Die geliebten Schwestern

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.

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.

What makes this film so profound is its genuine literary quality(rarely found in period drama films); masterful and artistic portrayal. Background score haunts soul with its mellow and beauty. This masterpiece gives rich and profound experience to audience with its intellectual, complex and poetic tone.

The film is based on the life of the German poet Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) and upon his long relationships with two sisters, Caroline and Charlotte von Lengefeld. This film won't focus on Schiller's relationship with Goethe, as some people may expect, since they are such giants in German literature and history.

There are two cuts of the movie available, shorter cinema version and the Directors cut. I recommend longer version of 138 mins to experience true substance of the film.

The film was nominated for the Golden Bear Award at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, and had its premiere at the festival. It was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

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.

I wish IMDb.com allowed "Likes" and "Comments" the way social media allows these days. Although there were some beautiful scenes, most of the outdoor shots were stunning (I'd love to know where it was all shot, as it seems to be an idyllic land to visit), and the lead actors are all gorgeous and obviously very talented -- these riches were all just wasted on this much-too-long film. Kudos to the Casting Director, those two lead actresses could definitely pass for sisters with their mesmerizing blue eyes, and the "Schiller" character was played by a very hunky and charming actor. I didn't really need to write a movie review, because the review posted by "Trivial Tapestry" says it all. As did all the other user reviewers who agreed that "Beloved Sisters" was simply boring overall with a practically non-existent musical score.