+ The scenes that
shed light on the compositional process are the best. Fans of the 9th Symphony and the Grosse Fuge, which figure heavily in the plot, will enjoy
hearing those pieces.
- Considering that
screenwriters Stephen Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson previously collaborated
on Nixon and Ali, and that director Agnieszka Holland made the
heart-rending Europa Europa, this is a surprisingly lightweight movie.
Notwithstanding the period setting, it reminded me of nothing so much as Scent
of a Woman. All you needed was Ed Harris saying “Hoo-hah!” As we already
know from the opening sequence in which the great composer appears dying, the
young lass will wear away the old man’s crusty exterior, and he will impart his
wisdom, etc. There’s hardly anything else to the story. Minor characters (her
boyfriend, his nephew) come and go, and then the movie just ends. Rather
strangely, even though Kruger is German, she speaks with an American accent,
one of the things that lessened the authenticity.
= **1/4 Harmless,
fictional fluff. Despite my objections, it’s consistently pleasant. Watch it if
you like seeing Ed Harris chew the scenery, but not to learn about Beethoven.
viewed at PFS screening
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