Eroica (2003)

On June 9, 1804, Ludwig van Beethoven and his pupil Ries assemble a group of musicians to give the first performance of his Third Symphony, 'Bonaparte', to his patron Prince Lobkowitz and ... 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	...	Ries
Ian Hart	...	Ludwig van Beethoven
Trevor Cooper	...	Otto Fisher
Sarah Ford	...	Frau Fisher
Fenella Woolgar	...	Princess Marie Lobkowitz
Victoria Shalet	...	Kirstin
Celina Liesegang	...	Stella
Jacob Engelberg	...	Franz
Jonathan Aris	...	Paul Dorfmueller
Ian Thompson	...	Albrecht Dorfmueller
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Count Dietrichstein
Robert Glenister	...	Gerhardt
Joseph Morgan	...	Matthias

Storyline

On June 9, 1804, Ludwig van Beethoven and his pupil Ries assemble a group of musicians to give the first performance of his Third Symphony, 'Bonaparte', to his patron Prince Lobkowitz and his guests, including hypercritical Count Dietrichstein, in Vienna. The piece provokes political arguments among players and audience as to whether Bonaparte is a tyrant, or, as Beethoven believes, a liberator. The composer is also rejected by his 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 'Eroica'.

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Taglines:

The day that changed music forever

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Genres:

Drama | History | Music

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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 (1995), and Michelle Ryan wears during the scene in which Sir Thomas asks Maria if she wants to marry Mr. Rushworth in Mansfield Park (2007).

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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

Ludwig van Beethoven: [Making introductions] Sir, my student - Reis. He's an idiot.
Josef Haydn: All students are idiots. It's traditional. **Note: Beethoven was a student of Haydns.**

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Soundtracks

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
(excerpt)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Played by Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner

User Reviews

Heroic film

Eroica is a well done blending of film and symphony concert. Beethoven was a rebel pushing against the social status quo in his life and with his music. How we hear this symphony today is so completely different that it is nearly impossible to imagine how it seemed to those hearing this kind of music for the first time. This film helped me to do that.

I have had the great honor of performing this masterpiece when I was a student at Duquesne University, so it's always like coming home when I hear this piece. This film gave me an opportunity to visit it with fresh eyes and ears.

One thing I have to complain about is the usual one, the violas nearly always get short shrift when orchestras are filmed, but this is a small oversight in view of the entire movie.

Well done!

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:

83 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD