Copying Beethoven
Copying Beethoven
A fictionalised exploration of Beethoven's life in his final days working on his Ninth Symphony. It is 1824. Beethoven is racing to finish his new symphony. However, it has been years since his last success and he is plagued by deafness, loneliness and personal trauma. A copyist is urgently needed to help the composer. A fictional character is introduced in the form of a young conservatory student and aspiring composer named Anna Holtz. The mercurial Beethoven is skeptical that a woman might become involved in his masterpiece but slowly comes to trust in Anna's assistance and in the end becomes quite fond of her. By the time the piece is performed, her presence in his life is an absolute necessity. Her deep understanding of his work is such that she even corrects mistakes he has made, while her passionate personality opens a door into his private world.
Firstly, you do not have to be a fan or familiar with classical music to enjoy this movie. Beethoven is my favorite of the 3 Bs and it is his music that stars in this film. Several works are played throughout and a large portion of the Ninth Symphony premiere is performed continuously in a kind of false ending scene where you can't help but be filled with an Ode to Joy(bad pun). I thought Ed Harris captured the madness that seems to be classical composers but with much less lunacy than Academy Award winner _Amadeus_ did. Diane Kruger showed she can act much better than her appearances in the _National Treasure_ movies. My main complaint is I think the movie could have done without the performance of the Fugue where the audience is shown disinterested and confused. I also was confused because I initially thought that was Anna's piece he was performing but it turned out to be his swan song. Enjoy this movie not as a documentary on Beethoven but as an Ode to Joy of a revered composer and you'll do just fine.