| | | The untold story of Ludwig van Beethoven
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, English, Subtitled, Spanish, Dubbed & Subtitled
Gary oldman is beethoven in this untold story of a man ofgenius, a woman of passion and the mystery of a lifetime.Special features: dual-layer widescreen version, subtitles:english, spanish, director bernard rose's commentary, originalfeaturette, talent files and theatrical trailer.
"A masterpiece." John Corcoran, KCAL-TV
"Oldman is an ideal choice for the leading role." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"The film is an opulent, musically rich period piece." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Editor's Note
A lush, epic staging of the life and loves of Ludwig Van Beethoven, this film examines the tempestuous composer through one man's search for Beethoven's supposed "Immortal Beloved." The sequence involving the first public performance of the Ninth Symphony is particularly stirring.
Plot Summary
Shortly after Ludwig van Beethoven's death, a mysterious letter signed by the musical genius appears: "What longings with tears for you...my life...my everything...farewell then...Go on loving me, ever yours, ever mine, forever, L.." These mysterious words prove the existence of one true love for Beethoven in the midst of numerous affairs -- and never a marriage -- with countesses. However, throughout history, Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved" remains unknown until now, where with enough evidence, Beethoven's "longing" is revealed, disclaiming all previous theories and biographies about one of the greatest composers who ever lived.
| Features | Production notes | | Interactive menus | | Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) & 2-Channel (Dolby Surround), Spanish (Stereo) | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Scene selections | | Original featurette | | Theatrical trailer | | Talent files | | Digitally remastered audio and anamorphic video | | Director's commentary | | "Beloved Beethoven" documentary |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 3/6/2007 |
| Running Time: 120 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1994 | | Catalog ID: 74769 | | UPC: 00043396747692 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Glorious music..." 01/26/1995 p.66New York Times
"...Beethoven dazzlingly impersonated by [Oldman]....An extremely ambitious classical music video..." 12/14/1994 p.C15 Entertainment Weekly
"...It exerts an irresistible pull....Fine as an evocation of an artist who was able to hold the cosmos between two deaf ears." -- Rating: B 01/20/1995 pp.34-5 Sight and Sound
"...[The] tiny details show that someone has done their homework..." 03/01/1995 p.41 Chicago Sun-Times
"...A film that imagines the mental states of Beethoven with a series of images as vivid and convincing as a dream..." 01/06/1995 p.33 Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "Oldman gets the madness of the man perfectly; but the real star of the show is Rose, who time and again finds brilliant evocations of Beethoven's music..." 03/01/2009 Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
...What Bernard Rose has accomplished in Immortal Beloved is a film that imagines the mental states of Beethoven with a series of images as vivid and convincing as a dream.... He has created a fantasy about Beethoven that evokes the same disturbing, ecstatic passion we hear in his music. - Roger Ebert
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