Rating: 
Summary: Who really was Beethoven?
Review: A moving, visual masterpiece, but a little hard to follow. Also, the movie makers took some obvious liberties as far as telling the true story. Still, Oldman's acting, over the top as usual, is well done in the title role. Isabella Rosellini is also excellent. A little on the disturbing side (scenes of a young Beethoven's abuse at the hands of his alcoholic father) but very touching. And, the soundtrack, of course, is great.
Rating: 
Summary: Immortal Bliss!
Review: This movie is slow but large, fufilling yet thought provoking, and completely BEETHOVEN. Sir George Solti(my personal favorite conductor) does a wonderful job of recreating BEE's music with unbridled energy. Solti seems to have a romantic grip on the thoughts and passions of the composer as he directs the orchestra to fierociously bring a refreshing sense of speed and perfection to the standard set forth by Beethoven...especially in the excerpt from the 7th Symphony which plays while Karl Van Beethoven half-heartedly attempts to kill himself. The movie itself (plot) was built around the actual music of the genius(and I'm sure most of it is pure Hollywood). This movie has won my heart over...I've seen it several times! It's a mystery, a drama, a comedy, an......experience. A must see for anyone!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent music and story line
Review: For those who enjoy a good suspense movie, with WONDERFUL music, this is one you want to purchase. My wife, who falls asleep at the mention of "movie," not only stayed awake, but enjoyed the movie enough to watch it three times!! She also purchased this for our library. OK, this is the best rating of all -- NO Z's. And no, we aren't sleepless!
Rating:
Summary: Passionate, heart-wrenching
Review: I am not (yet) enough of a "Beethovenophile" to know how much of this story is accurate and how much is creative license, but regardless, it makes a beautiful story. Beethoven (Gary Oldman) is a difficult genius whose appeal to women is legendary, even in his own time. Even then, his music was considered too intense for many -- especially young women who were sometimes overcome (even fainting) when hearing it. The title comes from a letter written by Beethoven, addressed to his "Immortal Beloved," which never reached its intended reader -- the story is told in flashbacks, as his friend and secretary, Anton Schindler, attempts to find the woman (narrowed down to three possibilities, the most compelling of whom is played by Isabella Rosselini) to whom Beethoven had written the letter and left his estate.It is at this point that I don't know how accurate the details of the movie are -- if the ending is, in fact, the truth, it explains the tragic rationale behind Beethoven's fury and cruelties. END
Rating:
Summary: Beloved Beethoven: The Film That Oscar Missed
Review: In 1994, British director Bernard Rose released "Immortal Beloved". The full-length film is now on DVD, with commentary by the director, trailers for the film, a documentary on the real life of composer Ludwig Van Beethoven and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. It's a must have for fans of the film, which had a following mostly of music lovers or history buffs. I want to convince you that this film is Oscar worthy for Best Picture or Best Actor (Gary Oldman as Beethoven). Or it could have at least won Best Costumes. It's a terrific film that the 1995 Oscars neglected. The Academy failed to see the powerful drama of this film. It's a work of art. I don't understand how if Amadeus, a film about the fictional account of Mozart and Salieri, two music composers, could win Best Picture in 1984 (only 10 years before Immortal Beloved) why did they ignore the Oscar potential of this movie ? And Gary Oldman truly deserved recognition for his work as Beethoven. I believe that year, Tom Hanks won Best Actor for Forrest Gump, a good performance as well but Gary Oldman truly deserved it more in my opinion. Oldman (from 1992's Dracula) is a veteran British film star with many American films to his credit, an excellent actor and captivating screen presence. As Beethoven, he truly transformed himself into the very essence of Beethoven himself. Not only does he physically and anatomically look like a Beethoven brought to life on the screen, but his acting was able to tap into the spirit of Beethoven's personality. He is mercurial, he is intense, he is passionate, he is tormented, he is romantic and gentle. The film seems to indicate that Beethoven's deafness was due to the beatings his abusive father gave him as a boy. His escape of the trauma inspired his greatest work of music- the revolutionary Ninth Symphony. Like Amadeus, some of the film is fiction and fabricated simply for the sake of drama or plot. But a lot of it is true to the time of Beethoven (early 19th century 1800-1820's) and some portions remain accurate to Beethoven's career as a composer. The mysterious Immortal Beloved was true. Love letters to this Immortal Beloved were found upon Beethoven's death and to this day there are different theories on who the enigmatic lover must have been. 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.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not Beethoven....
Review: Beethoven is one of my favorite composers. I took an extensive Music Course dedicated to this fantastic composer. As much as I like Gary Oldman's acting, I could barely watch this film. This is not his life, this woman was not his love, this is NOT Beethoven. Watch Amadeus if you want to see a great film about a great composer. Another reviewer wrote that Beethoven deserves the same treatment as Mozart got in Amadeus. He absolutely does. He was a tremendous man, complex and misunderstood, but beloved by the ALL of Europe by the time of his death. His memory still awaits a film dedicated to his real life and tumultuous, brilliant, disturbed life.
Better spend your time watching something else.
Rating: 
Summary: True to the spirit
Review: Whether or not you buy this film's premise as to who Ludwig van Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved" is, one can not help being swept up in the passion and genius of this, one of history's greatest musical masterminds. Historians may debate this Bernard Rose interpretation of Beethoven's life -- in fact, most contend the composer may never have known the love of a woman -- but Rose and actor Gary Oldman do an outstanding job of showing the passions and depth of emotion of this often tortured man, struggling with deafness, who funneled his tempestuos spirit into every note of every composition. Immortal Beloved is not as grandiose a film as Amadeus, but manages to reveal the spirit of Beethoven through the unravelling of a mystery -- the composer's last will and testament and it's reference to an unknown "Immortal Beloved." As Beethoven's close friend embarks on a search for the mysterious love, the composer's life is revealed, bit by bit, with the maestro's music following in step as the film's soundtrack. All in all, an inspiring film that is true to the spirit of a man whose music grew in greatness as his world around him faded into silence.
Rating:
Summary: Great actor, awful plot.
Review: Honesetly speaking, I love this film only because I am a great fan of Gary Oldman. His performance is powerful and adorable, and you will be helplessly fallen in love with HIS Beethoven. Yet, back to the movie and the plot... Hm. You have to admit, you just don't know why people would like to romanticise historical figure and make a great artist to be a character in those soap opera. Hm. No offense but this movie, to a certain extent, make things so superficial. The psychological twist of Beethoven's immortal beloved is omitted- everything was then become so awkward, and I can't help wondering whether or not shall I continue the movie~ Just watch the performance of Gary, and forget everything about the plot. Sigh.
Rating:
Summary: This movie is about something but not Beethoven
Review: I never thought I would see a topless woman in a film about a classical music composer, but there she was in "Immortal Beloved", with her assets clearly on display while a Beethoven piano concerto sounded over the visual scene. This, I think, sums up my opinion about this film: it is more pornography than art, more about the director's vision than about Beethoven, who did indeed have an "immortal beloved". It's not just the porn that defeats this movie. The history portrayed in this film is nonsense. Virtually nothing is correct. Gary Oldham is an actor with little range whose career has been constructed around a number of poor, cheesy films, of which this is one. He was a terrible choice to play Beethoven, who was 5-foot 5-inches tall, had a fiery, miserable disposition, and was a misanthrope. Oldham, who is 6-feet tall, played the Titan like he was Franz Lizst, a playboy from 1850. For the record, by 1850 Beethoven had been dead 23 years! There is one scene in this film, at the end, where Oldham -- playing the young Beethoven -- falls in a pond and the camera scans upward toward the heavens as Beethoven's "Emperor" concerto is being played. This is the one fulfilling moment in this otherwise incredibly poor film. I remember the production values being fine, so it deserves a star for that. I heard a lot of complaining about Ken Russell's movie about Tchaikovsky, "The Music Lovers", but at least there Russell got the music right and included it in the movie with scintillating scenes of the 1st Piano Concerto and Swan Lake ballet. This one doesn't even give the viewer the benefit of a music video by Ludwig van. Pity that, for it would have given us a reason to watch. As it is, anyone that wants to know anything about Beethoven should avoid this abomination.
Rating:
Summary: Oldman Film - Always A Good Idea
Review: This film has everything I love in it. Beautiful music, beautiful costuming, beautiful locations, beautiful performances, a wonderful screenwriter and director. No one can really complain about the few inaccuracies and yes flaws in this film surely. It amazes me how there can be so many people disappointed in this regard. If you need absolute accuracy, watch a documentary or read a history book. I love films based on real people and events, and I don't mind that there are things "made up" in these films. After all, no one was "there" to repeat dialogue word for word. There must be a lot of fill-in material and you just hope you'll be lucky enough to have someone like Gary Oldman chosen to play the starring role. If you do, you cannot go wrong. You must enjoy period pieces as well as classical music however to enjoy this film.
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