Immortal Beloved (film)
| Immortal Beloved | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Bernard Rose |
| Produced by |
Stephen McEveety Bruce Davey |
| Written by | Bernard Rose |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
George Fenton Ludwig van Beethoven Gioacchino Rossini |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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121 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English Hungarian |
| Box office | $9,914,409 |
Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman). The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (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.
When Ludwig van Beethoven dies, his assistant and close friend Schindler deals with his last will and testament. It reads that his estate, music and affairs will be left to his "immortal beloved", but there remains a question as to who Beethoven's "immortal beloved", an unnamed woman mentioned in one of his letters, may be. Schindler embarks on a quest to find out who this woman is. He meets the women who played a part in Ludwig's life; through their stories, retrospective footage of Beethoven from his younger years until his death is featured as the film progresses. The conclusion ultimately is that the individual is Johanna Reiss, the daughter of Anton Van Reiss, a prosperous Viennese upholsterer. In the film, she becomes pregnant by Beethoven; when by an accidental turn of events he does not marry her in time, she marries his brother, Kaspar. The love turns to hate, worsened by the long legal battle over custody over their son, Karl van Beethoven (whom everyone believes is Beethoven's nephew). Finally, Ludwig gets custody over his 'nephew', but the strict upbringing and promotion of the boy as another child prodigy -which Karl himself knows all too well he is not,- leads to him attempting suicide. Beethoven is blamed and his reputation is ruined.
Schindler finally speaks to Johanna, who says she has made her peace with him. She met him at his deathbed, where he gave her a signed letter, giving her custody over Karl. She tells Schindler about their intentions to elope, but Beethoven never showed up, and she felt betrayed. Schindler realizes what happened and gives her the letter to the "Immortal Beloved" in which she finally reads what happened that night they were supposed to meet. Shocked to find out how an unfortunate event and misunderstanding has kept them apart, she visits the grave of Beethoven in the closing scene.
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