Backdrop image for movie Beethoven's Hair

Beethoven's Hair (2005)

Beethoven's Hair traces the unlikely journey of a lock of hair cut from Beethoven's corpse and unravels the mystery of his tortured life and death. The film begins in modern times, when a pair of Beethoven enthusiasts purchase the hair at a Sotheby's auction. The story then looks at the lock's previous owners and culminates in the science that reveals Beethoven's "medical secret". Set to a lush score of some of Beethoven's most glorious music, the film explores the world of forensic testing in sharp relief against the romance of 19th-century Vienna and the horrors of 20th-century Nazi Germany.

  • Documentary

Top billed cast

  • Photo of Nicky GuadagniNicky Guadagninarrator
  • Photo of Michael FletcherMichael Fletchernarrator
  • Photo of Matt CahillMatt Cahillnarrator
  • Photo of Alfredo GuevaraAlfredo Guevaraself
  • Photo of Renée GuevaraRenée Guevaraself
  • Photo of Ira F. BrilliantIra F. Brilliantself
  • Photo of Michelle Wassard LarsenMichelle Wassard Larsenself
  • Photo of Esther TaylorEsther Taylorself

Similar to Beethoven's Hair

Backdrop image for movie Leonard Bernstein: A Genius Divided

Leonard Bernstein: A Genius Divided (2018)

One of the first US born conductors to receive worldwide fame, Leonard Bernstein is an exceptional composer and certainly not only due to The West Side Story. Instead of concentrating exclusively on his most famous work, Thomas von Steinaecker sets out to paint a complete picture of Bernstein. Thus, the documentary focusses on the American’s less known later works and on three compositions in particular: his Mass, the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the great final opera A Quiet Place. The film paints a vivid picture of the multitalented Bernstein, struggling with his role as composer and conductor, tackling the tension between successes and flops, between the politics of his time and his own liberal humanitarian claim. It looks back on Bernstein’s major achievements, such as his acclaimed conducting of Mahler and his involvement in the Young People’s Concerts, and it shows Bernstein’s work with young aspiring musicians as well as his political commitment.

  • Documentary
Backdrop image for movie John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It

John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It (1990)

This 56-minute documentary on America's most controversial and unique composer manages to cover a great many aspects of Cage's work and thought. His love for mushrooms, his Zen beliefs and use of the I Ching, and basic bio details are all explained intelligently and dynamically. Black Mountain, Buckminster Fuller, Rauschenberg, Duchamp are mentioned. Yoko Ono, John Rockwell, Laurie Anderson, Richard Kostelanetz make appearances. Fascinating performance sequences include Margaret Leng-Tan performing on prepared piano, Merce Cunningham and company, and performances of Credo In Us, Water Music, and Third Construction. Demystifies the man who made music from silence, from all sounds, from life.

  • Documentary
  • Music
  • TV Movie
Backdrop image for movie SIMON! The Joy of Conducting

SIMON! The Joy of Conducting (2025)

“As I child, I always had music in my head. I thought everybody did,” the legendary conductor Sir Simon Rattle recalls. His charming and humorous reflections on the unifying magic of conducting are complemented by interviews with well-known contemporaries and accompanied by thrilling concert footage. His music is a joy to all those who listen to it!

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie The Art of Singing: Golden Voices of the Century

The Art of Singing: Golden Voices of the Century (1998)

Imagine a window into the past. Imagine finally connecting singers' bodies to the voices you have always treasured on record, watching footage of performances from another era. All of singers featured here have something in common (with one exception, Sutherland): they sang and performed on stage before the advent of filmed opera. . And it shows, for the first time, a few tantalizing minutes of recently recovered footage from Callas' legendary Lisbon Traviata, featuring Addio dal Passato and Parigi oh cara with Alfredo Kraus. This DVD will leave you asking for more.

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2017)

Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto weaves man-made and natural sounds together in his works. His anti-nuclear activism grew after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and his career only paused after a 2014 cancer diagnosis.

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie Music by John Williams

Music by John Williams (2024)

His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie Eric Satie: Reloaded

Eric Satie: Reloaded (2025)

In 2025, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the death of Erik Satie, father of minimalist music. His texts, brimming with humor and despair, and rare archives of his fellow travelers, tell the story of a man filled with doubt, a composer ferociously ahead of his time. His pieces continue to inspire even the most avant-garde artists.

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand

Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand (2024)

Michel Legrand, jazz musician and composer extraordinaire, has left his mark on the history of cinema, including the films of Jacques Demy, especially The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the 60th anniversary of which is being celebrated in Cannes. Using never-before-seen archives and personal accounts, the film looks back on a lifetime dedicated to music, and the career of a man who served it masterfully to the very end.

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie Frank Zappa: Music In Review

Frank Zappa: Music In Review (2008)

Idiosyncratic composer, unique musician and ground-breaking film director…..Frank Zappa packed more into his short lifetime than most men would manage in two. His restless, challenging, creative spirit meant that he never stood still during a career that bought huge critical and commercial success – Zappa sold more than 60 million albums both as a solo artist and with the Mothers of Invention. The life and work of Frank Zappa are examined in this superb new critical review, which features new in-depth interviews with industry insiders, rock journalists and respected critics plus highlights from the songs that re-drew the face of rock music.

  • Documentary
  • Music
Backdrop image for movie Tanglewood: A Place for Music

Tanglewood: A Place for Music (1985)

A look at the activities of the Tanglewood Music Center, America's renowned summer Academy for talented musicians, singers, composers and conductors.

  • Music
  • Documentary
Backdrop image for movie Chopin: The Women Behind the Music

Chopin: The Women Behind the Music (2010)

Documentary about the life of the great pianist and composer Chopin and the story of the women whose voices inspired his music. It is undeniable that Chopin revolutionised the nature of music composed for the piano both technically and emotionally. What is less well known is that the actual musical instrument that provided his greatest source of inspiration was the female voice.

  • Documentary
  • Music
  • TV Movie
Backdrop image for movie Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere

Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere (1980)

Frank Zappa: New York & Elsewhere is an Austrian released TV documentary directed in 1980 by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, aka DoRo productions, who are most popular for their work with Queen.

  • Documentary
  • Music