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Immortal Beloved
Immortal Beloved theatrical poster
Directed by	Bernard Rose
Produced by	Bruce Davey
Written by	Bernard Rose
Starring	Gary Oldman Jeroen Krabbé
Music by	George Fenton Ludwig van Beethoven Gioacchino Rossini
Distributed by	Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
Release date(s)	1994
Running time	121 min.
Country	UK/USA
Language	English
Gross revenue	$14.3
IMDb profile

Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

The film — a biopic — treats the identity of the "Immortal Beloved" (Unsterbliche Geliebte) of composer Ludwig Van Beethoven as a mystery to be solved by his secretary and first biographer, Anton Schindler, a journey of discovery which takes Schindler to all corners of the Austrian Empire to interview the women who have a claim to candidacy. In this, it bears a family resemblance to the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane.

The core of fact upon which the film's speculations are built is as follows:

After Beethoven's death in 1827, a letter was found among his private papers addressed to a woman whom he calls "immortal beloved". The letter exists, but there is no consensus among Beethoven scholars as to the true identity of the intended recipient, though the pages of the letter — probably written in the summer of 1812 from the spa town of Teplice — are certainly in Beethoven's handwriting.

Among the most plausible candidates put forward to date are Giulietta Guicciardi, Therese von Brunswick, Antonie Brentano, Johanna van Beethoven, Countess Anna-Marie Erdődy, all but one of whom feature in the film.

The film's director, Bernard Rose, has controversially claimed in an interview that he himself has successfully identified the woman whom Beethoven loved, a task that has eluded researchers for nearly two hundred years. No scholar or writer on Beethoven has so far come forward to endorse Rose's claim, and one, Gail S. Altman, has vociferously disputed it in a book^[1] devoted specifically to the question of the woman's identity, and Beethoven's relationships in general.

The film received a mixed critical response. As of January 26, 2007, the film had a 53% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Roger Ebert gave the film 3-and-a-half stars, stating in his review "Immortal Beloved has clearly been made by people who feel Beethoven directly in their hearts," and he was among the many to praise Oldman's performance.

• Gary Oldman as Ludwig van Beethoven
• Jeroen Krabbé as Anton Felix Schindler
• Isabella Rossellini as Anna Marie Erdody
• Johanna ter Steege as Johanna Reiss
• Christopher Fulford as Casper van Beethoven
• Marco Hofschneider as Karl van Beethoven
• Miriam Margolyes as Nanette Streicher
• Barry Humphries as Clemens Metternich
• Valeria Golino as Giulietta Guicciardi

• Directed and Written by Bernard Rose
• Produced by Bruce Davey
• Executive Producer Stephen McEveety
• Director of Photography Peter Suschitzky
• Music Direction by Georg Solti conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
• Solo Pianist Murray Perahia
• Additional Music by
  Ludwig van Beethoven
  Gioacchino Rossini ("Overture" from La Gazza ladrà)

1. ^ Altman, Gail S. Beethoven: A Man of His Word - Undisclosed Evidence for his Immortal Beloved, Anubian Press 1996; ISBN 1-888071-01-X

• Immortal Beloved at the Internet Movie Database