Eroica (TV 2003)

On June 9 1804 Ludwig Von Beethoven and his pupil Ries assemble a small group of musicians to give the first performance of his third symphony,the Bonaparte,to his patron Prince Lobkowitz ... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Cellan Jones

Writer:

Nick Dear

Stars:

Peter Hanson, Jack Davenport, Leo Bill

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Hanson	...	Wranitzky
Jack Davenport	...	Prince Lobkowitz
Leo Bill	...	Reis
Ian Hart	...	Ludwig van Beethoven
Trevor Cooper	...	Otto Fisher
Sarah Ford	...	Frau Fisher
Fenella Woolgar	...	Princess Marie Lobkowitz
Victoria Shalet	...	Kirsten
Celina Liesegang	...	Stella
Jacob Engelberg	...	Franz
Jonathan Aris	...	Paul Dorfmueller
Ian Thompson	...	Albrecht Dorfmeuller
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Count Dietrichstein
Robert Glenister	...	Gerhardt
Joseph Morgan	...	Matthias

Storyline

On June 9 1804 Ludwig Von Beethoven and his pupil Ries assemble a small group of musicians to give the first performance of his third symphony,the Bonaparte,to his patron Prince Lobkowitz and his guests,including hypercritical Count Dietrichstein,in Vienna. The piece provokes political arguments among players and onlookers as to whether Bonaparte is a tyrant,or,as Beethoven believes,a liberator. The composer is also rejected by former love the recently widowed Josephine Von Deym though the visiting elder statesman of composers Haydn pays him a strange compliment. Leaving the gathering Beethoven confesses to Ries that he is losing his hearing and later he reads that Bonaparte has declared himself the French emperor. As a result he will lose all respect for Napoleon and will change the symphony's title to the Eroica.

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Taglines:

The day that changed music forever

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

Eroica - I iroiki symfonia tou Beethoven

Filming Locations:

Chiswick House, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The white muslin dress with yellow overdress worn by the farmhouse servant is the same costume Kate Winslet (Marianne Dashwood) wears during the picnic scene in Sense and Sensibility, and Michelle Ryan wears during the scene in which Sir Thomas asks Maria if she wants to marry Mr. Rushworth in Mansfield Park.

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Goofs

Beethoven's assistant was Ferdinand Ries, pronounced "Reese." The name was pronounced correctly in the film but incorrectly spelled "Reis" in the film credits. It was Ries himself who told the story of his incorrectly thinking the horn player came in early.

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Quotes

Reis: [timidly, afraid of Beethoven's rage] Sir...
Ludwig van Beethoven: [exploding] Ries, you interfering insect! What is it?
Reis: Herr Haydn is here, sir.

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Soundtracks

"Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major (Eroica)"
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner

User Reviews

A good 90 minutes, but was I voting for the music or the film?

Not so much film noir as film dusk, I spent the first ten minutes waiting for the set lights to be switched on. Having said that, Eroica is a beautiful to look at period piece about the first playing of Beethoven's Eroica or 'Napoleon' symphony (played by the wonderful Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique) for Prince Lobokowitz in Vienna. The film spans a day in the life of Beethoven in June 1804, examining not only his life and loves, but the lives of the musicians and the staff of the Palace in Vienna.

Much of the 'action' revolves around the audience of this magical performance. If only the Director had resisted the temptation to spin round the viewers as they watched! The film certainly flew by, but I was left wishing that this was only the start of the film and not the totality.