While watching this, I couldn't help feeling that the director was TRYING to make a masterpiece, rather than actually produce one. The acting is good, but not extraordinary. As far as the actual shots and music editing, I felt as though I was watching a made-for-TV movie. Many times throughout the movie, Beethoven's glorious music was just playing in the background, with no connection to the story. Absolutely poor music editing! Come on now, Beethoven deserves nothing less than brilliance...

This blu-ray disc is a must have for any fan of classical music. I was pleasantly surprised at how extremely good the hi-def picture looks and the music is amazing in surround sound. Highly recommend.

The level of detail in the Blu Ray version is amazing. The sound and picture is so clear and crisp. Many have raved about this movie, and it is a spectacular movie. Do yourself a favor and watch it in hi-def, you will enjoy this great movie even more.

I first bought this movie for my late father who loved Beethoven music. When I knew it was available on bluray I didn't hesitate and bought it. The image is beyond words. the music.... also

After seeing this film, I feel uncertainty. Is what I saw biography or fictionalized biography with considerable literary license? I think it is the latter and thus only a few comments will be made regarding historic and biographical accuracy and I will focus more on the work of art produced by director, writer, producer Bernard Rose.

We don't know who the mysterious Immortal Beloved was in the life of Beethoven. Historians identify 5 possibilities, of which three are presented here: Austrian Countess Giulietta Guicciardi; Hungarian Countess Erdody; and Beethoven's German sister-in-law, Johana Reiss.

Beethoven's secretary, Anton Felix Schindler, is portrayed as the ever faithful servant who tries to find the mysterious Immortal Beloved since she is the inheritor of Beethoven's musical scores.

Countess Guicciardi is an early lover of Beethoven, a woman who discovers his deafness. Countess Erdody is in many ways his soul mate and the woman he should have remained with. Johana Reiss was his bitter rival and he took her son away from her in a nasty custody battle. This child is a major influence on Beethoven. He dedicates his later years to teach nephew Carl, a mediocre talent who feels tortured by the hours of piano practice.

The cast of the film is very good with the most convincing performances coming from Marco Hofschneider as nephew Carl; Johanna ter Steege as Johana Reiss; and the wonderful Valeria Golina as Countess Guicciardi. A somewhat overly dramatic performance is given by Jeroen Krabbe as Schindler. After all, we know now that Schindedler's biography of Beethoven was greatly fictionalized. That seems to be the tradition with Beethoven. Gary Oldman is able to play Beethoven under a broad range of conditions but his rages seemed a bit over the top. Rossellini as Countess Erdody is stunning to look at but a bit melodramatic when she shows emotions or flat when she is suppose to be non-emotive.

The music by Sir George Solti was good and integrated into the narrative well.

Can Beethoven's music be linked to the tragedies in his life? Rose seems to think so and makes a very convincing case when he connects Ode to Joy to Beethoven's abuse from his father and his escape from his father's home. But was Johana the Immortal Beloved? The jury is out and the film portrays coincidences and facts that are not part of the historic record. Thus you must enjoy the film as fictionalized biography but not accept Rose's premise and conclusions at face value.

I have this movie on VHS and now on DVD, Beethoven is my favorite composer

Eulogy delivered by Franz Grillpazer in the Wahring Cemetery at the Maestro's funeral:

Ludwig van Beethoven, the man who inherited and increased, the immortal fame of Handel and Bach of Haydn and Mozart is now no more.

He was an artist. And who will stand beside him? He was an artist. And what he was, he was only through music.

The thorns of life had wounded him deeply. So he held fast to his art even when the gate through which it entered was shut. Music spoke through a deafened ear to he who could no longer hear it. He carried the music in his heart.

Because he shut himself off from the world, they called him hostile. They said he was unfeeling and called him callous. But he was not hard of heart.

It is the finest blades that are most easily blunted, bent or broken. He withdrew from his fellow man after he had given them everything and had received nothing in return. He lived alone because he found no second self.

Thus he was. Thus he died. Thus he will live for all time.

***

Immortal Beloved is a film that deeply affected not only the course of my life, but also the quality. Yes, I was very much aware of Beethoven before seeing this movie and I had heard the bulk of his music being an active listener of classical music and a student performer. But after seeing the dramatization of some of the more "stormy" and "troubling" portions of his life, played aptly by Gary Oldman, in this lavish production for the modern audience, I came away with an even deeper understanding of not just this man's music, but his contribution for all of us, music as a whole and music as something alive.

Mstistlav Rostropovich, now deceased and much missed, stated that he felt that Beethoven and Mozart did not die, that yes, they still exist -- even if on a subatomic level, and primarily because of the legacy of the music and the immense amount of love that the world has for them and always will. Thus, the music keeps them alive with every new student at the piano, violin or cello.

This Epic Masterpice opens, surprisingly, with a vividness that is reminiscent in films like Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus or Ben Hur and drops you into this now vanished historical Vienna like a fly on the wall and is done so well, one might just believe that it actually is Vienna. The swelling sound of the `Missa Solemnis' in the background is yet another example of Beethoven's genius to create something new, rather than re-interpret the Stabat Mater as was traditionally done by all his predecessors. Most of the film was actually shot in the Czech Republic which had been almost forgotten by the process of modernization. Street lights, payphones, stoplights, road signs, power lines, television antenna - you name it. This is also the same location where they had filmed the much hyped and beloved `Amadeus', and for the exact same reason and a whole decade earlier.

As blasphemous as this might sound to some, it is my contention that Ludwig van Beethoven is probably the most influential and important living being that has ever graced our people. In one thousand, five thousand, ten thousand years from now, as abstract of an idea as that is to some, young children will still be setting down at pianos to learn his sonatas, his symphonies and his Fur Elise. His work will be mainstay in the progress of mankind. I will save any and all comment about Jesus Christ, as that is a conversation for another forum. But the unfortunate, but struggling truth about religion, is that it is not as equal to all of us as music is. A Hindu family or a Buddhist family, for example, with no desire for Christianity may never experience the Bible, but they'll happily play `Sonata Quasi una Fantasia' in their living rooms and fully enjoy the work for what it is. For these reasons, Herr Beethoven will live on forever and influence billions more of us in the many years to come, thus enriching the human experience where the words of our prophets may fall deafly or unheard.

The stigma that seems to follow this film, from reading all the reviews online that came out during its release, the reviews on Amazon, the comments on IMDb, is that people bemoan that it is a Hollywood production. Probably in time, this stigma will fade, as the unpopular machine that Hollywood is today, won't last. Bernard Rose is a wonderfully knowledgeable and passionate Director and musician who labored over the idea of this film, wrote the screenplay and orchestrated its creation. The stigma that this film is a Hollywood production and that it misses the mark on Beethoven's life is not just grossly unfair, but inaccurate. People often comment that `Amadeus' is a better film when they talk about 'Immortal Beloved', I guess because they are equally two movies about famous composers. But the real truth is that `Amadeus' is a fictionalized version of a stage play titled `Mozart & Salieri'. 'Immortal Beloved' is historically rich and a close and accurate portrayal of the events of Beethoven's life and the lives of those that he was closest to.

Joahnna ter Steege plays the part of Johanna Reiss / van Beethoven who Bernard Rose believes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is the actual `Immortal Beloved' of the very illustrious and now famous love letters that were found after his death. Without going into detail about why he felt this way, I'll just say that 'obsession' had a lot to do with it. `Beethoven's Letters' is an excellent source book for anyone interested in reading his personal letters in their complete and translated glory. Ivory Tower academians seem to disagree with Rose about his choice, but most of those that disagree, all seem to have books that they're pushing about some other woman that you may, or may not have heard of.

Also to note, most of those that disagree with Bernard Rose, take him to be a novice, a buffoon and a bounder on the subject of Ludwig van Beethoven and all typically attack him as a non-musician who has little to no knowledge of the composer. They also seem to be in lock-step about how he egregiously gives our beloved, but ugly hero the Hollywood treatment. One needs to just listen to the incredibly informative and very telling Director's Commentary buried within the disc to learn that this is not the case in the slightest. You'll not only come to learn that Bernard Rose has been a fervent musician since childhood, but also incredibly well-read on the subject of the Maestro.

Some of my favourite scenes in the movie involve the character of Anton Schindler, Beethoven's secretary and friend, also played wonderfully by Jeroen Krabbe. Jeroen was actually called upon to originally play Beethoven in this, but gracefully stepped aside when he learned that Gary Oldman was successful in being cast. A tear usually wells up in my eyes when I hear the Largo from `The "Ghost" Trio' played in the garden, which is by far my favourite Beethoven piece and close to being one of my favourite music pieces of all time.

I guess it must be noted that Anton Schindler, who, before his own death in 1864, published the first 'large volume biography' of Herr Beethoven in 1840. Schindler was unfortunately accused of white-washing history for the sake of hiding his friends vice and licentious behaviour. Thankfully, enough information survived to paint a better picture, but regarding Schindler's text, one shouldn't throw away the baby with the bath water.

The use of multiple narration should also be noted. It's wonderful to hear all of the main characters, including the aging Hotel Frau, Nanette Streicherová, warmly and richly recounting their portions. All weaving such an enthralling and engrossing tale that you just can't look away. I must also note, that Frau "Striecher", as he spelt it, was a person who Beethoven had much correspondence with through the years and considered a friend. I think the narration is something that hardly ever gets mentioned regarding this film, but film narration is a tricky beast that is difficult to pull off and often fails. The writing here does this medium justice and is seamless in 'Immortal Beloved'.

I will admit that the first time I saw this in the theatre, I was brought to tears multiple times. Consequently, when I purchased the DVD, I was equally moved on multiple occasions by so many aspects of this film that they're just to dense to list. Of this, I will spare you.

I have included the eulogy in the beginning of the review, as I believe it is an integral portion of information when understanding the life of Beethoven. It is no mistake or mystery that Bernard Rose puts this at the very beginning as well, because if you listen carefully to the text, the intonation and timing of Jeroen Krabbe's delivery of it, you learn the intent and the real story that Rose is about to unfold for you. This is a real masterpiece of filmmaking in every sense of the phrase and will hold the spot as the most memorable film about Beethoven for some time to come. It will take a strong performance to best it.

If Bernard Rose chose Franz Grillpazer's eulogy as the theme to `Immortal Beloved', which does seem to be the case, I don't think that we can slight him for this, as history has now documented the truth that Anton Shindler's Beethoven is imagined, while Grillpazer's flawed, tormented and misanthropic friend once lived and breathed. I don't think it's inappropriate for Bernard to have made this choice, as he has been castigated for, simply because - Grillpazer was a friend and an acquaintance, he was a neighbor and a roommate, he was someone who had casually listened to Beethoven play (a fact that destroyed their friendship) and someone who had discussed operatic collaborations with the Maestro as well.

I wouldn't take Franz Grillpazer's words as the gospel, but I would come to assume that they were accurate from his point of view, from the point of view of history and also heartfelt.

Having read almost every biography on Beethoven printed in English, I find Bernard Rose's Beethoven incredibly plausible and at least true to the spirit and temperament of Beethoven (and may I say, also in fact). The idea that he never chased a half-naked woman because he was "a prude" is absurd. Yes, he was a prude, but he was also known to be lecherous and doting when it came to women, he would most definitely chased half-naked women anywhere. Read Maynard Solomon's Beethoven, or his essays and then read Thayer's Life of Beethoven, a two volume set, and you'll see a vast difference. Perspective and personal bias are always inescapable.

This is probably one of my top three favourite films of all time. Thanks, Bernard.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

This is one of my favorite movies. I saw it years ago and have wanted my own copy ever since. I'm sending out several copies to my musical friends. Thank you I got it From Amazon DVD Immortal Beloved

[[ASIN:B000RO6JWC Immortal Beloved [Blu-ray]

The only Blu-ray disc, as of this date, that has any relavence to classical music.

This Blu-ray version of Ludwig van Beethoven's quasi-biography is extremely well done from the perspective of both the video and lossless audio (Dolby TrueHD. If you like classical music, you will definitely favor this disc.

Recommended highly.


Bill Sprow

First and foremost, I am a huge Beethoven fan and a lover of all great classical music. That is the main reason that I was so dissapointed by Immortal Beloved. The plot of this film is absurd, and slanderous toward Beethoven.

Hollywood loves to glorify mediocre and bad people while demonizing truly great people (Amadeus). It seems like every time someone in Hollywood tries to make a film about an important historical person or event, they end up destroying it. This in NOT a coincidence; If you understand who controls the American film industry - and who created it in the first place - it is clear to see that the intentions of the industry are to make us more stupid and ignorant... Mission accomplished.


This film does not at all capture the fact that Beethoven was one of the greatest geniuses in all of human history. The film also provides no insight at all into his compositional method and doesn't succesfully convey the beauty of his music. I think that a major motion picture based on the life of Beethoven should have an obligation to show non-fans of classical music why Beethoven was so great. This film fails at doing that.

The audio and video was great. Did not notice any of the audio issues mentioned by another reviewer. The extras was also interesting to watch. Recommend.

Gary Oldman captures the essence of this brilliant man. The music is sterling and well chosen. Beethoven was a passionate genius and this movie displays that piece of his character well. I also recommend the CD of the soundtrack.

I am considering using this film a classroom of teenagers. I've seen it and remember truly enjoying it. But can anyone tell me what the R rating is for? I can't seem to remember anything that seemed specifically R rated to me. Thanks!

This movie was excellent. Gary Oldman gives a superb performance as Beethoven. This film gives a engaging portrayal of this musician's torn life. I will definitely watch this movie again.

Perfect transaction! Fast shipping and arrived in said condition. Very happy with this transaction. Buy with confidence from this seller!

I could hear and see huge difference on this Blue Ray DVD when compared to the standard DVD version. A must have DVD for Beethoven fans.

This rating is for the Blu-Ray disc itself, and not a rating for the movie. The merits of this film are not discussed here. Instead, I will focus on one very frustrating problem with this disc that kept me from enjoying the film fully: the awful sound engineering. The sound effects and music are very poorly balanced with the spoken dialog. The music and effects are loud while the dialog is weak and muted.

I have the volume on my TV at a constant and comfortable level for all my movies and games, and none of them have presented a problem so far except this disc. I had to turn the volume up several notches on the remote control just to hear what the actors are saying. But then the music comes thundering in and I have to lower the volume again. I understand that the subject matter of his film is a man and his music, but Sony didn't have to be so literal with the sound engineering.

This is even less historically accurate than Amadeus. So what? It is unbelievably dramatic and worth every second you will spend watching it. Gary Oldman depicts Beethoven fantastically, and he shows so many facets of his brilliance as Beethoven grows older and lonelier. His acting in the scene involving Beethoven's deathbed will bring tears to your eyes.

The film is directed wonderfully, and every scene but one is shot beautifully. The end of the Ode to Joy flashback scene is the only one that doesn't work, but hey... no one is perfect.

It goes without saying, this film has one of the greatest soundtracks of all time.

It's $10. Buy it.

wonderful movie. i saw when i was in the 10th grade. and now i own it.

One of the WORST movies I have ever seen. I found it insulting to Beethoven. But far worse than that was the premise of the movie - that Beethoven's sister-in-law (Johanna) was Beethoven's 'Immortal Beloved'. This is the most absurd suggestion I have ever read. Beethoven HATED her! It is beyond me how the directors of the movie could come up with such an absurd premise. Quite apart from these facts, Johanna simply does not coincide with the facts of the case, as revealed in Beethoven's letter to his immortal beloved.

Having only just "discovered" Gary Oldman thru Harry Potter, I bought Immortal Beloved. What a wonderful film. Gary Oldman brings to life the man who was Ludvigh von Beethoven. From his body language, to the facial/eye expressions, Gary excels at telling the story of this haunted, tortured soul.

If you enjoyed Amadeus and Farinelli then surely you'll enjoy Immortal Beloved. The movie is brilliantly acted and directed. The cinematography is simply awesome on Blu-ray. The movie boasts an all-star cast and how do they deliver. If you enjoy period movies and stories in the tradition of the aforementioned Immortal Beloved is a great addition to the video library.

I approached viewing this movie with great anticipation. I've been a devout Beethoven junkie since I was 14, but nothing of Beethoven's character as portrayed by Oldman rings true to the biographies and many articles I've read about him over the years. (No fault of Oldman's; he didn't write the script.)

Early on, we see Beethoven frolicking about in the lusty pursuit of a young girl, when in fact he was somewhat of a prude. He viewed Mozart's Don Giovanni and Marriage of Figaro as immoral, and wrote only one opera himself, Fidelio, because it was the only libretto he thought lived up to his ethical standards.

I've long thought that, given a good script, the best actor to play Beethoven would be Harvey Keitel. Just look at that scene on the beach in "The Piano" as he listens to Holly Hunter play: His hands clasped behind his back as he paces, head bent forward. He's the spitting image of Beethoven in a famous illustration made in his lifetime.

I do recommend a wonderful film on DVD from the BBC, "Eroica," about the premiere rehearsal of that symphony. There's a little thwarted romance subplot, but it's mostly about the drama of the music, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner on period instruments. Ian Hart plays Beethoven. (Trivia: he was Professor Quirinus Quirrell in the first Harry Potter movie.)

I love this movie! Beethoven rules and Gary Oldman is Great! Only one scene was not necessary to the movie and brings its artistic brillance down a notch. The scene I speak of is when the French Army is shown invading Austria and a few French soldiers pull a woman from a coach in the woods and rape her. Did this kind of thing happpen, of course, but what in the heck it has to do with Beethoven, his music and the mystery of his "Immortal Beloved" I have never been able to figure out. I wish it had been cut from the DVD and filled in with some footage that actual contributes to the film. A BAD Director's choice. (Mind you, I am not a critic of violence in a movie, I LOVE war movies of all sorts, but this was just meaningless to the story).

I am not amazed that this movie, after 13 years, continues to be one that continues to get such great notice. The life of Beethoven is one that will always get much attention from anyone involved in music, and this movie brilliantly depicts one of the greater mysteries of the Master's life. Will we ever truly know who the "Immortal Beloved" really was? There are several theories, and candidates, as to who this woman really was, and some claim Karl is the son of Beethoven by his sister-in-law; however, has it ever been proven?

This movie creates in the viewer a frustration every time the Immortal Beloved is briefly glimpsed, shrouded in her veils, coming and going. Frustration develops and grows with every near miss Beethoven has in meeting his lover, a frustration the viewer keenly feels. This is done so well the viewer develops an understanding of the angst Beethoven himself felt in loving a woman he could not have.

This is a movie I highly recommend for any Beethoven fan.

Gary Oldman does a superb job as Ludwig van Beethovan. The story of guessing who Beethovan's "Immortal Beloved" is a fascinating one and this film captures it. I was highly impressed by this film, and it has quickly become one of my favorites.

This is a very moving story of the life of one of the world's greatest composers. Every Beethoven fan owes it to himself to watch this one.

Has it really been all these years since this truly Wonderful movie came out? It seems like only yesterday!

I am just SO amazed whenever a writer can sit there and "come up" with plausible scenereos and plot-lines that really DO seem so totally "right" and "real" as in the case of this simply marvelous script for "Imortal Beloved"...phew, what a grand story, and so totally fitting for truly the grandest of all of the world's greatest composers. To everyone, even the most remotely involved in making this movie, I say a hearty and heart-felt "Thank You". This, my friends, truly is Great Film-making, and I cannot recommend this movie highly enough to people who perhaps have not seen it. Has there EVER been a more touching, poignant, nod to "The Great One", LvB, than this beautiful, heart-rending, cinematic gem? Gary Oldman is absolutely spot-on as the tortured and desperately lonely Ludwig, tormented all his life by this great wrong done him. This movie belongs in your collection, "Mr and Mrs America...Wherever You Are" as Edward R. Murrow used to say. ~operabruin

If you look at this as a biography you may be disappointed.

If you look at this as a movie you will probably be pleased.

A great movie.

This take on Beethoven's love life may elicit giggles or outrage from scholars of this composer, but it made for a great movie! The characterization of Beethoven himself seemed rather extreme at times, but it made a valid point. I especially enjoyed the almost constant background music from the composer's great works, and the portrayal of life in general during this time was very vivid.

While I admire Gary Oldman's acting abilities and some of his achievements in this film, the film itself has so many flaws that it is hard to forgive. It is vital to note right from the start that the story of this film has almost nothing to do with the life of the actual Ludwig van Beethoven. Oh, you could point to this or that biographical detail and claim that such an event occurred, but the movie wrenches everything so far out of context in the service of a fictitious romance that even the truths become false.

Since this movie is a romance, I think it would have been better if they had made up a name for the name Adrian Leverkuehn for Arnold Schoenberg in Doctor Faustus. Even this wasn't enough because in later editions Mann had to put in a disclaimer that Schoenberg had actually invented the twelve tone compositional technique and that Leverkuehn is fictional. We get no such disclaimers in this film and the violence done the actual Beethoven is far greater. I suppose if they had made up the name of a composer then they couldn't have used the true star of this film, the excerpts of Beethoven's music forming the soundtrack. The recording of this soundtrack was a pretty good seller back in 1994.

The funeral scene is pretty good. It was a mob and an even bigger event than shown in the film. I also like the way Beethoven's deafness was shown at times. However, in the periods shown in the film, his deafness was not as complete as it was later. His social awkwardness was not as deranged as it is shown in the film. Since we lack any sense of the social order of Beethoven's time, I suppose the filmmakers felt that the character had to be shocking for our time, hence the storming man in need of medication sadly unavailable in his time. No, Beethoven was shocking because he simply claimed priority for himself through his art.

But the whole premise of the film is foolish. There is a letter to an "Immortal Beloved" whose identity has been sought out since Beethoven's time, but Maynard Solomon made a very good case for Antonie Brentano back in 1972. And this woman isn't even in this film! The only reason people debate this issue is because people tend to like unsolved mysteries and romances. However, there are facts that point to Brentano and away from every other proposed candidate. And even the phrase "Immortal Beloved" might not be anything more than a clumsy man trying to say something romantic rather than something summing up his life's love.

While the scene is totally made up, I did find the scene of Oldman leaning close to the piano to play the "Moonlight Sontata" a nice effect. The scene of Beethoven stumbling through the "Emperor Concerto" never happened. Beethoven's hearing was bad enough that he knew better than to play in public by 1811. The first performer of the work was Friedrich Schneider, a local church organist in Leipzig. The Vienna premier in February 1812 was Carl Czerny, a Beethoven pupil and later a great piano teacher as well as performer.

Anyway, if you enjoy the film, fine. Just don't mistake ANYTHING in it as pertaining to the life of the real Beethoven. Especially NOT the identity the movie supposes for the "Immortal Beloved". Suspect every detail in the film because even events which have some connection to history are completely out of context. Oh, and there are a couple scenes of gratuitous partial nudity to make it seem more romantic, I guess. Just enjoy the movie as a romance and don't suppose you have learned anything about Beethoven and you will be OK. If it inspires you to go read about the actual life of Beethoven and his music, all the better.

One longs for a movie that treats a great artist's life as something other than the ravings of a madman.

While the wait carries on, however, IMMORTAL BELOVED is delicious entertainment. The mysterious woman of Ludwig von Beethoven's scrawled final testament turns out to be his sister-in-law, the widow of a brother killed by consumption, and--in the end--the mother of the nephew Beethoven snatched from her. The boy himself was an unfortunate soul who in the end turns out to have been flesh of Ludwig's flesh.

If this sounds a bit like supermarket tabloid stuff, well, the difference lies in that Ludwig von Beethoven was no momentary celebrity whose life will flare out after its requisite fifteen minutes of fame. On the contrary, Beethoven was one of the West's and indeed humanity's great artistic geniuses. A conspiracy tale wraps so much more satisfyingly around a life like his. This is especially so when the story is accompanied by the man's own music, played with ominous solemnity the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir George Solti's baton.

I somehow missed this film when it was released in 1994. Other things were going on. A Memorial Day weekend spent with the DVD is a pleasure that more than requites the wait. Jeroen Krabbé's performance as Friend-of-Ludwig Anton Schindler deserves at least the merit that Gary Oldman as Beethoven and Isabella Rosselini earned for their arguably lesser performances.

Krabbé becomes the film's dramatic center as he vollies between historical personages in an attempt to piece together the contours of Beethoven's loves. His stolid weightiness makes him perfect for such an anchoring role.

The filming (Chekoslovakia) is gorgeous and there is, always, the music.

IMMORTAL BELOVED turns Beethoven's life and death into a tragedy. Although the historicity that makes this artistic decision plausible is debatable, it is arguable that only a man well acquainted with the tragic could have written such enduring, powerful, seductive music.

Vielleicht, dann, es mußte sein.

I won't waste your tim with a long or droll review. I will simply say the New York Times is pretentious and overrated. Though it has been a couple years since I saw this movie, I rented it time and again and continued to enjoy it every single time. I am now buying for my husband, who enjoyed it even more so. Though I'm sure it was a dramatic view of the composer's life, it was positively wonderful. It wasn't just simply entertaining, it was enchanting.

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Whether it was completely historically accurate or not, this film gave a balanced picture of a difficult man and a troubled life. The music he created was so splendid that one would want to think he was deeply happy. But his music came at the expense of his peace. The film was very nicely done!