With all of cast and crew attending premiere screening on day 4 of TIFF, Copying Beethoven was the first movie to receive a standing ovation this year. This film examines the character of Beethoven through the relationship between fictional character Anna Holtz. Phenomenal acting by Ed Harris!!! Director, Agnieszka Holland even said that one of the orchestra members thought that Harris was an excellent conductor! This movie offers a great balance between drama and comedy. Both movie and music fans will appreciate this movie.
Here's the spoiler...
Anna riding in a carriage. This montage is accompanied by the development of a fugue in Anna's head (she's hearing music the same way Beethoven heard music in his head). She is headed to the death bed of Wenzel Schlemmer. Flashback. Anna is sent as a copyist to Schlemmer. Schlemmer is ill and has requested the university send the best student copyist to assist him. Anna is the best, however she is female. Schlemmer warns Anna that Beethoven is a tyrant. He makes comments about singers will have to stand for 2 hours in the symphony (unusual to sing in a symphony in those times). Despite his warnings Anna wishes to work with Beethoven because of her admiration of his musical genius. Schlemmer says he hears Beethoven coming and tells Anna to hide. Beethoven barges in yelling at Schelemmer to have this copies completed for the premiere of his 9th symphony. After Beethoven leaves Schlemmer agrees to let Anna help as the copyist because of the impending deadline and his failing health. Anna begins copying the music. After completing that portion Anna goes to Beethoven's apartment. She gives him the finished portions explaining to him that she is going to be his copyist and that she corrected one of the passages. He agrees to have her be his copyist and gives her a new portion of copy while he goes and eats dinner. He returns to find Anna leaving and sends her home on a carriage. She lives at a convent with her relative who is the Mother. When she returns to the convent, the Mother is up waiting and Anna tells her about her new job with Beethoven. Anna retires to her room for the night to find Martin hanging outside her window. He tells her about the bridge that he is going to be entering in a competition. He falls off the window causing the dogs to bark. Anna hurriedly goes to her bed to pray just as the Mother peeps through the peep hole. New scene. Anna is cleaning Beethoven's apartment while he is away. Karl enters and mistakes Anna as a prostitute and maid. She is quite offended and explains that she is the copyist. Karl tells Anna that he doesn't want to be a pianist but Beethoven is pressuring him toward that career. Beethoven returns. Karl asks him for money. Beethoven gives him money and he leaves. Beethoven asks Anna for her opinion of Karl. We see Beethoven "clean" himself. The downstairs neighbor is not happy about the way he does it. There's also discussion about the studying his sonatas. e.g. MOONlight New scene. Anna visits Martin's house. New scene. Anna talks with Beethoven's neighbor. The neighbor says that she wouldn't move despite Beethoven's temper because she get to hear the masterpieces before anyone else. Anna goes to Beethoven's apartment only to find Karl stealing money from his uncle. She tells Karl to leave. Karl leaves and bumps into Beethoven on the stairs. Beethoven enters his apartment and Anna tells him how Karl stole money from him and how Karl doesn't want to be a pianist. New scene. It is the premiere of the 9th symphony. Anna and Martin have great seats for the premiere. Anna is summoned to go to Beethoven backstage. Beethoven is crushed that Karl is not in the audience. (Karl has sold the seats). He asks for Anna's help. Anna says that she will conduct from a position where he can see her so that he can conduct the orchestra (which he can't hear) through her. The 9th symphony is played. It's a hit! Beethoven is carried off to celebrate. Beethoven invites Anna to celebrate with him but she leaves with Martin. New scene. Anna is at the unveiling of Martin's bridge at the contest. Anna doesn't seem too impressed by the bridge. Beethoven arrives requesting Anna return to help him transcribe music. Martin invites Beethoven to look at his bridge. Beethoven destroys his bridge with his cane. Martin is crushed. Beethoven returns home. Anna follows and tells Beethoven that he was mean. Beethoven plays Anna's composition on the piano and makes fun of it by blowing raspberries throughout. Anna is devastated. She runs away. Beethoven shouts after her that he is sorry. But she is gone. New scene. Beethoven is walking around. He ends up going to the convent and begging Anna for her forgiveness. She forgives him and returns as his copyist. She begins working on his fugue. She admits that she doesn't understand this new type of music (this is an important transition period in music history). She show Beethoven one of her new compositions which he says is more promising. New scene. The fugue is being played. The audience is leaving one by one. At the end Beethoven is delighted. However the Archduke says it's the worst thing he's ever heard. Beethoven and Anna are left alone. Beethoven begins to walk away but collapses. New scene. Anna is tending to Beethoven as he is ill and dying. Even on his deathbed he has Anna transcribe music. The music is about thanksgiving. At the end of the piece Beethoven dies. New scene. Anna stands up from the desk in her house. She opens the door and walks into the field. The movie ends.
That's it folks--or what I remember. Hope this movie is picked up somewhere. I'd definitely love to watch it again!
Here's the spoiler...
Anna riding in a carriage. This montage is accompanied by the development of a fugue in Anna's head (she's hearing music the same way Beethoven heard music in his head). She is headed to the death bed of Wenzel Schlemmer. Flashback. Anna is sent as a copyist to Schlemmer. Schlemmer is ill and has requested the university send the best student copyist to assist him. Anna is the best, however she is female. Schlemmer warns Anna that Beethoven is a tyrant. He makes comments about singers will have to stand for 2 hours in the symphony (unusual to sing in a symphony in those times). Despite his warnings Anna wishes to work with Beethoven because of her admiration of his musical genius. Schlemmer says he hears Beethoven coming and tells Anna to hide. Beethoven barges in yelling at Schelemmer to have this copies completed for the premiere of his 9th symphony. After Beethoven leaves Schlemmer agrees to let Anna help as the copyist because of the impending deadline and his failing health. Anna begins copying the music. After completing that portion Anna goes to Beethoven's apartment. She gives him the finished portions explaining to him that she is going to be his copyist and that she corrected one of the passages. He agrees to have her be his copyist and gives her a new portion of copy while he goes and eats dinner. He returns to find Anna leaving and sends her home on a carriage. She lives at a convent with her relative who is the Mother. When she returns to the convent, the Mother is up waiting and Anna tells her about her new job with Beethoven. Anna retires to her room for the night to find Martin hanging outside her window. He tells her about the bridge that he is going to be entering in a competition. He falls off the window causing the dogs to bark. Anna hurriedly goes to her bed to pray just as the Mother peeps through the peep hole. New scene. Anna is cleaning Beethoven's apartment while he is away. Karl enters and mistakes Anna as a prostitute and maid. She is quite offended and explains that she is the copyist. Karl tells Anna that he doesn't want to be a pianist but Beethoven is pressuring him toward that career. Beethoven returns. Karl asks him for money. Beethoven gives him money and he leaves. Beethoven asks Anna for her opinion of Karl. We see Beethoven "clean" himself. The downstairs neighbor is not happy about the way he does it. There's also discussion about the studying his sonatas. e.g. MOONlight New scene. Anna visits Martin's house. New scene. Anna talks with Beethoven's neighbor. The neighbor says that she wouldn't move despite Beethoven's temper because she get to hear the masterpieces before anyone else. Anna goes to Beethoven's apartment only to find Karl stealing money from his uncle. She tells Karl to leave. Karl leaves and bumps into Beethoven on the stairs. Beethoven enters his apartment and Anna tells him how Karl stole money from him and how Karl doesn't want to be a pianist. New scene. It is the premiere of the 9th symphony. Anna and Martin have great seats for the premiere. Anna is summoned to go to Beethoven backstage. Beethoven is crushed that Karl is not in the audience. (Karl has sold the seats). He asks for Anna's help. Anna says that she will conduct from a position where he can see her so that he can conduct the orchestra (which he can't hear) through her. The 9th symphony is played. It's a hit! Beethoven is carried off to celebrate. Beethoven invites Anna to celebrate with him but she leaves with Martin. New scene. Anna is at the unveiling of Martin's bridge at the contest. Anna doesn't seem too impressed by the bridge. Beethoven arrives requesting Anna return to help him transcribe music. Martin invites Beethoven to look at his bridge. Beethoven destroys his bridge with his cane. Martin is crushed. Beethoven returns home. Anna follows and tells Beethoven that he was mean. Beethoven plays Anna's composition on the piano and makes fun of it by blowing raspberries throughout. Anna is devastated. She runs away. Beethoven shouts after her that he is sorry. But she is gone. New scene. Beethoven is walking around. He ends up going to the convent and begging Anna for her forgiveness. She forgives him and returns as his copyist. She begins working on his fugue. She admits that she doesn't understand this new type of music (this is an important transition period in music history). She show Beethoven one of her new compositions which he says is more promising. New scene. The fugue is being played. The audience is leaving one by one. At the end Beethoven is delighted. However the Archduke says it's the worst thing he's ever heard. Beethoven and Anna are left alone. Beethoven begins to walk away but collapses. New scene. Anna is tending to Beethoven as he is ill and dying. Even on his deathbed he has Anna transcribe music. The music is about thanksgiving. At the end of the piece Beethoven dies. New scene. Anna stands up from the desk in her house. She opens the door and walks into the field. The movie ends.
That's it folks--or what I remember. Hope this movie is picked up somewhere. I'd definitely love to watch it again!