Copying Beethoven Again

[terry]

[QUOTE=jak;37247]terry,

"
Fame! I want to live forever,
I want to learn how to fly ...

Thank you jak for your grammar lesson. Now write me down all the text from Fame songs, since I hardly understand anything!
Peter, It's a pity you couldn't see the movie it's a double shame because as administrator, you have the right to be informed better and more quickly than others! Don't be desperate. In case you understand Spanish, I could you send you (free!) the original dvd..

[Michael]

[QUOTE=terry;37267
"
In case you understand Spanish, I could you send you (free!) the original dvd..[/QUOTE]

Which has an english soundtrack as well. Anyway, the DVD is coming out here in a few months.

[JA Gardiner]

Peter - it is still on at one cinema in London if you're likely to be up here in next week or two it might be worth checking. It's certainly worth watching on the big screen if you can if only for the 9th.

[Tod]

Finally got to see it. Unfortunately as it came and went within a week in the cinemas in Sydney earlier this year, I had to wait for the DVD.

Man..what a royal screw up with the soundtrack on the DVD. You only get a choice of Dolby 5.1, and they messed up the channels. Frustratingly the right channel comes out the centre speaker and the centre channel comes out the right speaker. As all dialog on 5.1 movies is sent to the centre channel (which is now unfortunately my right channel!) the whole sound mix is lopsided. Aaarrrgh! How very distracting!!! I did check my set-up with other movies and all was as expected with them so my system is set up correctly.

Anyway, onto the movie. The sets and costumes were brilliant and appropriate. The vibe in Beethovens room was pretty accurate from what I've read. Ed Harris did a pretty good job and his "character" was as I'd hoped and far better than any other actor I've seen attempt to be Beethoven, but it would have been far better if he had at least tried to tone down his American Accent which was a little off putting. He was however a highlight of the movie. Oh dear...the "death scene" at the start...how lame! What about the accounts of him shaking his fists and yelling at the raging storm outside? There were also too many scenes in the movie I thought "Hey, that's a complete rip-off from 'Amadeus'" which was also distracting.

I'm sorry to offend anyone, but I thought Diane Kruger's part was entirely superfluous and distracting. We all know from historical accounts that she was fictional and hence unbelievable, and I'm sorry but Diane's vague attempt at conducting in the 9th Symphony and shaky cameras completely detracted me from the spectacle of the performance. I kept thinking she was a Ballerina with her feet glued to the floor, therefore only able to do the 'big arms' bit of the Ballet.

Highlights were the music. Thank goodness they resisted the temptation to use Fur Elise and the Moonlight Sonata, but instead chose the sublime second movt of the 4th Piano concerto and the Grosse fugue among others, not forgetting the condensed airing of the brilliant 9th Symphony.

I'm sorry if this post stops anyone from enjoying it, but I had to get it off my chest. In all if I was a reviewer, I'd give Ed Harris 8/10, and the film about a 5/10.

[Michael]

I don't know if anybody is still interested after all the adverse criticism, but the Region 2 DVD version of "Copying Beethoven" will be available on Play.com (and presumably other online retailers) from 14th January next. This should include a couple of documentaries and a commentary by Ed Harris. So the DVD will be getting a European release after all. It is strange that "Immortal Beloved" has never done that.
I hope they don't mess up the channels as they did in the Australian version which Tod mentions above.

[terry]

[ the Region 2 DVD version of "Copying Beethoven" will be available on Play.com (and presumably other online retailers) from 14th January next. This should include a couple of documentaries and a commentary by Ed Harris. So the DVD will be getting a European release after all. It is strange that "Immortal Beloved" has never done that.

What has never done? Has IB never been released on dvd? I have seen it somewhere on e-bay or amazon. I'd like to buy it to have some extras. Regarding CB on dvd, the Spanish version has no documentaries and no backstage, nothing! Will this be better? I think the commentary you mean is the same we all have already found on the web.

[Michael]

[What has never done? Has IB never been released on dvd? I have seen it somewhere on e-bay or amazon. I'd like to buy it to have some extras. Regarding CB on dvd, the Spanish version has no documentaries and no backstage, nothing! Will this be better? I think the commentary you mean is the same we all have already found on the web.

As far as I know, "Immortal Beloved" has never been issued in an R2 (European) edition. (Actually, I may be wrong here - I think it came out in Germany - but I am referring to an English edition.) I got it on eBay from South Korea (I think they are still available at a low price) and am very satisfied with it. There is a small amount of Korean writing on the box and the composer's name is alarmingly spelt as "Beetohoven", but it is absolutely fine, containing the director's commentary and a documentary. The soundtrack is English with Korean subtitles. The subtitles can be removed. Picture quality is excellent (NTSC) and the product is virtually identical to the American edition.

The new R2 version of "Copying Beethoven" should have a commentary by Ed Harris which is missing from the Spanish edition. Another annoying thing about the Spanish version is the inability to get rid of Spanish subtitles which, of course, would not be an issue with the new edition.

There are a few copies of "Immortal Beloved" available here for less than five euro:
http://dvd-video.search.ebay.ie/Immo...4QQsacatZ11232
If my copy is anything to go by, they sould be fine. Note, the UK item is a VHS tape.
One last reminder: On the Korean edition of "Immortal" I was able to remove the subtitles by using the menu, but not on the Spanish edition of "Copying B". The Korean editions should not have that problem, but I am mentioning it, just in case.

[Tod]

...Regarding CB on dvd, the Spanish version has no documentaries and no backstage, nothing!

Unfortunately also the region 4 Australian release has no doco or behind the scenes either. The only "extra" is the commentary with Ed Harris and Agnieszka Holland.

[Michael]

Unfortunately also the region 4 Australian release has no doco or behind the scenes either. The only "extra" is the commentary with Ed Harris and Agnieszka Holland.

I'm presuming the extras will be on the Region 2 release. Details are sketchy at the moment.

[terry]

Unfortunately also the region 4 Australian release has no doco or behind the scenes either. The only "extra" is the commentary with Ed Harris and Agnieszka Holland.

I correct myself: there are 2 interviews to the couple, perhaps the same that can be found somewhere else in the web (I don't remember where I recorded them). And the movie divided in his main scenes, and the promo. That's all. Now I'm going to click on the site above to find something about IB

[terry]

[And the movie divided in ITS main scenes!!!(please forget I'm graduate in English)

[Preston]

just wondering...

Does anyone find Ed Harris' performance as Beethoven to not be eccentric enough? I know that everyone has said that Harris was great, but I think I disagree. When I look at the drawings, like "Beethoven In The Rain", which is one of my favorite drawings, and read things about Beethoven, I think that Harris doesn't come close to the eccentric man that Beethoven was in his later years.

I am not saying that the screenplay is great, primarily due to the character of Anna and other things, so sorry Stephen... truly, but that Harris doesn't make a good Beethoven.

When I see movies like Beethoven (BBC) and Immortal Beloved at least they capture some of the eccentricities of Beethoven.

Does anyone else find this true, that Harris isn't eccentric enough... just wondering?

[Michael]

Does anyone else find this true, that Harris isn't eccentric enough... just wondering?

I think he resisted the temptation to go over the top but he did convey a certain amount of eccentricity in certain scenes. These were more effective because of his general restraint. I think the BBC "Beethoven" got the balance just right.

[terry]

Does anyone else find this true, that Harris isn't eccentric enough... just wondering?

I think it's not a bad idea not to picture him too eccentric. We know better than most people how he was, I'd feel somewhat embarrassed if people who don't know anything about him could see him throwing a dish on a waiter's face, or scaring the cows during a walk, all episodes too much described everywhere. "Normal"people (not amateurs like us) would have a bad impression of him and forget the depht of his feelings and culture,all his good qualities. These should have been underlined, not his habits. People are very superficial and full of prejudice (I am too, sometimes). But I have already said these things.

[Peter]

Does anyone else find this true, that Harris isn't eccentric enough... just wondering?

I think it's not a bad idea not to picture him too eccentric. We know better than most people how he was, I'd feel somewhat embarrassed if people who don't know anything about him could see him throwing a dish on a waiter's face, or scaring the cows during a walk, all episodes too much described everywhere. "Normal"people (not amateurs like us) would have a bad impression of him and forget the depht of his feelings and culture,all his good qualities. These should have been underlined, not his habits. People are very superficial and full of prejudice (I am too, sometimes). But I have already said these things.

I agree terry - Beethoven was deaf and people have little enough understanding and sympathy of disability even today, let alone 200 years ago.