Copying Beethoven (2006)

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For her 2006 film, COPYING BEETHOVEN, acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland, crafts a compelling fictionalised account of Ludwig van Beethoven (Ed Harris) as he creates his beloved Ninth Symphony, as seen through the eyes of Anna Holtz, a young music student assigned to transcribe his work. Although the thorny deaf composer initially resists Anna`s help, the duo eventually form a fruitful relationship that results in one of the world's most spectacular classical pieces. Holland`s first major movie of the 21st century, COPYING BEETHOVEN not only allows the filmmaker to recreate 17th-century Vienna, it reunites her with Harris, who previously starred in her 1999 drama, THE THIRD MIRACLE. As with his portrayal of painter Jackson Pollock, Harris`s simmering on-screen intensity carries the film, with the elegant Kruger subtly serving as his unlikely foil. Although the movie unveils a few subplots, most notably one that involves Beethoven`s uncharacteristically affectionate bond with his nephew Karl, its sights largely remain on the Ninth Symphony, which is stunningly represented in an extended concert sequence. While COPYING BEETHOVEN doesn`t quite reach the cinematic heights of AMADEUS, it does stand out as an exceptionally well-rendered film about classical music and one of its most lauded figures.