Prairie_Wolf I came upon this movie while looking for something to watch on cable TV. I have always enjoyed Ed Harris. I also love classical music. So, I decided to give it a go. From the first moments, I was completely engrossed. The music was splendid, the cinematography was gorgeous, and the storyline was compelling. But most of all, Ed Harris's performance was stellar. He deserved an Academy Award for this role. Like a chameleon, he disappears into each character he portrays and this was no exception - his acting was stupendous, admirable, incredible. The movie held my interest from start to finish.I have read where Copying Beethoven has been compared to Amadeus. When I first saw Amadeus in the theater, I knew it would win the Academy Award for Best Picture and that one or both of the main actors would win an Academy Award. The only comparisons I can make to the two movies are: Ed Harris should have won an Academy Award for his performance as Beethoven. Similarly, both movies had sensational music. And, each movie was glorious to the eye, titillating to the imagination, and heavenly to the ear.How did this movie fall through the cracks? Many viewers are missing a true classic if they have not had the opportunity to see this movie - and that is a colossal shame!

Suradit The music was, of course, marvelous.The story, however, is like some after-school special revisionist nonsense. One other reviewer felt that this was OK because it was a "fantasy." This begs the question why is it necessary to fantasize a story that would have been quite interesting if kept at least somewhat historically accurate? The performance of the 9th Symphony was quite good, allowing for the silly thesis that Beethoven had to be rescued by Anna due to his deafness and only she could stand out of sight pretending to conduct so he could mimic her. Anna saves the day. And therein lies the problem, the story is really about the fictional Anna and anything to do with Beethoven or his music is sacrificed in the process. I doubt many children would sit through this but if they do, they and the impressionable adults who prefer fantasy to reality will probably carry the fiction away as fact, along with other cinematic fabrications that treat historical reality with contempt.Rather than allowing the audience to watch the orchestra during the performance, which might have been interesting, the camera keeps shifting back and forth between Beethoven drunkenly swaying back and forth while supposedly keeping an eye on Anna and Anna swaying back and forth while appearing to suffer from motion sickness. An iTunes download of the music played in a dark room would have been more entertaining.The acting was mixed. Some performances, mainly by the supporting cast, were reasonably good while the others were borderline deplorable. With the New York accents, poorly developed erratic characterizations and Americanized dialogue & behavior, I kept thinking it would have been better done as a full-length cartoon. Maybe Mickey Mouse as Beethoven and Minnie as Anna, and Donald Duck as Karl. "Fantasia" was a pretty good musical fantasy too and the acting more believable.

eglantz I caught part of this movie grazing on the MGM channel.  Later I had the fortune to watch its entirety on Netflix.  Let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and only wish that better promotion might have earned Ed Harris the Oscar nod he deserves.  Harris gave everything he had to bring this difficult characterization to life.   He embodied   contradictions ranging from boastful to humble, strong to weak, brutish to sensitive, and godless to spiritual.The movie studies the intersection of two people at opposite points in life's trajectories.  Ed Harris as the crusty maestro Beethoven in his declining years, and the lovely Diane Kruger as the talented young music student Anna Holtz.  Ms. Kruger is beautiful here, as she was in the National Treasure movies.  I now better see her charming versatility as an actress.   Beethoven needs Anna, and vice versa.Let me also say that with minimal effort I "suspended disbelief" while watching this movie.   I did not worry whether Beethoven would have enlisted a female copyist, or whether this movie took other artistic license.  The characters seemed real, and their interactions sincere.  I even enjoyed seeing Beethoven from the perspective of his two neighbors.With modest improvements this movie could have improved substantially, perhaps even on par with the classic Amadeus.  First, the budget of $11 million was too small to produce and promote an expensive period piece requiring large ensembles, such as needed for the performance of the Ninth Symphony.  This critical scene was a highlight in the movie,   however, so I can't help wondering if it was at an expense that detracted from promotion and distribution?  Also, there were some dangling script threads that should have been removed or brought to better closure.  One was with Beethoven's nephew, and the other Anna's boyfriend.  To me these portrayal's seemed incidental.  Another alternative would have been to reduce the opening segment to allow more time to fully resolve meaning from these relationships.  Finally, the movie ended a bit abruptly without offering a smooth transition to Anna's life after Berthoven; we see where she is, but not how she got there.Definitely enjoyed the movie and have new respect for Ed Harris!

tarosh rao I feel cheated as well as betrayed after watching "Copying Beethoven" as i had great expectations from this flick especially after watching "AMADEUS",a movie based on Mozart. I was really excited before seeing this movie as for me it was more of a battle between the two great musicians,Mozart and Beethoven. I had thoroughly enjoyed "AMADEUS" as it has been superbly made and the characters of Mozart and Saleri have been executed with sheer brilliance. However,in this flick there is no life to the portrayal of Beethoven and the movie was completely pivoted around his female Copyist which according o me made no sense at all and made the movie boring. Acting wise the movie is good but factually as well as emotionally the movie is completely unreal as i never felt any sympathy for neither Beethoven nor her Copyist. What was the need of creating all the hype about the female copyist when you already have a mind-blowing plot of Beethoven's later life struggle. The only good elements in the movie are the philosophical aspects of Beethoven,his dialogs full of substance and the heavenly music but again if u compare it with the way it has been shown in "AMADEUS", you will feel for yourself that its a no match to the completely power-packed,entertaining,gripping and soulful AMADEUS !!!!