Copying Beethoven
Anna Holtz becomes Beethoven’s copyist and inspiration in this fictional yet remarkably inspiring movie. There is a scene where Beethoven first presents his legendary 9th to all Vienna and Anna sits in the orchestra, keeping time for the deaf Beethoven as he conducts. This is one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen in film. History determines that Beethoven was on the podium yet as a result of deafness not conducting, although some elements like his being turned to face an uproar of applause is fact based.
This film beats the hell out of Gary Oldman’s Beethoven. Ed Harris, who succeeded brilliantly in his pet project Pollock, is a thrill to watch as the tempest conductor fighting for his life and art. The relationship between Anna Holtz and Beethoven is masterfully written, directed and acted even if it’s pure fiction.
There are few films that capture the creative flame like this one. There’s A Portrait of Jenny from 1936(?), Guinness’s hysterical The Horse’s Mouth of 1966, Basquait was a good one although thin, the Warhol movies are alright but superficial like he was, Girl With a Pearl Earing is a really moody, pretty picture, Pollock was very good, Hopkins’ Picasso was okay, Mozart is a superior film, Frida is one of the best, there are a spate of writer films which don’t translate as well as painter and musician films, although Ed Harris again makes a great Winter Passing and the recent Factotum was seedily enjoyable (Matt Dylan plays Bukowski, Lili Taylor from I shot Andy Warhol excellence his occasional love interest). There is the accomplishment of the Ninth that I paint to, which has brought tears to my eyes for now years, some of my strongest works were painted to listening to this symphony, and so I’m biased. But as one of the strongest creative achievements in history, this story of the Ninth is about all in creativity, and as an all in creator who has sacrificed many things for art I will return to this film.
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