Immortal Beloved (1994)

Directed by Bernard Rose. Starring Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé, Johanna ter Steege, Isabella Rossellini, Valeria Golino, Marco Hofschneider, Gerard Horan, Christopher Fulford, Matthew North, Alecandra Pigg, Miriam Margolyes. [R]

In Léon, Gary Oldman was obsessed with Beethoven; in Immortal Beloved he is Beethoven (coincidentally, both movies were released the same year). As the film opens, Beethoven has just passed away, and his will and testament leaves his estate and music to his “immortal beloved”, so his friend and assistant (Krabbé) sets out to find out who that is. Handsome, mystery-bound composer bio, told largely in flashback, takes plenty of poetic license, emphasizing Beethoven’s temperamental behavior, filled with passion, hatred and obsession. Takes a post-mortem approach to its elusive subject à la Citizen Kane, but comparisons end there; it’s closer in structure and trappings to Amadeus, but inferior despite (obviously) excellent music throughout—which includes the intelligence behind their application—and a generally superb portrayal by Oldman, who manages to submerge into the famous figure despite initially seeming to be an incompatible match. Marred by prosaic storytelling (the non-flashback scenes in particular) and some weak spots in the supporting cast. Highlight: the lyrically gorgeous Ode to Joy segment.

68/100