there were some confusing aspects to this film which distracted from the potential to enjoy it more. first off, i'd just seen "Immortal Beloved" the week before, and understand that in order to not make "Copying Immortal Beloved" the interpretation of the screenplay had to avoid mimicry. that was OK, to see things through a different sets and props, and draw the relationships from another angle.
but the inclusion of a fictional character to highlight the story of a well-known personage is tough for some fans to accept. there were moments of wonderful emotion and power, but to invest in these scenes while being told a historically-inaccurate story cheapens the feeling.
someone mentioned "Shakespeare in Love" as being inaccurate as well, but fun, and i suppose if that sort of revisionism doesn't bother one, then definitely see this film. it is comedic and doesn't linger too long beyond the story's needs.
for the more discriminating folks, be advised that this film doesn't make use of the standard British-actors-with-German-accents, but British/American/German actors with American (and in some cases, unplaceable) accents. even some words which appear on-screen in Gothic script, that were read aloud, were written in English, something that for me changes the setting in a subtle way.
the story itself was a bit confusing, and enough various ideas were put forth to make me wonder what the film was actually meant to be about. is it a tale of Beethoven's struggle for acceptance and success after a long period of not composing? is it meant to show the strains & events leading up to his passing? was it a study of relationships, in that the people in his life had their own particular opinion & approach to him?
see this film with a mind that it is not meant to be realistic historically (ie. the anachronistically-plucky heroine, for one), but another way to think about a tormented, complex human being who saw himself as divinely-appointed to make some of eternity's most beautiful music.
