Credited cast: | |||
Diane Kruger | ... | Anna Holtz | |
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Ralph Riach | ... | Wenzel Schlemmer |
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Matyelok Gibbs | ... | Old Woman |
Ed Harris | ... | Ludwig van Beethoven | |
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Bill Stewart | ... | Rudy |
Angus Barnett | ... | Krenski | |
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Viktoria Dihen | ... | Magda |
Phyllida Law | ... | Mother Canisius | |
Matthew Goode | ... | Martin Bauer | |
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Gábor Bohus | ... | Schuppanzigh |
Joe Anderson | ... | Karl van Beethoven | |
David Kennedy | ... | Neighbor | |
Nicholas Jones | ... | Archduke Rudolph | |
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László Áron | ... | Judge |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Márta Hainfart | ... | Soloist (Soprano) |
Vienna, 1824. In the days before the first performance of the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven needs help with copying out the charts, so a promising student of composition, Anna Holtz, 23, is sent to assist him. She not only aids the transcription of the notes, she provides guidance from the orchestra pit as Beethoven conducts the work's debut. During the next two years, the final ones of Beethoven's life, Anna provides assistance to the deaf, temperamental, ailing man. In return, he tutors her in composition and explains to her the ideas and principles of Romanticism. He tries to speak for God. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
For those of you who have trashed this film with comments about the music not being accurate for the times or there was no such thing as a female copyist,etc, can't you go along with the fact that it's a fantasy? I saw it at a screening last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed it...for what it is, a made-up story to give us some insight into what might have been in Bethoven's mind toward the end of his life. I felt it did just that. It is well acted, directed, and the screenplay is very inventive. I certainly can't speak for the director, Ms. Holland, but while watching this film, I had the sense that she strongly wanted me, as the viewer, to feel a certain way so that I could get into the heart of what she was portraying. It worked, because several times I was totally drawn into the scenes and forgot I was in the theater. That's a big cue for me that it's a good film. Go see it, and decide for yourself.