The passion behind the genius.
Young Anna Holtz, (Diane Kruger) a student at the Vienna Music Conservatory is summoned to the offices of Herr Schlemmer, Beethoven's publisher. His Ninth Symphony is about to be premièred and Schlemmer, who is dying of cancer, needs a copyist to complete the score. Anna eagerly accepts, despite his warning that Beethoven (Ed Harris) is a monster.
As her work of copying down the music of Beethoven proceeds, Anna is drawn into the maestro's tortured and inspired world. She sees their collaboration as a God-sent opportunity to prove her own talent as a composer; he glimpses in her a pure soul who might help him realize the culmination of his art - the creation of the last string quartets, the most sublime and spiritual music ever written.
Beethoven reveals his growing need and affection for Anna as they work together on the string quartets. She boldly shows Beethoven her own work. Thoughtlessly, he derides it and she leaves him in despair.
Desperate, Anna accepts her long-time paramour, Martin's, proposal of marriage. Beethoven storms after her - she must choose between Martin and him. Anna tries to flee Vienna but cannot; her destiny is linked to Beethoven's. She returns to finish their work and finds him dying. From his dictation she copies the last of the quartets. His work on earth done, he frees her to become what he tells her she was born to be - a composer.
Special Agent Matti
It's good to see the old bastard on the big screen, after all, he wrote the greatest symphony of all time. The Ninth is astounding in its scope, from the smallest, most intimate, human moments to the greatest, most all-encompassing love of god. You don't have to worship any particular deity to know that deities, heavens and raptures are all possible, as you are filled the the glorious Ninth.
Now, Ed Harris makes a grand stab at portraying Ludwig van Beethoven but he's hampered by a script which is pretty small. Every time he explodes he disappears off the screen. It's one thing to have a film that's bigger than the actors but quite another to have an actor who's bigger than the film.
Still, I suppose Copying Beethoven is a good way to learn about the culture of 19th century Vienna.
The biography, drama, music movie Copying Beethoven is directed by Agnieszka Holland and stars Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Ralph Riach.
PG (Mild sexual references, mild coarse language, mild themes)
104 minutes (1:44 hours)
Film: 19 April 2007
