Gary Oldman is a brilliant actor. He never ceases to amaze with his performances. He can go from a handsome emotionally charged priest in the Scarlet Letter to a cold, bitter, and balding politician in the Contender. His 1994 performance in Immortal Beloved as the master, Ludwig von Beethoven is exceptional. He captures both the public opinion of Beethoven’s emotional state, as well as the artist’s personal pain and struggles.
What the film explores is the details behind a love letter written to a mystery woman that his personal secretary found after Beethoven’s death. The reason that this was such a fiasco is because no one ever thought it possible that he could have ever loved a woman. Many believed that he shut himself off from the rest of the world, an angry soul with no emotional outlets other than his music. That turned out to be false when his secretary set out in search of the truth behind the letter, because of Beethoven’s last request to bequeath his entire estate to the mystery woman.
What is so intriguing about Oldman’s performance is the way he seemed to understand the pain that this man must have felt. For example, in one scene Beethoven is performing his newest work for a large audience. Something happens to cause the audience to start laughing. He does not notice at first because his back is to him. His orchestra stops playing, and fails to inform that master of the reasons. He implores them to continue, each time beginning at the top of his piece. After minutes, everyone seems to start laughing at him. You see the frustration and confusion in his eyes. He obviously does not see what is so funny. Then from the back of a room a beautiful young woman walks up to the stage, grabs his hand, and escorts him out of the theater. His face is red with mixed emotions of both anger and confusion. He never says a word to the woman, only displays some relief that she rescued him from the frightening situation. She narrates the scene by saying, “It is then that the world found out that he could not hear.” That moment is so profound. It gives you important insight to the character and his motivations.
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