Les soeurs bien aimées

SO disappointed in this film. I had high hopes. I saw this film (the almost 3 hour version) at a recent film festival in Los Angeles. The editing was terrible and choppy. The use of zoom-in's was odd as the feel of the story did not support such a harsh visual choice. As other reviewers have mentioned, this film looks beautiful: the sets are amazingly detailed, the costumes and the lighting are perfect for the time period but the film is VERY SLOW in its telling of the story. I'm left wondering what was the point of showing the sister's mother's carriage breaking down? No plot point here. I would like the 3 hours of my life back but instead I will write this review. Lots of editing needed and then the film may be acceptable as a TV movie, not Germany's submission as a contender for the foreign film Oscar. Germany can do better than this.

I saw this at the CPH PIX film festival in Copenhagen, and was very impressed. Although much of the story that is shown is speculative, it appears to be highly qualified speculation. Whether it reflects historical reality or not, it worked exceedingly well as an epic cinema drama.

As the title says, "The Beloved Sisters" is about the two sisters who loved Friedrich Schiller. Schiller himself is a kind of supporting character, as seen through the eyes of the sisters. The actresses who play the sisters are very good indeed, esp. the older one (Caroline), and it is expertly illustrated how they actually love each other more than they love Schiller.

Highlights include the scene where the sisters sit by Schiller's sickbed in the dark, and (as I interpret it) he can't tell them apart, and the reconciliation scene towards the end where Schiller stands between the sisters, and then discreetly moves away, allowing them to reconnect. Very powerful stuff.

I enjoyed this 171 minute movie immensely and can't wait to watch it again. Definitely one of the best experiences at the film festival.

My rating: 9 stars out of 10.

Median. A novel based on the love triangle involving the German writer Friedrich Schiller. I found the film long (almost 3 hours long) and, at one point, tiring. It's worth as knowledge about this love affair of the writer I wasn't aware of. I believe that 6 perfectly reflects the rating of this film. I like films set in the classical period, specifically in the second half of the eighteenth century. Schiller is a contemporary of Mozart and Beethoven, and during the execution of the film, listening to the soundtrack, this detail reminded me of the two composers.

Two cuts of the movie that is. There is the shorter cinema version and the Directors cut, which obviously is longer. And therefor more conclusive, which also makes more sense than. If you only watched the shorter version you probably won't get that. Not that this means it's a sure thing you will like the longer version.

One thing is for sure, there went a lot of thought into the design(s) of the movie. Again you might not like what you see, but the effort is there. Also our male lead has a way of speaking that fits more with a period piece like this than contemporary cinema. If you see it favorable you'll call it sophisticated. Acting in general is good, though not up to par with things Natalie Portman did of course. Still a refreshing look (with some artistic freedom/choices) back at time/history

This is a very intellectual, very complex movie. I had expected a movie more focused on Schiller's relationship with Goethe since they are such giants in German literature and history, but the movie focuses on the 3 way loving relationship between Schiller, his wife and his sister in law.

I left the movie wondering how much of the movie was fact and how much was conjecture. The expert opinion is that the events in the movie could have happened, and many of them likely did. All of the historical context is correct. It is also a fact that Schiller's sister in law wrote Shiller's biography, which would confirm the deep feelings between Schiller and his sister in law that is portrayed in the movie. Highly recommended.