Such a frustrating disappointment

Did you people see the same film I saw?

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

"-Music is... a dreadful thing. What is it? I don't understand it. What does it mean? - It - it exalts the soul. - Utter nonsense. If you hear a marching band, is your soul exalted? No, you march. If you hear a waltz, you dance. If you hear a mass, you take communion. It is the power of music to carry one directly into the mental state of the composer. The listener has no choice. It is like hypnotism. So, now... What was in my mind when I wrote this? Hmm? A man is trying to reach his lover. His carriage has broken down in the rain. The wheels stuck in the mud. She will only wait so long. This... is the sound of his agitation."After 23 years of being released it still amazes me!! This beautiful underrated film, and still one of my top ten movies ever.. Each and every time I watch Immortal Beloved it astonishes me by its great soundtracks - Beethoven's most gorgeous music of course such as Kreutzer sonata, Pathétique sonata, Moonlight sonata, Ode to Joy in the Ninth Symphony and much more -, its lovely atmosphere, its smooth way of storytelling, its good choice of casting and the positives of this movie are endless.... No one in this movie claims that it is the real story of Beethoven, but anyway there was indeed a letter was written by Beethoven to his anonymous lover and so the movie is just giving us a possibility, no one is saying that it's a fact what we saw in the movie, but is it possible?! Is it possible that a letter never reached its destination caused this huge misunderstanding? Is it possible to love in such a strong way? Is it possible to bury your love for all those years but not being able to kill it deep inside of you? Well for a man like Beethoven who could write such an incredible music without hearing a single note of it, I would say everything is possible... In the end of the movie you can't do anything but to put yourself in Beethoven's shoes and see the things from his point of view - which is I am telling you so bloody hard and painful- but you have to do it and that will simply make you a better human being with more sympathy and more understanding toward others... I can't talk about Immortal Beloved without mentioning the greatest actor ever walked on Earth -I don't know about other planets- Gary Oldman the one and only actor who would let you meet Beethoven himself, Mr. Oldman is such an outstanding actor and all his performances are brilliant like Sid Vicious, George Smiley, Jackie Flannery, Shelly Runyon, Lee Harvey Oswald, Norman Stansfield, Drexl Spivey and Milton Glenn..... But him playing Beethoven will always be the performance that took and still takes my breath away!! He literally brought Beethoven from death to life with all his emotions, passion and fantasy. Gary Oldman allowed us all to feel Beethoven's agitation!!!

Beethoven's life, music and unfair destiny should have been enough to create a marvelous drama. What we received is nothing, but a sticky mud, that devours every promising material, then throws them up and expects us to be amazed. This movie failed on many level and it serves as a perfect dishonorable example on the "how NOT to make a biography movie" list.Immortal Beloved tried to capture Beethoven's legacy from the wrong aspect. During it's 2 hour run-time, it wasn't able to present Beethoven's life, personality, music, disorder, so basically anything. Being an aggressive and obnoxious prick without a reason (deafness is petty one just by itself) doesn't consider to be a comprehensive representation of the biggest composers of the 19th century.We don't see the real reasons of his furious hate and rage towards everyone, we don't see the creating process of his music, we don't even see the phases of his deafness, nothing. The story pays way too much attention to Bethoven's love life, which is definitely not what the audience wants to see, moreover the final "twist" does not make any sense.I wanted to see his extraordinary composing ability, the way he turns simple notes into a stunningly beautiful catchy melody. I wanted to see his fight against the undefeatable opponent that appeared in form of a sickness. I wanted to see the composer, who was able to create incredible music without hearing a single note. What did I get? A poorly written and presented love square that can't live up to the expectations of anyone, who is interested in any kind of drama. Where are the trademarks of Bethoven? Where is passion, obsession or commitment? Where the hell is music at all?Just to be fair, there were a few things that didn't smell like rotten camelshit. Gary Oldman proved once again that he is a marvelous actor, who should get more recognition from the industry. Despite the poorly written script and his unbearable character, he delivered a great performance and he was the only one, who at least showed a spark of endeavor. It's agonizing to witness that Oldman could have brought Beethoven to life, but he didn't receive the basic support, which would have been necessary to play the role as it meant to be played. The final concert (Ode to Joy) was assembled kinda good, and the scene where he plays on piano without noticing the two unwanted spectators was a great moment as well. Unfortunately, these two scenes are just two small drops of rain in the desert of disappointment.I do not want to be a wise-ass, but Amadeus is a much more valuable representation of a composer's life (even considering the fact that it wasn't really about Mozart). Just showing the misery of becoming deaf could have made a good movie just by itself, but they didn't take advantage of this at all. A good director with a well written script might have made something memorable of this extremely talented composer, but Immortal Beloved is clearly a failed attempt, that represents NOTHING regarding Beethoven.

I don't give out 10 star reviews very often, but this film is one of my very favorites - and not just because I'm a huge fan of Beethoven (because this film is about something much larger than Beethoven). This is a romantic tragedy on one level - and a real tear-jerker - but it is also brings to life the composer's times and the many fascinating people who surrounded him. The story is surprising on many levels and rises far above the typical movie about great composers. This movie is a great movie in its own right - from the script, to the acting, the cinematography (absolutely gorgeous), the directing, the camera work, and of course the music which is used naturally and to great effect. This is perhaps Gary Oldman's very best movie (and that's saying a lot, because he is, of course, a brilliant actor and great chameleon, able to play any kind of role) - you really believe you're watching Beethoven himself. And Jeroen Krabbe is incredible, too - what a moving performance he puts in as Beethoven's loving assistant. Isabella Rosellini puts in a fabulous performance, too, (perhaps her best) as does Johanna ter Steege. (If you didn't think Isabella was a fine actress because of her sometimes dubious choice of roles, you have to see her in this movie! Her mother would be proud.) Aside from biographical surprises, too, there are historical surprises you'll learn in this film - realities not brought out in those old history books you read in school. You'll find yourself recommending this film to all of your friends and relatives and wanting to see it again and again over the years. If you don't realize how great an actor Gary Oldman is yet, you must see this film.

After Beethoven died, love letters he had written to his "Immortal Beloved" were discovered. The name of the Immortal Beloved was not included in the letters. That all makes sense.However, in this film what is found is not letters but a will - in which Beethoven leaves his estate to his Immortal Beloved, but does not tell anyone who she is. Does that make sense to anyone? If he really wanted to leave her his estate, wouldn't it have occurred to him that it maybe it might have been a good idea to identify her by name?Are we supposed to think we was an idiot? Are we, perhaps, supposed to think he wrote the will while suffering from dementia? I can't think of any other reason why he would make a bequest to someone he declined to identify.