The movie “Immortal Beloved” (written and directed by Bernard Rose) is a biography that chronicles the life of the infamous classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven, played by Gary Oldman, and his painful struggle with hearing loss. Following Beethoven's death in 1827, his assistant, Schindler (actor Jeroen Krabbe), 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 reveals Beethoven's transformation from passionate young man to troubled musical genius. In its search for the woman to whom Beethoven wrote his letter, "Immortal Beloved" narrows the field to three possibilities, each of some historical significance. Countess Giulietta Guicciardi (Valeria Golino) was the very young woman to whom Beethoven dedicated the "Moonlight" Sonata; Countess Anna Maria Erdody (actress Isabella Rossellini) met the composer very publicly by escorting him from the stage after his behavior during the first performance of the "Emperor" Concerto revealed his deafness, which he had long tried to hide. And lastly, Johanna Reiss (played by Johanna Ter Steege), was his sister-in-law, against whom he eventually brought suit to gain custody of his nephew, Karl (Actor Marco Hofschneider). Schindler visits each of the three women throughout the film in hopes of finding answers to the questions that Beethoven’s letters had arisen. The love letter that the film is centered upon is real… but it is still unknown as to who it is addressed to. So, the film is fictional in that aspect.
Beyond this, "Immortal Beloved" is mostly feeling: grand, turbulent emotions meant to shed light on the music's meaning. Among this film's most expressive sequences is a scene that accompanies the "Ode to Joy," with the aged Beethoven remembering the terrors of his boyhood and registering the all-embracing nature of great art. As the music thunders, a boy is seen running through the woods in his nightshirt, then immersing himself in a moonlit pond, finally disappearing into the reflection of the night sky. The image is wordless and yet it is the film's most serious and descriptive.
Ode to Joy is the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth and last Symphony. The German composer was increasingly aware of his declining health and spent seven years working on this symphony, starting the work in 1818 and finishing early in 1824. The symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire and is considered one of Beethoven's masterpieces. It is known as a choral symphony, because the symphony features vocals as well. The words, which are sung by four vocal soloists and a chorus, emanate a strong belief in mankind. They were taken from a poem written by German writer Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additions made by Beethoven. In the beginning of the song, the sound is smooth, with string instruments and vocal abscence. I believe this gives the piece a mysterious, intriguing tone. This explains why “Ode to Joy” was picked to be the musical score to Beethoven’s childhood flashback. At first, the audience has no idea of what exactly is going on. A young Ludwig sits near his bedroom window in pajamas, and sees a man, his father to be precise, assault a woman on the street below. As the piece progresses, Beethoven adds crescendo to give sudden movement. When the music picks up, so does the scene. The young child climbs out of his window and is running away from the man, who is coming up the stairs, with some sort of wooden stick, to find him. And he keeps running, fast, until he reaches a bank of water. At this point, the music is loud, almost cheery sounding, which gives a nice contrast to the darkness occuring in the movie itself. As Beethoven floats in the water, the brass and woodwind instruments crash, signaling the end of the piece and giving the viewers a sense of chaos and internal struggle while they watch the boy drift away.
Another piece that really stood out to me within “Immortal Beloved” is Moonlight Sonata. This beautiful piano piece made it’s appearance when Beethoven is deceived by the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi and her father. The countess desperately wants her father’s approval of Beethoven for marriage, but her father dislikes the young man because of his deafness. Therefore, she develops a plan. They leave the composer in an empty room with one piano, and hide behind a door. If Beethoven can produce music, then Giulietta’s father will approve of the marriage. After a few rough tries, he begins to play; softly, slowly, he leans down with his ear to the piano, as if the vibrations he feels replicate the notes inside his head. The Moonlight Sonata slowly rolls out. The scene ends when Beethoven storms out of the room after discovering that the Countess was watching him. This leaves one question: What was it about this piece that was so personal to him?
By taking a closer look into the composition and elements within Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven’s private thoughts and emotions are revealed. The entire first movement is played mostly pianissimo (quietly) and no louder than mezzo-forte (moderately loud); as Beethoven dictates, it should be played “as delicately as possible and without dampers.” This technique applied to the somber, ostinato triplets sets the mood and creates a deep, dream-like atmosphere. The depth of this atmosphere is then enhanced by the melody. The melody drops throughout the first movement. It produces a subtle sense of loneliness and desperation. Personally, I felt a sense of quiet, internal sadness whilst watching this scene in Immortal Beloved. It was like Beethoven was reading his diary out loud, feeling comfortable in this private moment. No wonder he was severely betrayed when the Countess and her father intruded on him.
Overall, I believe Immortal Beloved did an impeccable job thrusting viewers into the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. Many people tend to focus on who the love letter was about. In fact, many people believe that the purpose of this film was to uncover the identity of the composer’s long lost love. But, as was mentioned earlier, the movie was completely fictional in terms of relationships and true love. The people were real, but the stories were a bit fabricated. I believe that the true purpose of this musical movie was to accurately represent the struggle and turmoil Beethoven faced and consistently overcame. Although he hid it very well, Beethoven’s deafness is commonly known today. This movie did a tremendous job representing the heartbreaking reality of Beethoven’s life. He couldn’t hear his own life’s work. He was alone. He grew up in a hurting family.
I’ve always regarded Beethoven as one of the greatest composers and musicians of all time. But, until I watched this film, I had no idea what a musical genius he was. The plot was fictional, yes. But it allowed me to put a picture on the composer himself, along with a personality. The soundtrack to the movie added nearly all of the emotional aspects to the film. It made me feel. It made me feel for Beethoven. It was extremely succesful in allowing me to understand the life he lived.