Watch Immortal Beloved For Free

Really Surprised!

Great Film overall

Captivating movie !

The first must-see film of the year.

I was very much looking forward to this, i always watch with an open mind and enthusiasm. That enthusiasm slowly waned, i found this one of those films were i kept asking myself " Did i miss something? ". I thought maybe it would start when Beethoven was younger, no it did not, well ok. There seemed to be lots of gaps and things left unexplained or left to your imagination, ah but i hear you say, that was the whole point of the film!. The acting was good but the storyline was trite.

I've been looking for this film for quite some time and finally found a copy on DVD. I absolutely love the style of this film. The costumes, the buildings, the interiors is superb and really captures the Vienna of that era. I found a few flaws in this film. For some reason I couldn't follow the plot at the beginning. The girls goes to a concert given by the maestro,, and yet goes into another room and there is Beethoven! Turns out the guy playing the piano was not him, however the actors looks so similar I found it odd. This happened a few times in this film for me.. maybe it's just me. Also there are quite a few historical points that are not accurate. Beethoven was only 57 when he died. But the death bed scene at the beginning makes him like like he is well into his eighties. He wasn't that old. Also, one of the early scenes when he was still quite young hand him placing his ear on the piano just to hear the notes. But he wasn't that deaf at such a young age. His hearing was failing but far from being profoundly deaf. The story line is totally fictitious, which is fine. No one knows who the real immortal beloved was although there are some good guesses. It doesn't matter though, it is still a great story. Also, they try to explain that he was such a miserable person because of his hearing. But notes from the time simply explain he wasn't a pleasant guy to be around. All in all though, I thought this was a terrific period piece of exceptional production values, directing and performances. I wish they made more movies like this.

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.

There is a LOT of mixture of the film's mythology about Beethoven, just as there was between fantasy (often promulgated by Ludwig himself!) and reality.First of all, he was NOT regarded as the "gigantic musical genius" that we think he was today. Next to Mozart...or even Haydn, he was seen as an insufferable boor, a self-obsessed whacko and vain beyond belief, not to mention cruel to anyone and everyone and unhygienic, even for THOSE days! Yes, I used to worship him in college, but that is what college girls DO, until they a) listen to his boring, long-winded string quartets and/or b) travel to SALZBURG, Austria, to see where the real master lived, work and whence he launched his true immortal music into the world.Unlike Beethoven, Mozart never had to "slave" over anything; one of the best parts of the deeply flawed (yet STILL great!) film "Amadeus" was that Mozart really DID write, "as if he was taking dictation" and furthermore, could really, truly conduct a symphony, while writing another in his head! It's just that Salieri never said that.Mozart's only "flaws" were remarkably similar to those of a later, great U.S. President, William Jefferson Clinton: those of the flesh...and let's face i: if you are NOT a Repressed Republican...WHO CARES??! Yes, Beethoven was crude, sexist, and even misogynistic, not to mention conceited. Let's just say that after bathing in the music of BOTH these "Titans" all summer, I came away with Mozart in my soul...and Beethoven between my teeth (As I'm sure he meant it to be!).Let's face it: he NEVER went out of his way to pleas ANYONE (personally--I'm sure he WOULD have if he's been a U.S. president!)...and did Mozart one better in alienating anyone who could have helped him (Mozart at least hung on to a couple of patrons).In my opinion, Beethoven is for GUYS, like Mars. Mozart is for women and more enlightened guys, like Venus (or Dionysus...or for compulsive gamblers!).Wolfi...you were SO right about that dolt, Ludwig! Let's put it to rest with the assessment of a contemporary, the esteemed Franz Joseph Haydn. He told Mozart's FATHER that his son was "the best composer known to him" and that he had "Taste and style". He said very little about poor Ludwig. I'd feel sorry for the jerk if he wasn't such a...well...JERK! (OH...and a lesser musician).