“It is the power of music to carry one directly into the mental state of the composer.”
His mental state maybe wasn’t right, but his music was divine....

Gary Oldman's portrayal of Beethoven is terrific. Although, as the direct and actors acknowledge in the accompanying documentary, we will never know the exact history of this great musician. I find it amazing that he wrote "Ode to Joy" after becoming totally deaf. Although he was a genius who could hear the music in his mind while writing the scores, I found it especially poignant that he could write with such joy in the musical compositions. Kristi & Abby Tabby

"Immortal Beloved" is one of Gary Oldman's best performances and one of my favorite films. As Ludwig Von Beethoven he portrays more than a temperamental maestro, but a man who is isolated from the music he loves and the world around him because of his deafness, which explains his increasingly erratic behavior as he ages. The film may not be an accurate historical documentary on Beethoven's life, but it's engaging, beautifully filmed, and sexy without being smutty, not to mention the fact that Gary Oldman looks great in Napoleonic period clothing. If you enjoy historical romance with the best soundtrack imaginable then "Immortal Beloved" is for you!

Written and directed by Bernard Rose in 1994, this American-British docudrama follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Immortal Beloved addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers.
Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire interviewing women who might be potential candidates as well as through Beethoven's own tumultuous life.
After Beethoven's death in 1827, a three-part letter was found among his private papers addressed to a woman whom he called "immortal beloved".
Written in the summer of 1812 from the spa town of Teplice, the letter has generated a great deal of speculation and debate amongst scholars and writers as to her identity.
Among the candidates, then and now, are Giulietta Guicciardi, Thérèse von Brunswick, Josephine Brunsvik, Antonie Brentano, and Anna-Marie Erdödy, some of whom appear in the film.
The film's director, Bernard Rose, though not a historian, claimed that he had successfully identified the addressed woman.
Although no scholar on Beethoven has endorsed it, his claim seems to me quite convincing and more justifiable than mere fiction.

Beautiful! Exemplified Beethoven's genius to me, made it 3-D. His music came to life...romantic, endearing...informative. Gary Oldman, amazing.

maddening conjecture

Music is wonderful. Even today, I think of scenes in this movie when I hear Beethoven's music. Beautiful sets and costumes, great acting by Oldman (is there anything he can't do?). I gave it 4 stars because I don't buy the concept of an "immortal beloved," no matter how romantic the idea is.

Gave it two Starrs for the fine acting and the wonderful sets and costumes. Taht's about it. IT was very melodramatic and hard to follow. Maybe if you already know about the life of Beethoven this film would make sense, but for me, not so much. I could never figure out who was who and what the actual relationships were.

Obviously, a great deal of money spent on this film - sets, costumes, etc., and fine actors hired, but irksome how trashy Hollywood script writers can rewrite the lives of heroes and people of great talent to reveal "the true insanity" that caused their great deeds.

the letter !!!! is amazing