Immortal Beloved ( film ) - wikipedia Immortal Beloved ( film ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2009 ) Immortal Beloved Theatrical release poster Directed by Bernard Rose Produced by Stephen McEveety Bruce Davey Written by Bernard Rose Starring Gary Oldman Jeroen Krabbé Isabella Rossellini Johanna ter Steege Valeria Golino Music by George Fenton Ludwig van Beethoven Gioacchino Rossini Production company Icon Productions Distributed by Columbia Pictures Release date December 16, 1994 ( 1994 - 12 - 16 ) Running time 121 minutes Country United Kingdom United States Language English Hungarian Box office $9,914,409 Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven ( played by Gary Oldman ). The story follows Beethoven 's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler ( Jeroen Krabbé ) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte ( Immortal Beloved ) addressed in three letters found in the late composer 's private papers. Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire interviewing women who might be potential candidates as well as through Beethoven 's own tumultuous life. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Historical background 4 Music 5 Reception 5.1 Critical reaction 5.2 Box office 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Plot When Ludwig van Beethoven dies, his assistant and close friend Schindler deals with his last will and testament. It reads that his estate, music and affairs will be left to his `` immortal beloved '', but there remains a question as to who Beethoven 's `` immortal beloved '', an unnamed woman mentioned in one of his letters, may be. Schindler embarks on a quest to find out who this woman is. He meets the women who played a part in Ludwig 's life ; through their stories, retrospective footage of Beethoven from his younger years until his death is featured as the film progresses. The conclusion ultimately is that the individual is Johanna Reiss, the daughter of Anton Van Reiss, a prosperous Viennese upholsterer. In the film, she becomes pregnant by Beethoven ; when by an accidental turn of events he does not marry her in time, she marries his brother, Kaspar. The love turns to hate, worsened by the long legal battle over custody over their son, Karl van Beethoven ( whom everyone believes is Beethoven 's nephew ). Finally, Ludwig gets custody over his ' nephew ', but the strict upbringing and promotion of the boy as another child prodigy -- which Karl himself knows all too well he is not -- leads to him attempting suicide. Beethoven is blamed and his reputation is ruined. Schindler finally speaks to Johanna, who says she has made her peace with him. She met him at his deathbed, where he gave her a signed letter, giving her custody over Karl. She tells Schindler about their intentions to elope, but Beethoven never showed up, and she felt betrayed. Schindler realizes what happened and gives her the letter to the `` Immortal Beloved '' in which she finally reads what happened that night they were supposed to meet. Shocked to find out how an unfortunate event and misunderstanding has kept them apart, she visits the grave of Beethoven in the closing scene. Cast Gary Oldman as Ludwig van Beethoven Jeroen Krabbé as Anton Felix Schindler Isabella Rossellini as Anna - Marie Erdödy Johanna ter Steege as Johanna Reiss Christopher Fulford as Kaspar van Beethoven Michael Culkin as Jakob Hotscevar Marco Hofschneider as Karl van Beethoven Miriam Margolyes as Nanette Streicherova Barry Humphries as Clemens Metternich Valeria Golino as Giulietta Guicciardi Alexandra Pigg as Therese Obermayer Geno Lechner as Josephine von Brunsvik Claudia Solti as Theresa von Brunsvik Historical background Main article : Immortal Beloved After Beethoven 's death in 1827, a three - part letter was found among his private papers addressed to a woman whom he called `` immortal beloved ''. Written in the summer of 1812 from the spa town of Teplice, the letter has generated a great deal of speculation and debate amongst scholars and writers as to her identity. Among the candidates are ( or were ) Giulietta Guicciardi, Thérèse von Brunswick, Josephine Brunsvik, Antonie Brentano, and Anna - Marie Erdödy ( some of whom appear in the film ). The film 's writer and director, Bernard Rose, claimed that he had successfully identified the addressed woman as Johanna, a claim no scholar on Beethoven has endorsed ( the film also implies that Karl, Beethoven 's nephew, was in reality the couple 's son. ) Biographer Gail S. Altman disputed Rose 's claim in a book devoted specifically to the question of the woman 's identity and Beethoven 's relationships in general. Music The Orchestra : London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Georg Solti Instrumental soloists Murray Perahia ( in order of appearance ) Symphony No 5, Op. 67. Für Elise ( complete ). Symphony No 3 In E-Flat Major Op. 55 Eroica. Piano Sonata No 14, Moonlight : Adagio Sostenuto. Symphony No 6, Op. 68, Pastoral : Storm. Piano Trio No 5 In D Major, Op. 70, No 1 Ghost. Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61. Piano Sonata No 8, Pathetique. Piano Concerto No 5, Emperor ( love theme, ending credits ). Missa Solemnis : Kyrie. Symphony No 7, Op. 92 : Allegretto ( Karl 's theme ) Violin Sonata In A Major, Op. 47, Kreutzer : Adagio sostenuto - Presto. Symphony No 9, Op 125 : Ode to Joy. Reception Critical reaction Reviews for Immortal Beloved were mixed. From the 31 reviews collected from notable publications by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, reviews tended towards the positive, with an overall approval rating of 58 %. Emanuel Levy gave the film a `` C '' rating, calling it a `` speculative chronicle '' that lacks the `` vibrant energy and charm '' of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart biopic Amadeus ( 1984 ). He did, however, praise the `` wonderfully recorded and inventively used '' Beethoven compositions as well as the casting of Oldman, who he felt was `` the perfect actor to portray the arrogant, irascible musician ''. Of Rotten Tomatoes ' `` top critics '', Roger Ebert was highly complimentary of the film. He gave it 31⁄2 stars out of four, stating in his review : `` Immortal Beloved has clearly been made by people who feel Beethoven directly in their hearts ''. He asserted that Oldman `` at first seems an unlikely choice... then we see that he is right ''. Janet Maslin also offered a positive review, stating : `` thanks to its hugely effective use of Beethoven 's most thrilling, tumultuous music, this film exerts much the same hypnotic power ''. She praised the performance of Oldman, writing that `` he captures Beethoven as a believably brilliant figure struggling with his deafness and other demons ''. MSN Movies, in a 2011 publication, wrote : `` Oldman 's performance is unimpeachable. He dives deep into the role with powerful passion and makes the audience feel the pain of the genius as he loses his hearing and fails to shape his nephew into a similarly talented musician. In the year of ' ( Forrest ) Gump ', Oldman was overlooked for a well - deserved Oscar nomination. '' Also that year Josh Winning of Total Film named Oldman 's portrayal of Beethoven as one of the five best performances of his career, saying : `` If ever there was a better filmic chameleon than Oldman, we 've yet to find one. Immersing himself fully into the role of the German composer, Oldman is here damn near unrecognisable. '' Box Office The movie debuted strongly and was a modest success, generating $9,914,409 in a domestic - only release. See also List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing References ^ Jump up to : `` Immortal Beloved ( 1994 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 19. Jump up ^ Altman, Gail S. Beethoven : A Man of His Word -- Undisclosed Evidence for his Immortal Beloved, Anubian Press 1996 ; ISBN 1 - 888071 - 01 - X Jump up ^ See also Lewis Lockwood : `` Film Biography as Travesty : Immortal Beloved and Beethoven. '' The Musical Quarterly 81 / 2, 1997, pp. 190 -- 198. Jump up ^ `` Immortal Beloved Movie Reviews, Pictures ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 03. Jump up ^ Levy, Emanuel. Immortal Beloved. EmanuelLevy.com. Wayback Machine. 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Immortal Beloved : : rogerebert.com : : Reviews ''. Rogerebert.suntimes.com. January 6, 1995. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 03. Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet ( 1994 - 12 - 16 ). `` Movie Review : Immortal Beloved ( by Janet Maslin ) ''. Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 03. Jump up ^ Immortal Beloved ( 1994 ) - Ludwig van Beethoven. MSN Movies. 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2012. Jump up ^ Winning, Josh. Best Movies : The film chameleon 's greatest moments. Total Film. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2014. Jump up ^ Natale, Richard ( January 17, 1995 ). `` Holiday Spurs Record - Setting Movie Weekend ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 07. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Immortal Beloved ( film ) Immortal Beloved on IMDb Films directed by Bernard Rose Smart Money ( 1986 ) Body Contact ( 1987 ) Paperhouse ( 1988 ) Chicago Joe and the Showgirl ( 1990 ) Candyman ( 1992 ) Immortal Beloved ( 1994 ) Anna Karenina ( 1997 ) Ivans Xtc ( 2000 ) Snuff - Movie ( 2005 ) The Kreutzer Sonata ( 2008 ) Mr. Nice ( 2010 ) Two Jacks ( 2012 ) Sx_Tape ( 2013 ) The Devil 's Violinist ( 2013 ) Frankenstein ( 2015 ) Ludwig van Beethoven Life Biography Birthplace Contemporaries Death Heiligenstadt Testament Historical sites Mozart and Beethoven Family Johann ( father ) Maria ( mother ) Johanna ( sister - in - law ) Kaspar ( brother ) Music Beethoven and C minor Biamonti Catalogue Gesamtausgabe Musical style WoO ( Beethoven ) Works catalogs Cultural depictions Eroica ( 1949 ) Immortal Beloved ( 1994 ) Eroica ( 2003 ) Copying Beethoven ( 2006 ) Other films Memorials 1815 Beethoven Beethoven ( crater ) Beethoven Hall Beethovenhalle Beethoven - Haydn - Mozart Memorial Beethoven Monument, Bonn Beethoven Peninsula Beethoven quadrangle Related articles Beethoven Burst Beethoven concert of 22 December 1808 Beethoven Frieze Beethoven ( Mähler, 1804 -- 05 ) Thayer 's copy Beethoven Project Trio Beethoven Quartet Society Eroica Peninsula Immortal Beloved Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies Statuary of Ludwig von Beethoven Three Bs List of compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven Category : Compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven VIAF : 316753560 GND : 1047813467 BNF : cb14293400r ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Immortal_Beloved_(film)&oldid=826763841 '' Categories : 1994 films 1990s drama films 1990s biographical films British films British drama films British biographical films American films American drama films American biographical films Biographical films about musicians Musical films based on actual events Films about classical music and musicians Films about composers Cultural depictions of Ludwig van Beethoven Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich Films directed by Bernard Rose ( director ) Films produced by Bruce Davey Icon Productions films Films set in the 19th century Films set in Austria Films set in Germany Films shot in the Czech Republic Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from March 2012 Articles needing additional references from June 2009 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 20 February 2018, at 21 : 49. 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Question: who is the immortal beloved in the movie
Answer: Johanna Reiss, the daughter of Anton Van Reiss, a prosperous Viennese upholsterer