Soubasse
New member
Last year, I decided to introduce to my Yr 9 class a unit on Beethoven's superlative 3rd Symphony and, having just come into possession of the BBC/Opus Arte film Eroica, realised it would be a good way of putting the work into it's historical context. I further decided it would be worth keeping in the syllabus.
Re-watching it this year and it has lost none of its great appeal to me, it still seems fresh (and I'm still looking forward to being able to view it at least once a year!)
The acting is superb, particularly the ways the various actors are seen reacting emotionally to the music. Given how important this was to Beethoven, it really lifts it. Ian Hart portrays an excellent Beethoven and that fact that he was facially very similar to many of the portraits of Ludwig at that time again lifts the presentation that much more.
Although there were a few dramatic licences taken with the appearances of some characters, and Beethoven's treatment of the title page upon hearing that Napolean had declared himself Emporer, historically it mostly appears quite accurate in the context of the first "private" performance of this marvellous work.
The performance itself by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique is also superb, aided by the period instruments giving another sort of "freshness" to it all.
I love this film and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who may not have seen it yet.
Re-watching it this year and it has lost none of its great appeal to me, it still seems fresh (and I'm still looking forward to being able to view it at least once a year!)
The acting is superb, particularly the ways the various actors are seen reacting emotionally to the music. Given how important this was to Beethoven, it really lifts it. Ian Hart portrays an excellent Beethoven and that fact that he was facially very similar to many of the portraits of Ludwig at that time again lifts the presentation that much more.
Although there were a few dramatic licences taken with the appearances of some characters, and Beethoven's treatment of the title page upon hearing that Napolean had declared himself Emporer, historically it mostly appears quite accurate in the context of the first "private" performance of this marvellous work.
The performance itself by the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique is also superb, aided by the period instruments giving another sort of "freshness" to it all.
I love this film and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who may not have seen it yet.
