Reviews & Ratings for
Copying Beethoven More at IMDbPro »

I've never seen a symphony in a starring role before, 17 March 2008

Author: John Johnson from Lincoln, Nebraska

I hesitated seeing this flick. As much as I admire his work, I wasn't sure if a cool cat like Ed Harris could pull off Ludwig.

But Harris was up for it, and I found it very enjoyable. Harris has a lot of range, and the relationship between Beethoven and the fictional young woman had no sappiness to it. It was a bit like The Girl with the Pearl Earing.

Storywise, a beautiful young composition student is sent to the maestro to copy, that is to say, prepare legible copies of sheet music from the composer's illegible scrawl. Because she is extremely talented, and understands his music well, she is also eager to learn from him, and copy him as his student.

Beethoven is working on the Ninth. The woman is surprisingly not a muse, but a ministering angel sent to the genius as he suffers in the "Gesthemane" of his old age. The movie has loads of allusions to the divine-like power of Beethoven's mind, and a lot of religious talk as the somewhat fallen-away Beethoven describes creativity and music to her.

The movie builds up beautifully to the premiere of the Ninth, his last symphony. Oddly, this is really the star of the show. You get a generous sample of it, and, amazingly, the director holds dramatic tension and a narrative line during the stirring performance.

The music took me away. Harris mutters, just before he starts conducting, "Now music changes forever." I've never been much for classical music, I frankly find it kind of boring, but by the time the choir bursts out with Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee, or whatever the words are in German, I was bawling my head off, and I almost never cry at movies.

After the Ninth the story just trails off, but how can we blame them. Where else could they go after such a masterpiece? The actors and the plot line have served the symphony; it is now time for everyone to go home.

There is a lot to recommend about the movie, a lot of nice details and subtleties. It's well shot, the palette is rich and cozy, the editing flows. If you like historical pieces, I recommend it. And after wards you might find yourself wanting to go to church, or the symphony, or just take a walk in the woods – singing joyful joyful we adore thee, marveling at the music inside and all around you.

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