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Amadeus (1984)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
November 13th, 2007
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'Amadeus' is an impressively opulent, sensuous, elegant, film about Mozart, perhaps the most famous of all classical composers, and among the most prolific. He was a child prodigy, who composed operas and symphonies, but lived a wild and rambunctious lifestyle that led to an early death, though his work would become timeless. This movie is not so much about his genius, but the envy and jealousy of his rival, Salieri (F Murray Abraham). Salieri, the court composer for Austrian emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones), is of mediocre talent, writing repetitive and simplistic jingles that are ridiculed by the younger, less refined Mozart, whose music Salieri recognizes as flawless, and fails to understand why God granted such a gift to someone as lewd and crude as Mozart, who enjoys drinking and skirt chasing. Salieri seems to take Mozart's work more seriously than Mozart does, amazed at how he can produce it so effortlessly, in complete form, with no editing or tampering, essentially, first drafts with no revisions, as Salieri realizes when he copies down the notes of a requiem Mozart dictates to him on his deathbed.
Mozart goes through it quickly, describing arrangements beyond Salieri's comprehension. It must be a curse, that Salieri lives long enough to see his own music fade into obscurity and be forgotten, while Mozart's is celebrated across the world. Mozart is a rebel of sorts, who defies convention. He insists on writing an opera in German, something the cultural elites look down upon, as Italian is the preferred language of opera at the time. But Mozart does this, and other ambitious projects that snag the interest of Joseph II, the public, and of Salieri, who attends every Mozart performance and marvels bitterly at the spectacle of it. Mozart has a wife, Constanze (Elizabeth Berridge), and his father Leopold (Roy Dotrice) gazes disapprovingly on his life, his marriage, and the untidiness of his home, practically everything. Salieri poses as Mozart's friend, but also plots against him. Salieri is wealthy; Mozart is not, he has a lot of debts, hardly any furniture in his expensive apartment, any money he has made is spent on booze, or on other frivolous things. These financial concerns worry Constanze, and she comes to Salieri, to see if he can help them out. Director Milos Forman, who is Czech, chose to shoot the movie in Prague, a city of authentic, nostalgic beauty, which allows for a glorious recreation of 18th century Vienna.
The attention to period detail is quite amazing, as evidenced by the costumes and wigs. The music is great, filled with some of Mozart's best compositions. Tom Hulce is magnificent as Mozart, even though he gives him an obnoxious laugh that quickly becomes unbearable. Abraham won an Oscar for his performance as Salieri. 'Amadeus' won Best Picture, Forman won Best Director. Its box office success is surprising, especially when you consider that most people don't listen to classical music today, but Mozart has remained popular, especially with all that talk about his music can make babies smarter. Whether that is true or not, 'Amadeus' is still an extraordinary movie, incredibly fun and often quite funny, more so than most period dramas tend to be. Salieri was only six years older than Mozart, Abraham is 13 years older than Hulce, and so that may explain that minor inaccuracy. And it is indeed quite minor.
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