Copying Beethoven: The DVD

[Peter]

Hope you like it! I wouldn't call it a GREAT movie and I can see how a lot of people would dislike it but, as I said above, if you approach it in the right frame of mind, it should be enjoyable. There are one or two moments that will make you cringe but it's a much more positive film than "Immortal Beloved".
Many of the reviews have not been very complimentary and "Amadeus" is always being held up as the yardstick by which composer biographies must be judged, and, purely as a movie, "Amadeus" is much better. My chief interest however, is in the portrayal of Beethoven and his music and Ed Harris is streets ahead of Tom Hulce (Mozart). I think the earlier film should have been called "Salieri".

Michael

Thanks for a very balanced review Michael - I look forward to seeing the film eventually. As to Amadeus, you are right, without a doubt the real star was F.Murray Abraham who gave superb performances of the young and old Salieri.

[Preston]

Thanks for a very balanced review Michael - I look forward to seeing the film eventually. As to Amadeus, you are right, without a doubt the real star was F.Murray Abraham who gave superb performances of the young and old Salieri.

Yes, I agree. F. Murray was remarkable in Amadeus. I have seen Amadeus probably 75+ times now, literally. I almost know it line for line. I have never seen someone act as good as F. Murray did in Amadeus.

The way he portrays the old Salieri is unbelievable, the way his mouth moves, the way he smiles, laughs, talks, moves, etc. I was able to get some of the members of my family to watch it and they didn't realize that the actor who played the old Salieri was the same person as the young.

[Hollywood]

My best friend back in Los Angeles has bought me this dvd for my birthday and will be sending it off in the Post next week. I don't have the cash to go and see this film at the Kino here in Vienna so I am really looking forward to watching the dvd. It'll be great to also see the extra stuff that is on the dvd as well.

[terry]

[ With that in mind, it turned out (for me) to be one of the most enjoyable films I have seen in a long time.
First of all, Ed Harris makes an excellent Beethoven. In “Immortal Beloved”, Gary Oldman was very effective but one-dimensional. He portrayed the scowling, bad-tempered B who seemed to do very little composing, whereas Ed Harris is constantly banging pianos, scribbling notes and humming discordantly. Best of all, he is portrayed as a profoundly deaf man, desperately trying to hear the music he is composing.

Michael[/QUOTE]

Yesterday I watched it, it's really NICE! After so much time! I can't believe it's in my hand!! Unfortunately I couldn't find any of the extras that were written on the cover...I completely agree with Michael, it's not a masterpiece (the moonlight scene should be omitted!), and I won't add anything else to his great review. To me it's one of the best about him I ever saw and that's much. (I agree also with someone who said "upstairs" is even better). I heard them speaking Spanish and it sounds strange. I couldn't find any comment written in English as Michael said. I'd rather the English version with Harris'original voice. My studies of foreign languages are useful to me. I really liked Harris (I confess...I wouldn't have disliked some more intimate feeling... ) and also his makeup!
To mr. Srivele: thank you for having shared all this work with us, what is important is that people speak about B!
I still hope it comes to Italy so that I can follow it in my language and see the differences... and overall because as someone else said, on the wide screen it would be something different (the NINTH!)

[Michael]

Terry, you can easily access the original english language soundtrack even though the menu is in Spanish. When the menu first appears, the first icon highlighted on the left is PLAY. Just scroll to the second item, click and the language and subtitle menu comes up. You can easily make out the English 5.1 icon on the left click on it and then click on icon on bottom right. It will then play in english but, as I have said earlier, you cannot get rid of the Spanish subtitles (on my copy anyway - you can try yourself - the bottom of the subtitle menu reads something like "NON Subtilos" and that is the one to use to blank them out - in theory).

Michael

The extras are there too. On the main menu, click the fourth icon from left. There is no soundtrack commentary, unfortunately.

[susanwen]

My best friend back in Los Angeles has bought me this dvd for my birthday and will be sending it off in the Post next week. I don't have the cash to go and see this film at the Kino here in Vienna so I am really looking forward to watching the dvd. It'll be great to also see the extra stuff that is on the dvd as well.

In the United States, movies are about $12 U.S. evenings, but matinees are about $6. Discounted tickets are available sometimes. How much do they cost in Vienna?

[Hollywood]

In the United States, movies are about $12 U.S. evenings, but matinees are about $6. Discounted tickets are available sometimes. How much do they cost in Vienna?

Here in Austria you don't pay one price for a ticket. At the box office there is a diagram of the theater seating and depending on where you want to sit there is a different price to pay. The first 4 rows or so are the cheapest and the further back you sit, the more you have to pay. So the prices can range from about $5 to $14.

Unfortunately "Copying Beethoven" is only playing at 5 theaters here in Vienna and in english at only one of them. Also there is no matinee showing of this film at this particular Kino (it has only one showing per day and it starts about 7pm). Since I really don't like going to see a film alone (no matter what the film is) I will wait and watch it on the dvd version I should be getting in the Post in the next week or so.

[JA Gardiner]

Whilst some of us still don't have the choice of either

[terry]

Terry, you can easily ......

Thank you very much Michael, I'll try this evening, last saturday it was to late to do some other search,

[Preston]

David and Terry, I just watched this trailer to Beethoven Lives Upstairs and I was blown away by the way by the way the actor who played Beethoven portrayed him. It was unreal!

I have never seen this movie but am looking forward to getting it. Thank you, truly, for mentioning the movie.

Kind Regards,
Preston

[terry]

I have never seen this movie but am looking forward to getting it. Thank you, truly, for mentioning the movie "upstairs".

Preston, I think you can easily find it on e-bay or amazon. Gardiner, don't pull your hair off: if I succeeded in finding it, easier it should be for you. Then, if you can buy the Spanish version, it is written and/or spoken also in English (sorry, I didn't have time to watch it again to find both versions), isnt't it?

[Michael]

I
Preston, I think you can easily find it on e-bay or amazon. Gardiner, don't pull your hair off: if I succeeded in finding it, easier it should be for you. Then, if you can buy the Spanish version, it is written and/or spoken also in English (sorry, I didn't have time to watch it again to find both versions), isnt't it?

Please note my warning above about the subtitles on the Spanish disc.

[Preston]

There are one or two moments that will make you cringe but it's a much more positive film than "Immortal Beloved".

Michael

I definitely agree that it is more positive than Immortal Beloved and I like that a lot. As I said above, "I like watching Harris better than Oldman, though, because in Immortal Beloved you get Beethoven's romantic side (where the girls love him, he is the cool guy who doesn't take junk from anyone), I think, and in Copying Beethoven you get a different side of Beethoven."

In my opinion Immortal Beloved gives a very wrong impression of Beethoven, it is like what Beethoven has been turned into throughout the years, a sex God, and believe me some people do feel that.

I do feel that this is the best movie of the year, but I do stand by what I said in my above post. I don't feel there are that many artistic movies these days though, maybe that is why I feel it is one of the best movies, and the fact that it is about Beethoven!

Kind Regards,
Preston

[Joy]

David and Terry, I just watched this trailer to Beethoven Lives Upstairs and I was blown away by the way by the way the actor who played Beethoven portrayed him. It was unreal!

I have never seen this movie but am looking forward to getting it. Thank you, truly, for mentioning the movie.

Kind Regards,
Preston

Do get the movie Preston, you won't be disappointed. It is one of the best and real portrayals of Beethoven. Lots of good music and a nice caption of his life. It focuses on his last few years of life and the 9th Symphony but he does a lot of backflashes to his earlier life so you learn about the history of the man quite effectively. The actor who portrays Beethoven (Neil Munro) is excellent and does a great job. Good movie!

[Preston]

Do get the movie Preston, you won't be disappointed. It is one of the best and real portrayals of Beethoven. Lots of good music and a nice caption of his life. It focuses on his last few years of life and the 9th Symphony but he does a lot of backflashes to his earlier life so you learn about the history of the man quite effectively. The actor who portrays Beethoven (Neil Munro) is excellent and does a great job. Good movie!

Thank you Joy for your comment. I really look forward to seeing Beethoven Lives Upstairs.