I just quickly glanced at the headlines of many reviews here and not a single critical mention that the film (not unlike Amadeus, I'm afraid) just runs fast and loose with the facts. All right: I will give you that this is Hollywood, it's entertainment, it's not scholarly and not a documentary. However, as a passionate lover of Beethoven I take issue with a writer who given the opportunity to dramatize the life of one of the most important artists to ever live, takes unnecessary leaps into fantasy; Beethoven's life, with all of what we do NOT know is very exciting as it is and in my view there is no need to make things up just for dramatic purpose. Why not, I ask you, just leave it as the unknown (it still is) for who the "Immortal Beloved" was? Why can't a mystery just be what it is? I did read and thoroughly enjoy the incredibly deep and scholarly book "Beethoven" by Maynard Solomon and he presents what might be the most probable candidate for who the Immortal Beloved was. However, I'll leave that up to students of Beethoven to pursue on their own time. Let's get back to the film. In what looks to be historically accurate in terms of dress....the movie certainly does look lovely. However, if you really know your Beethoven history (read the Maynard and you'll know what I'm going to refer to) then there are all kinds of things "wrong" with what we see Beethoven go through. (Before I forget, there is a scene in which Beethoven rides furiously on a horse to get somewhere...I had never read anywhere of his ever doing so.) Some of the things that are problematic: Beethoven's hearing was inaccurately portrayed throughout the whole movie. Not only that but the director completely forgot to show the many instruments he used in order to try and hear. I'm referring to what were called 'ear trumpets' and the like. Sure he used "conversation books". That he got right. But, he also used a wide assortment of other devices and it should have been included. There were scenes where Karl was living in his apartment and the place looked largely in pristine order and very clean. From what I've read, Beethoven was slovenly and looked like a 19'th Century beatnik, often not shaving for days on end, even to the point of looking like he had a beard. In short, he looked way too well made up and this was not the real situation. There was a scene in which he tried out a new Broadwood piano and leaned his head on the piano to hear it better. That was not recorded as far as I know; even more is that if he could not hear a person talking to him behind his back, leaning his head onto the piano would have only let him hear the most muffled sound. There are other occasions when Beethoven is playing outdoors at a time in his life when he was effectively deaf; not likely to have occurred. In short, we are confused as to when he could no longer hear with his ears; we do not know when he was suicidal and it's not even mentioned in the film (a key moment in his life). By far the most problematic event of the movie is the choice of his sister-in law as the I.B. There is no evidence to support this wild idea. The writer tries to make it plausible by showing a series of misadventures and mishaps that led Beethoven and she to believe that each had turned against each other - very far fetched, the theory just is not held up by any evidence. If you want to just accept it as a drama borrowed from his life then sure it's all dramatic and moving. I would have preferred to see a more detailed exposition of his life. The actors are excellent, the story full of holes, lacking key details.
Review of Immortal Beloved
