The director of gruesome horror flick Candyman might seem an unlikely biographer of Beethoven, but, in seeking to identify the "immortal beloved" addressed in the composer's will, Bernard Rose has produced a respectful and imaginative study. It's an audacious mixture of Citizen Kane and Amadeus, with some Fantasia-like musical sequences added for good measure. Indeed, cinema has rarely given classical music such a chance to weave its spell. Gary Oldman is superb, although some scenes might have been played with a touch more moderato. Isabella Rossellini, Valeria Golino and Johanna Ter Steege impress as the suspects investigated by the composer's faithful secretary (Jeroen Krabbé).

A chronicle of the life of infamous classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven and his painful struggle with hearing loss. Following Beethoven's death in 1827, his assistant, Schindler, searches for an elusive woman referred to in the composer's love letters as "immortal beloved." As Schindler solves the mystery, a series of flashbacks reveal Beethoven's transformation from passionate young man to troubled musical genius.