It's funny that people chastise it so much for being "inaccurate" because Amadeus (much more heavily praised) is a completely inaccurate portrayal of Mozart and Salieri. And no it's not excusable just because it was based on a play....I can't believe there are people who are really stupid enough to believe that.
Actually, much of what the film covers concerning Beethoven's life is for the most part truthful. In fact a lot of little idioms are quite well done.
The film takes a few creative licenses, most of which I find forgivable and only noticeable to experts. The glaring inaccuracy only lies in the film's conclusion on who Immortal Beloved was, something absolutely no one knows anyway. The film isn't really meant to be a straight biography anyway, it's about the mythos of Immortal Beloved which has become almost engraved in the folklore of Beethoven. I've read some pretty fantastic theories about this too and ultimately I remain unconvinced. I thought it was a creative take on it, kudos to the director for being so bold.
I should point out that the idea of Beethoven having an illegitimate child is not completely absurd. Josephine Brunsvik and Antonie Brentano have been suspected as Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved." I believe Brunsvik's daughter was highly musically talented and became a piano teacher. Brentano's son on the other hand had a more tragic life, afflicted with epilepsy at a young age. Of course there are other candidates as well that could be just as likely.
No one can say with 100% certainty who Immortal Beloved was
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