Plot
For this film adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Broadway hit, director Milos Forman returned to the city of Prague that he'd left behind during the Czech political crises of 1968, bringing along his usual cinematographer and fellow Czech expatriate, Miroslav Ondrícek. Amadeus is an expansion of a Viennese "urban legend" concerning the death of 18th century musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From the vantage point of an insane asylum, aging royal composer Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) recalls the events of three decades earlier, when the young Mozart (Tom Hulce) first gained favor in the court of Austrian emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones). Salieri was incensed that God would bless so vulgar and obnoxious a young snipe as Mozart with divine genius. Why was Salieri -- so disciplined, so devoted to his art, and so willing to toady to his superiors -- not touched by God? Unable to match Mozart's talent, Salieri uses his influence in court to sabotage the young upstart's career. Disguising himself as a mysterious benefactor, Salieri commissions the backbreaking Requiem, which eventually costs Mozart his health, wealth, and life. Among the film's many pearls of dialogue, the best line goes to the emperor, who rejects a Mozart composition on the grounds that it has "too many notes." Amadeus won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham. In 2002, the film received a theatrical re-release as "Amadeus: The Director's Cut," a version that includes 20 minutes of additional footage. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
Amadeus is a rarity: a dramatic film made by people who understand music as much as filmmaking. A celebration of music and genius, the film exults over Mozart's seemingly divine creations even as it refuses to canonize the man behind them. Instead, the decision to tell the story from Salieri's point-of-view provides a justly critical portrait of Mozart, and in so doing so it provides a commentary on genius that mines trenchant insight from resolute objectivity. That Mozart's music is beyond reproach is never called into doubt; likewise, that the man himself could be utterly reproachful is also beyond question. Paradox is at the film's core, both in the presentation of Mozart and his music, and in the character of Salieri, who managed to be both Mozart's greatest fan and most punishing detractor. In making this sort of paradox its central theme, Amadeus is one of the most illuminating pictures of genius ever committed to celluloid. Part of its brilliance lies in its principal performances: in Tom Hulce's Mozart, we see a man equally un-self-conscious about his genius and his vulgarity, and in F. Murray Abraham's Oscar-winning Salieri, we see the tragedy that results from the inability of talent to live up to desire. These performances are lavishly complemented by the music in question, a forceful character in its own right. Part of Forman's great achievement as the film's director was bringing this music to millions who had never set foot inside of an opera house or a theater, with a passion and immediacy that could appeal to a much wider audience than just classical music enthusiasts. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, RoviCast
- F. Murray Abraham - Antonio Salieri
- Tom Hulce - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Elizabeth Berridge - Constance Mozart
- Simon Callow - Emanuel Schikaneder
- Roy Dotrice - Leopold Mozart
Credit
Karel Cerny - Art Director, Francesco Chianese - Art Director, Twyla Tharp - Choreography, Neville Marriner - Conductor, Theodor Pistek - Costume Designer, Michael Hausman - First Assistant Director, Milos Forman - Director, Jan Schmidt - Second Unit Director, Michael Chandler - Editor, Nena Danevic - Editor, Michael Hausman - Executive Producer, Bertil Ohlsson - Executive Producer, Neville Marriner - Composer (Music Score), Neville Marriner - Musical Direction/Supervision, John Strauss - Musical Direction/Supervision, Paul LeBlanc - Makeup, Dick Smith - Makeup, Patrizia Von Brandenstein - Production Designer, Miroslav Ondrícek - Cinematographer, Michael Hausman - Producer, Saul Zaentz - Producer, Bertil Ohlsson - Producer, Karel Cerny - Set Designer, Francesco Chianese - Set Designer, Chris Newman - Sound Mixer, Chris Newman - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Shaffer - Screen Story, Peter Shaffer - Screenwriter, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Featured Music, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Featured Music, Antonio Salieri - Featured Music, Peter Shaffer - Play Author| Amada Amante (1979 Film), Amada (1984 Film) | |
| Amadeus Mozart DVD Collection (Film), Amador (1964 Film) |
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