realization and reading of Beethoven's letter and the memories of
him are superbly portrayed in this final piece of the story. It is clear the many women that were in
awe of this enigmatic man were in love with his incredible passion.
The production values are excellent in particular the music (of course), costumes and
direction. It was filmed in the Czech Republic and the many great shots show the country's
beauty. One particularly extraordinary shot displays Beethoven sitting on the hotel bed looking
out a storm-filled window he had smashed in a rage just moments before. This shot is completely
Gothic in style and it suggests the passion he held in his heart for Johanna. Another amazing
scene shows Beethoven at what is to be his final performance of his "Symphony number nine-Ode
to Joy". He is thinking of his childhood and his abusive father's drunken rages at him. Young
Beethoven would escape through his bedroom window onto the roof and run through the
moon-lit countryside to a pond where he would set himself afloat and disappear into the starry
night. The end of the scene is shown from an aerial view and eventually looks as though he is
floating in space amongst a gigantic sea of stars. This is extremely illustrative in showing how
Beethoven escaped (both physically and mentally) the painful childhood he experienced due to his
maniacal father who often thrashed him so hard that it caused his hearing to deteriorate and would
eventually lead to his permanent deafness later in his life. When Johanna begins to read
Beethoven's letter to her it is shown from outside a window. Schindler is outside and the camera
moves forward stopping just outside the window, we see Johanna crying as Beethoven's voice is
heard reciting the letter. This shot is excellent in its depiction of Johanna's sadness.
The costumes are wonderful, in particular the beautifully colored dresses and gowns the
women are adorned in. Beethoven's music is heard almost continuously throughout the film and
it compliments the scenes extremely well without diluting the narrative.
Overall, Immortal Beloved is a stunning piece of work. Rose's moments of directorial
brilliance and very solid characterization (you felt their pain, particularly Johanna's) are effective
in communicating to the viewer the disparity (due to the social statuses) and sadness, the mystery
and romance and most of all the passion that seemed to thrive in the hearts of so many people
during the Romantic period.

The film opens with Beethoven's death. Beethoven, frail and pointing towards heaven as lightning strikes, takes his final breath. This is reportedly true by an eyewitness account of the time. Afte his funeral, Jerome Krobbe's character and Beethoven's brother decide to investigate who the Immortal Beloved was by digging up as much information on the women he loved in his life. They encounter that there are three "suspects"- a divorced Countess with children (Isabella Rossalini in a great performance), Beethoven's brother's wife, or a beautiful piano student of his. The lush cinematography and vibrant location- the film was shot on location in Beethoven's native Austria- enhances the milieu of the film and it's gorgeous to look at. Authentic costumes is another superb element of the film. The scenes of Napoleon's invasion of Vienna are historically accurate as well. Beethoven and Napoleon were contemporaries and initially, tricked by Napoleon's propaganda, Beethoven believed that Napoleon's government was going to open up doors of opportunities for equal rights in a new Enlightenment. But Napoleon's promises were false and he crowned himself Emperor and his reign was totalitarian. This upset Beethoven so much that he tore off the dedication to Napoleon from his Third Symphony (Eroica).

The final portions of the film are probably the best. Beethoven, approaching old age, has trouble with his nephew Karl, who attempts suicide at one point, and is still pining over the woman he loved but could not have. Especially fatalistic was the lost encounter between the two during a rainstorm at a hotel. This is also taken straight from letters that were found and are true to Beethoven's life. Beethoven composes his final symphony- the Ninth- as he remembers his tragic childhood. He conducts the Ninth himself, eventhough he is much older, and dazzles the Vienna public with a bold new creation- the symphony with a chorus (the Ode to Joy). The film uses the music from the symphony very dramatically and effectively, visually and score-wise in the soundtrack. The soundtrack is also available on Amazon.com and is a must buy if you loved the all-Beethoven program featured in the film- his Eroica Symphony, the Moonlight Piano Sonata, The Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, The Kreutzer Violin Sonata and the Emperor Piano Concerto No. 5, which is used brilliantly as the film closes. Beethoven's Immortal Beloved reads the letter that Beethoven wrote to her on the occassion of that fateful night at the hotel, becomes emotional and visits the tomb of Beethoven. This was the actual tomb of Beethoven in Austria that is seen in the film. This film is worth watching time and again, is perfect for music appreciation courses and as already mentioned, a film that cries Oscars but that Oscar was blind to.