Beethoven Lives Upstairs (1992)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Best movie ever!

Beautiful, moving film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Okay, for a TV movie this one isn't very bad. Frankly, if you can see beyond that, it's actually relatively enjoyable. 1992 must have been Beethoven's year in cinema: we got a movie about a lovable St. Bernard named after the famous musician and this TV movie in the same year.'Beethoven Lives Upstairs' cannot be considered a biographical film, but more of an introduction to Beethoven aimed mostly at youngsters. This less than 60 minutes movie is not only about Beethoven but also about a high-society young boy named Cristoph. Guess what, Beethoven is Cristoph's upstairs neighbor, hence the film's title. Like most people, Cristoph can't stand living near Beethoven. Overhearing the noise all day long drives him crazy. For him, Beethoven is a fruitcake, literally. But when he learns that Beethoven has a miserable life, works very hard and wants to change the world with his music, he understands him better and develops a friendship with him.But, even though Beethoven wins the boy's respect, he doesn't convince everyone. Many people still cannot put up with Beethoven because he has a short temper. In real life, Beethoven was known for his temper as much as for his musical talent. People like Beethoven were poor, lonely and worked hard for their music, so it's understandable that they were bitter.This film was shot in Prague (Czech Republic) and Canada. Its cinematography is refined and classic, with unquestionable beauty. Illya Woloshyn is excellent as Christoph and he looks a lot like Kevin Zegers from 'Air Bud'. Neil Munro does a decent job as Beethoven. But there are some flaws, such as the fact that this movie says that Beethoven is working on his 7th Symphony when in reality he is working on the 9th.

I first saw this movie 12 years ago, as a first grade student. I didn't think much about it - it was a really neat movie, and I was jealous that Christoph got to meet someone who I'd always heard adults refer to with reverence and admiration. I don't think I really realized how much I'd enjoyed it until we were given the opportunity to buy the film. I didn't have enough saved to buy the VHS, but I could afford the cassette soundtrack. When it arrived I was so excited. I took it home and spent hours listening to the story over and over, until I could practically recite it word for word. As I grew up, I would occasionally stumble across it and listen to the story again with a smile. Now, as a freshman in college, I'm taking a course on Beethoven's Symphonies. I credit my interest to seeing this movie as a child. It's a fantastic film for children. Is it on the same level as Amadeus? No, but it's still very much worth watching, and is a great way to introduce the great classical composers to young minds.

This movie was told from the point of view of a child, as the title implies, and I believe it largely succeeds for that audience. It's easy to see how a child would find this imposing man frightening - he bosses people around and gets away with it, he's loud, he's peculiar, and he's very angry. The journey for the boy is from fear to awe, and seeing that the Beethoven's pain and struggle had a purpose: it was not madness at all. This is not a comprehensive portrayal of Beethoven, but shows younger viewers that people are not always what they appear, and are worth understanding. It also shows that great accomplishments sometimes have a high price associated with them.I found this movie while channel surfing, and it held my attention partially because it made frequent use of Beethoven's wonderful music.

I have seen this movie many times and even own it. It is excellently written and produced. I have shown it to my piano students to give them a better understanding of the life of Beethoven. It is very definitely kid friendly as opposed to "Immortal Beloved" because of the content.The young boy goes through an adjustment period after having lost his father, that is compounded by having what appears at first glance to be a monster living upstairs in his house. The 'monster' of course turns out to Beethoven! When showing it to young children as part of a class, it is recommended that one should give a bit of background on exactly who Beethoven is and that these events are not happening in real time. They may tend to buy into the events a little too much. Explanation might also be needed about his deafness. The actor who portrayed Beethoven did a very excellent job of getting across the difficulty of being able to hear so much wonderful music in your head but always knowing the frustration of never being able to actually hear it.The costumes are very accurate for the period and the cinematography is also very good. I give this movie, eight stars!