Immortal Beloved

1994 2h 1m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 383

DramaMusicRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A chronicle of the life of infamous classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven and his painful struggle with hearing loss. Following Beethoven's death in 1827, his assistant, Schindler, searches for an elusive woman referred to in the composer's love letters as "immortal beloved." As Schindler solves the mystery, a series of flashbacks reveal Beethoven's transformation from passionate young man to troubled musical genius.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Gary Oldman
Ludwig van Beethoven
Jeroen Krabbé
Anton Felix Schindler
Isabella Rossellini
Anna Marie Erdödy
Johanna ter Steege
Johanna Reiss
Marco Hofschneider
Karl van Beethoven
Miriam Margolyes
Nanette Streicherová
Barry Humphries
Clemens Metternich
Valeria Golino
Giulietta Guicciardi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bernard Rose
Writers: Bernard Rose
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bernard Rose, shot by Peter Suschitzky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ludwig van Beethoven. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dan Rae shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Gary Oldman and Jeroen Krabbé and Isabella Rossellini carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0110116 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bernard Rose directs. Peter Suschitzky behind the camera. Ludwig van Beethoven scores. Dan Rae cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Bernard Rose, shot by Peter Suschitzky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ludwig van Beethoven. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Dan Rae shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gary Oldman and Jeroen Krabbé and Isabella Rossellini carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0110116 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "composer", "deaf", "letter", "biography".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Suschitzky
Original score: Ludwig van Beethoven
Editing: Dan Rae
Production design: Jiří Hlupý
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $120
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Immortal Beloved (1994)

Also by

Bernard Rose

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-04
★ 7/10
Ten years after the success of "Amadeus"; Hollywood decided to offer us a biopic of this giant of 19th century music who helped set up Vienna as the Mecca of classical music at the time. A truly multi-talented Gary Oldman is on good form as Bernard Rose guides us through the life, and fairly frequent loves, of this genius. His flaws are writ large from the beginning; his, at times, quite brutal upbringing and his womanising certainly didn't make him the nicest of men; and as his deafness takes over his character becomes more irascible and unpredictable. The story is presented as a retrospective, starting at his funeral, and is largely described through the perspective of his friend Anton Schindler (a considered effort from Jeroen Krabbé) and we see how his nature could vacillate from kindly, cruel, passionate and loving to selfish and vile. There are strong supporting contributions from Isabella Rossellini and Johanna Reiss that help keep this film focused and engaging. There are also ample opportunities to hear some of his music played, quite possibly, in a venue he would have himself attended. The attention to detail is superb: costumes, sets and locations all looking excellent. The dialogue is sparing, but it's what they all do with it - especially Gary Oldman - that helps make this film stand out. Two hours just flew by, and if you are fan of the music and interested in the man - then this is a good watch.

Production companies