Copying Beethoven

[lady_karelia]

I admit I cry easily over movies, but, oh man! Now that I'm done bawling, I might even sound coherent or not.

Dorkboy knows I'm not a movie watcher. I mean, he couldn't help noticing over the 22 years we've been together, lol. But he also knows that very occasionally, I like to see a movie if the subject matter is my cup of tea. Years ago, he found Mr Holland's Opus for me, and I still love that movie.

Tonight, he went to get some groceries and came back, telling me he brought a movie for me to watch from Blockbusters. Sara was slightly more helpful, saying, "It's something to do with Beethoven." I looked at the title, "Copying Beethoven," and vaguely remembered reading about it a few months ago. So we sat down and watched. Oh my! If you like sarcasm, if you like historical, if you like Beethoven, then go and watch that movie! If you find you don't like it at the beginning, then fast forward to the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, and you will like it if not love it.

It's a love story that isn't a love story because it's platonic and yet it isn't. Beethoven is portrayed as a messy, sarcastic, genius bastard, and I love him because he tells it how he sees it and it's just wonderful. Fanon!Snape, anyone? A young woman who studies composition and lives at the convent more or less bullies her way to becoming his copyist. She admires him for his musical genius, copes well with his sarcasm, and when he tells her to fight back instead of being meek, she does so admirably. This is the year 1825 we're talking about, btw, when everyone laughed at females wanting to do anything but marry and have children.

The premier is his ninth absolutely tore me apart. Anna the young lady agrees to help him conduct and she sits between the orchestra where he can see her and does the hand movements he then copies. You hear this most beautiful music and see the orchestra with her sitting on the floor somewhere in the middle, and the camera switches between her surrounded by the orchestra and Beethoven conducting.

It's the kind of movie that makes me consider investing in a surround sound system and huge TV, srsly.

Comments

[veradee.livejournal.com]

I loved that film when it was shown at the cinema a few months ago. Somce critics didn't like it, because it wasn't historically correct, but just as characters I found Beethoven and his copyist very convincing. And of the course the music was fantastic. The film really seemed to "show" how music is created, and I actually felt as if I would experience the world premiere of the ninth symphony, indeed.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Since the movie said it's a "fictional account" what on earth do the critics have to complain???

I agree that the characters were convincing. I loved that healthy dose of sarcasm in vB, it really suits him. :-)

[veradee.livejournal.com]

I thought they meant that the film shouldn't have been made in the first place because it wasn't historically correct. I heartily disagree.

[little-beloved.livejournal.com]

Oooh! It sounds WONDERFUL! I wonder when it will be out here? Is it a new release over there?

As for Mr. Holland's Opus. Aaaah! Bloody brilliant. You know that bit where he's talking to his class and he plays the second movement of the 7th? Divine! I went to a wonderful seminar once on the portrayal of Beethoven in film. VERY interesting, although my PhD supervisor, Julian, and I just sat there playing 'name that tune' for all the movie clips, and the minute it was over we escaped to his office to listen to the Emperor Concerto.

I think that the music you are exposed to as a child has huge repercusions for your musical tastes as an adult. Much as I love RVW, for me the composers who embody musical perfection will always be Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, purely because they were the only records (along with the Beatles and Abba!) that my parents had.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

According to IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424908/), it was released last October, so you should find it at the video rental place there as well.

Oh, yes, I love that scene in Mr H's Opus!!! Teehee!

I think you're quite right, and it gives me hope that my daughter will one day appreciate classical tunes beyond the scopes of Maksim or Josh Groban... I grew up with Handel and Mozart, but once my piano teacher introduced me to the beauty that is Beethoven's music, I found my true love. :-)