Wow! Now that demonstrates what a genius Beethoven was. His music is so good that it even makes Coyote Ugly's plot seem worthwhile.
The actual performance of the Ninth is such a great sequence that nothing else in the film matters.There are no words. The scene consists entirely of Beethoven's Ninth and facial expressions. Harris does a magnificent job of capturing Beethoven in that moment, of giving a face to all the ardor that went into the creation of the music, to all the passion and ecstasy that the music encompasses, and to all the gratification he feels that it could come to completion so successfully. The rest of the actors respond in character to what they are hearing. The emotionally rich segment lasts about ten to fifteen minutes, and makes the entire film worth seeing. It is one of the best, most emotionally resonant sequences in the history of film.
The rest of the film is just bull spit - pure Hollywood filler which just marks time until you get to the performance.
But it is absolutely worth the wait.
The actual performance of the Ninth is such a great sequence that nothing else in the film matters.There are no words. The scene consists entirely of Beethoven's Ninth and facial expressions. Harris does a magnificent job of capturing Beethoven in that moment, of giving a face to all the ardor that went into the creation of the music, to all the passion and ecstasy that the music encompasses, and to all the gratification he feels that it could come to completion so successfully. The rest of the actors respond in character to what they are hearing. The emotionally rich segment lasts about ten to fifteen minutes, and makes the entire film worth seeing. It is one of the best, most emotionally resonant sequences in the history of film.
The rest of the film is just bull spit - pure Hollywood filler which just marks time until you get to the performance.
But it is absolutely worth the wait.