Wow! Such a good movie.

Just perfect...

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

a portrait of Beethoven. a not ordinary one. because, at the first sigh, it is a sketch. in fact, it has the virtue to become, scene by scene, a confession. not exact about the life of a great composer but about his forms of solitude, vulnerability, generosity and fears. and, a good part of the fascination about the looking for the mysterious woman, who was the choice of Beethoven, has as root the beautiful performance of Gary Oldman. not surprising, sure. but convincing at whole. for small gestures and for the dialogues. for a Beethoven who escapes from the circle of legend. for a sort of romanticism who seems be so realistic than has the status of history lesson. because , in fact, Immortal Beloved is only the story of a man. and his right to happiness.

After the death of Ludwig van Beethoven (Gary Oldman) in 1827, Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) is tasked with dealing with his last will and testament. He leaves his estate to his "immortal beloved". Schindler sets off to find whoever this immortal beloved may be. He interviews Beethoven's love Giulietta Guicciardi (Valeria Golino), Anna-Marie Erdödy (Isabella Rossellini) as well as others. Johanna Reiss (Johanna ter Steege) is also his lover but she marries his brother Kaspar instead. She has Karl van Beethoven assumed to be Ludwig's son.Oldman is terrific in this luscious costume drama. Beethoven is portrayed as an arrogant bastard which Oldman plays beautifully. However, the plot lacks a certain tension. It depends on how interested one is about finding the identity of this immortal beloved. It doesn't really interest me. There is no denying the ability of Oldman and the beauty in the movie. This doesn't have the clarity of a straight forward biopic or the energy of an exciting plot.

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.

For me - Beethoven stands alone in his genre - especially for his time. Too many historians worry about minute details in a famous person's life - and discredit stories that take a more artistic approach to revealing something about that person.No one knows all there is to know about a man from the 18th and 19th centuries - especially about his inner soul and what drives him to brilliance and raging behavior. The idea that there could have been someone unknown is enticing, and the concept of a film telling about Beethoven through the eyes of others is not a new one, but a format that allows more flexibility. I personally am glad they took this approach. Character development was therefore much more interesting.Oldman's performance was brilliant - and as is often the case with Oldman - you come to feel you are really watching Beethoven. The other personalities also were developed well - and his music was shown in the context of his times - sometimes harsh (his father's beatings) - sometimes tumultuous (the Napoleonic Wars) - sometimes full of love ( the women in his life who did adore him), - and sometimes driven by personal disappointment and anger (the onset of deafness and possibly an unrequited love.....) Beethoven took music to the next level - adding emotion to the beauty and structure already employed by others..... Some are shocked when I say that he was like the Led Zeppelin of the 19th Century - evoking new responses from listeners then, and still one of the few classical composers that you can play for anyone today and they will say "WOW!". Even those who really aren't fans of this kind of music. That is why they chose the 9th Symphony to celebrate the new millennium in 2000 GLOBALLY. Beethoven is universal and timeless. The movie is a wonderful way of sharing a moment with the maestro.