Immortal Beloved (Bernard Rose, 1994): UK/USA

Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy. Viewed on DVD.

There is a sub-genre to the traditional musical and it is the composer bio-pic such as Charles Vidor’s A Song To Remember (1945) or more recently Milos Forman’s Amadeus (1984).  These films do not employ singing and dancing to draw an audience into the story, but rely heavily on the composer’s music to affect the audience’s emotions. 

Since not all musicals are created equal there are some that have fallen in the cracks of film history.  Immortal Beloved is one such film.   It is however a moving portrait of the life of Ludwig Van Beethoven set entirely to his music, with Gary Oldman bringing to life this enigmatic genius.

Many will remember Oldman from the highly over-rated Christopher Nolan Batman films or the equally commercial Harry Potter films, but it is Oldman’s sensitive interpretation which makes this film so unique, yet under-rated.

Upon Beethoven’s death a note was discovered in his personal papers addressed to his “immortal beloved.”  The plot of the film involves Beethoven’s friend and personal secretary Anton Schindler  played by Jeroen Krabbe, who sets out on a quest to discover the composer’s true love.  There were several women involved in Beethoven’s life, one of which is Countess Erdody portrayed by Isabella Rossellini, who brings her own special warmth to the role.

According to the film Beethoven suffered an abusive father, he cared for his younger siblings, and was subjected to cruelty.  He was hard of hearing at a young age, which eventually led to deafness, and like all geniuses was grossly misunderstood.

There are many flashbacks as Beethoven is described from various character’s perspective.  The finale of the film is equally  triumphant and heartbreaking, and appropriately edited to the piece Ode To Joy that’s not to be missed. 

Immortal Beloved was meticulously written and directed by Bernard Rose and released ten years after the enormous popularity of Amadeus, yet somehow was overlooked and forgotten.