In Search of Beethoven

It is profoundly important to learn about Beethoven as one of the supreme examples of persistence in the face of adversity (personal as well as social).

I wish this film would not have avoided the story of Beethoven's father, who it is said, berated his son saying "Why can't you be more like Mozart?" Commentators side-stepped the psychological impact of this, as if it were merely genetic that he was "irascible" like his father. He was irascible in some ways, because of his father. This was even great adversity which he turned into some of the most brilliant music ever written. Had he focused entirely on being the victim, the world would never have had such astonishing music that has stood the test of time. The inspiration of Beethoven's life stands the test of time as well.

This is not the quintessential Beethoven documentary but that is more a testament to the power of the story of Beethoven himself and what his story continues to teach the world.

For anyone who has a passion for classical music,and especially for the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven,this film is for you. Director Phil Grabsky,who previously traveled down this avenue before a few years ago with the ever so fine,'In Search Of Mozart',takes us on a journey to tell the tale of a man possessed by genius (but not without a price). Over a period of (nearly)two & a half hours,we see & hear elements of Beethoven's life told by a series of historians & musicians,such as Emanuel Ax,Julliet Stevenson & Lars Vogt,who tell the tale of a gifted,but tortured soul who lost his hearing at an early age,but persevered on to compose a legacy of music that still stands today,years after his death. Grabsky,in addition to directing this film,also photographed it (images have a painterly texture to them,at times). But over all,the music speaks for itself (we get to hear excerpts from several pieces). This film is highly recommended for viewing in music classes in schools (at the film's conclusion,there is information about purchasing DVD copies,with additional footage trimmed from the final release print for the time factor,as Grabsky's original directors cut clocks in at something like fourteen hours).Spoken (mostly) in English,and German & Italian with English subtitles. Not rated by the MPAA,but contains absolutely nothing offensive,what so ever. Perfect viewing for the whole family

In Search of Beethoven was metaphorically a personal search for the substance of a musical genius for which I knew only superficial facts. Diane and I both thought the film was superb in allowing the viewer into this man's life and did this search primarily through his music. When the credits rolled at the end it was possible to fleetingly see all the musicians involved in demonstrating the various musical pieces that provided the bulk of this remarkable film and there were many. There were many artists and many pieces of his musical opus and from this analysis even someone untrained in music, such as me, had demonstrated for them the complexity, playfulness and virtuosity that composed this man's decades of work. Although the film was essentially musically based, my eye was drawn to another film making element that was not auditory and that was the cinematography. I am sure that I am demonstrating my own lack of knowledge about how music playing is filmed but I was continually impressed with the Big Close Ups used throughout the film. For instance, if the particular piece being played used a violin then the camera would move in and focus on only the hand or if it were a piano piece then the camera would focus only on the hand at the keyboard. I found these big close ups very gripping in their intensity and illustrative of the composition being discussed. Any person with or without knowledge of music could hugely profit from two hours spent with this musical genius.

It must be an exceptionally rare person, who is not moved by Beethoven's music. Thus, a film, like this, that includes lots of his music, in some very good performances, is bound to please many. However, it did not live up to the advertisement, which drew me to the Siskel Film Center to see Grabsky's opus, and which promised new insights into the life of this musical god. I think that the film tries to cover too much, and ends up being fragmentary and rehashing old ground. Even a film that is 139 minutes long, cannot adequately encompass most of Beethoven's life and music, as this documentary attempts to do. There are a few revealing insights, like the story of the young Beethoven's attempt to con his teacher, Haydn, into interceding with the Elector of Bonn to increase Beethoven's stipend, when he was studying in Vienna. But even this (new to me) story is not used to try to explain more about Beethoven. For the most part, this is a static film, that relies on talking heads and interminable footage of Beethoven's familiar portraits. One of the few talking heads, who actually has interesting things to say about Beethoven's music, and who also reveals himself as a very human, self-deprecating artist, is Emanual Ax. Too many others offer no special insights, and only mouth the same tired platitudes. In summary, this film is enjoyable for the music, but don't expect to learn many new insights about this great composer.

I saw this film at the start of last month at the Barbican London. Having been impressed the directors previous offering In Search of Mozart, I was looking forward to see what In Search of Beethoven had to offer. The film offers a great insight into the life of Beethoven taking into account social, historical and musical goings on of the time and how they shaped and influenced his life and music. The number of contributors that appear in the film is extraordinary, Ronald Brautigam, Helene Grimaud, Orchestraof the 18th Century, Endellion, Sir Roger Norrington to name a few and there must be at least over 50 pieces of music featured. Some have complained about the length of In Search of Beethoven, I would agree in some respects that it may have been a tad too long however I was engrossed in the film from start to finish. I wonder what the director Phil Grabsky will go In Search of next….