"COPYING BEETHOVEN"
DVD Review
by Rachel Buccicone
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Ed Harris as BEETHOVEN Diane Kruger as ANNA Ralph Riach as SCHLEMMER Rated PG-13 Studio: MGM Directed by: Agnieszka Holland Back to DVD Review Home |  |
“Copying Beethoven” is a dull tale used to show the unpleasant personality of the great maestro during his final years. While visually and audibly beautiful, the story has little to offer any viewer.
Anna (Diane Kruger) is a twenty-three-year-old woman who has traveled to Vienna to study musical composition. Anna is first sent to Mr. Schlemmer (Ralph Riach) as her school’s best student. The problem of her gender is made apparent as Schlemmer initially rejects her. After some convincing, Schlemmer asks Anna to make copies of the rough drafts of Beethoven’s newest symphony which is to be premiered four days later.
As her second task, Anna is asked to deliver the copies to Beethoven himself. Beethoven is in need of a full-time copyist but also rejects Anna based on her gender. After viewing the copies Anna has already completed, he is convinced of her value and keeps her around as he finishes his symphony.
As fate may have it, Beethoven is a horrible conductor, and each time he attempts to lead an orchestra they get off tempo multiple times. Luckily, Anna also has a talent for conducting and, during the premier, hides out amongst the orchestra to conduct Beethoven’s conducting.
Beethoven has been a nightmare to work with thus far with his volatile personality, but Anna is able to tolerate him until she finally gets the nerve to show the maestro her own compositions. Beethoven’s insensitive response may have permanently severed their relationship.
There is not much to say about “Copying Beethoven”. The plot contains very little conflict, which is easily resolved in both cases, and no complexity whatsoever. The character of Carl Van Beethoven, the nephew, is nearly pointless, bringing almost nothing to the film. Anna’s boyfriend is another character that serves very little purpose and when he presents Anna with an ultimatum, she finds no struggle in her decision.
Ed Harris (“Empire Falls”) has been praised for his portrayal of Beethoven, but this film is less about the man himself than the woman who so enchanted him. Diane Kruger (“National Treasure”) gives a very serious performance, but seems to fit the role well. She is given a couple opportunities to show great personal anguish or turmoil, but fails to do so to any great extent.
Cinematically “Copying Beethoven” is a very beautiful film. Filled with extreme close-ups, the camera makes great strides toward portraying the characters’ personalities. An occasional hand-held camera adds to the effect of subjective shooting where scenes are viewed from the perspective of a single character.
The music in this film is obviously all Beethoven works, but the symphonies work beyond the function of a background soundtrack; they often are played as though we are hearing them from with Beethoven and Anna’s minds.
The bonus features for the “Copying Beethoven” DVD are not terribly extensive. The usual audio commentary is available with Ed Harris and the director. Deleted scenes can also be viewed with director’s commentary, but the most promising of the extras is the Orchestrating “Copying Beethoven” Featurette. With the brilliant use of music in this movie, this featurette offers useful insight into the method behind the music.
Like I said, there is very little to praise or condemn about “Copying Beethoven”. The only aspects of this film that are impressive are the cinematic and musical components. Any Beethoven or classical music fan would enjoy the movie for those reasons, but the narrative is far to dull to expect anyone else to enjoy it.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (2.35:1). English and Spanish Language Track. English and Spanish Subtitles.
