I know that comparing this film to Amadeus is trite, but if I do the exercise of choosing my favorite, I will pick "Immortal Beloved" for two simple reasons:
1- It's all about the music. Amadeus focuses on the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, where their music seems to be a circumstantial element in the drama (in simple terms: the underdog hates the genius because he will never be that good, hence the dramatic starter). The music of "Ludwig Van" (as Alex, from "A Clockwork Orange" would say) is central in "Immortal Beloved", and parts of the movie focus on what drove this genius to create some of the greatest musical compositions of western civilization.
From a strict cinematographic standpoint, the sequence that shows an episode on Ludwig's childhood that allegedly inspired the "Ode to Joy", the last movement of his Symphony no. 9, simply put, PRICELESS. Although the film as a whole may have a few flaws and its screenplay could have used some improvements as far as silly love story and dialogs are concern, that sequence alone is an example of outstanding filmmaking.
As a film school graduate I believe that sequence should be shown to film students anywhere. It's simply put, brilliant.
2- Gary Oldman. He just plays a fantastic role, his best since "JFK" and "Dracula." After all, Gary is much more believable as Beethoven than Hulce was as Mozart. I think it was that maniacal giggle of Amadeus which constantly turned me off, and made me think of it as a poor character development, only emphasizing simple traits to the n power. I think we got the point about Amadeus being a spoiled boy genius at the very beginning of the flick...
In resume, a pretty good movie about the life and inspiration of Beethoven, with a few storyline flaws, but compensated by incredibly beautiful imagery and translation of his music to a cinematic medium.
1- It's all about the music. Amadeus focuses on the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, where their music seems to be a circumstantial element in the drama (in simple terms: the underdog hates the genius because he will never be that good, hence the dramatic starter). The music of "Ludwig Van" (as Alex, from "A Clockwork Orange" would say) is central in "Immortal Beloved", and parts of the movie focus on what drove this genius to create some of the greatest musical compositions of western civilization.
From a strict cinematographic standpoint, the sequence that shows an episode on Ludwig's childhood that allegedly inspired the "Ode to Joy", the last movement of his Symphony no. 9, simply put, PRICELESS. Although the film as a whole may have a few flaws and its screenplay could have used some improvements as far as silly love story and dialogs are concern, that sequence alone is an example of outstanding filmmaking.
As a film school graduate I believe that sequence should be shown to film students anywhere. It's simply put, brilliant.
2- Gary Oldman. He just plays a fantastic role, his best since "JFK" and "Dracula." After all, Gary is much more believable as Beethoven than Hulce was as Mozart. I think it was that maniacal giggle of Amadeus which constantly turned me off, and made me think of it as a poor character development, only emphasizing simple traits to the n power. I think we got the point about Amadeus being a spoiled boy genius at the very beginning of the flick...
In resume, a pretty good movie about the life and inspiration of Beethoven, with a few storyline flaws, but compensated by incredibly beautiful imagery and translation of his music to a cinematic medium.