Immortal Beloved (1994)

When Ludwig van Beethoven dies, his assistant and close friend Schindler deals with his last will and testament. It reads that his estate, music and affairs will be left to his "immortal beloved," but there remains a question as to who is Beethoven's "immortal beloved," an unnamed woman mentioned in one of his letters. Schindler embarks on a quest to find out and meets the women who he knew had played a part in Ludwig's life.

Immortal Beloved (1994)

Schindler next meets Anna-Marie Erdödy, who took Beethoven in after becoming outraged with the audience mocking him at a poor performance, as the composer, now completely deaf, had become unable to properly conduct the orchestra. Anna-Marie's young son is killed during Napoleon's attack on Vienna and Beethoven comforts her in her grief, leading to a love affair, but she denies being his "immortal beloved."

Schindler discovers that Beethoven's great love was Johanna, and that Karl, conceived before her marriage, is actually his son, not his nephew. They had intended to elope, but Beethoven was delayed and wrote the "immortal beloved" letter to Johanna to let her know. However, Johanna never received it and, believing Beethoven had abandoned her, left and married his brother instead. Both feeling betrayed, their love grew to hate. Johanna tells Schindler that when she saw the performance of his ninth symphony, she was moved to forgive him and ultimately made peace with him on his deathbed, where he gave her a signed letter, giving her custody over Karl.

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 among scholars and writers as to her identity. Among the candidates, then and now, are Giulietta Guicciardi, Thérèse von Brunsvik, Josephine Brunsvik, Antonie Brentano, and Anna-Marie Erdödy, some of whom are portrayed in the film.

Thefilm unfolds like a biographical puzzle. Beethoven after his death left aletter addressed to his "immortal beloved," with no hint as to whothat person was. As a last testament this document may have been faulty, but asa biographical puzzle it was a masterstroke, inspiring two centuries of feveredspeculations, of which this film is the latest and most romantic. I doubt Rosehas solved the puzzle of the unnamed beloved, but I care not, because he hasdone something more valuable: He has created a fantasy about Beethoven thatevokes the same disturbing, ecstatic passion we hear in his music.

Thefilm opens with Schindler (Jeroen Krabbe), Beethoven's confidante, beginning asearch for the immortal beloved. As he visits first one and then anotherpossible source of information, it is impossible not to be reminded of thehapless reporter who sought the meaning of "Rosebud" in "CitizenKane." As he visits the important women in Beethoven's life, we seeflashbacks to the composer's disorderly and precarious existence, and we hearmusic, magnificent music.

Unusualfor the director of a musical biography, Rose has paid as much attention to themusic as to the biography. Most biopics about classical composers dredge upobscure, low-rent recordings of the music. Not this one. The film's musicalsupervisor is Sir Georg Solti, conducting the London Orchestra, with soloistssuch as Murray Perahia and Yo-Yo Ma. If there are moments when we doubtBeethoven was thinking exactly these images as he composed, there are otherswhen the momentum of the story takes over, and we identify with a torturedgenius whose deafness cut him off from the immortal sounds he was giving tomankind.

A chronicle of the life of infamous classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven and his painful struggle with hearing loss. Following Beethoven's death in 1827, his assistant, Schindler, searches for an elusive woman referred to in the composer's love letters as "immortal beloved." As Schindler solves the mystery, a series of flashbacks reveal Beethoven's transformation from passionate young man to troubled musical genius.

The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. Beside all the work he is known for, the composer once wrote a famous love letter to a nameless beloved and the movie tries to find out who this beloved was. Not easy as Beethoven has had many women in his life. 041b061a72