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

Princess Lobkowitz: [speaking about the Eroica Symphony] Unusual, though, wasn't it?
Josef Haydn: Unusual? He's done something no composer has ever done. He's placed himself at the center of his work. He gives us a glimpse into his soul. I expect that's why it is so noisy. But it is something quite new. Quite new. The artist as hero. Everything is different from today.

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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

Finally, classical music gets the television it needs

For some puzzling reason, I never really "got" the Eroica, but thanks to this marvellous production I (and hopefully many others) finally understand not only why the symphony was so important but also why it's so good! The basic idea of the film is that Prince Lobkowitz's orchestra is giving the first performance of the symphony for the prince and princess, the composer, and a few guests. After a shortish buildup to introduce the characters, the orchestra begins - and carries on for most of the film. As the music plays, we watch the characters listening, and occasionally hear their opinions. There is outrage when a trumpet comes in at the "wrong" time; smiles at certain musical turns of phrase; frowns at how loud it is. This superb film marries a great performance of a great work with an intelligent effort to put the whole thing in the context of its time. It isn't a film for people who already know all about the Eroica, but for a viewer who doesn't know Haydn from Howard Shore it must surely be enlightening.