Rating: 
Summary: A Majestic Rococo Painting Come to Life!
Review: "Amadeus" has been one of my all-time favorite films since High School. While the details of the film are not 100% historically accurate, I was always impressed by the fact that Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, and Nicholas Kepros each bear a striking resemblance to contemporary illustrations of Constanze Weber Mozart, Emmanuel Schickaneder, and Archbishop Collorado. As for Tom Hulce's irascible Mozart, the blue-eyed brat among Emperor Joseph II's court composers, I still have the oil pastel drawing I did of him in a scene from the movie hanging in my house. I've always felt that he was cheated out of the Oscar for Best Actor of 1984. It's as if the Academy felt it would be too scandalous to let an "Animal House " alumni have an Oscar. In truth, Hulce's Mozart seems to be a carry-over of his role in "Animal House" at times. But he was absolutely brilliant in the part. In the more serious scenes as Mozart's career problems mount, and he first encounters the Man in Black (who, in reality, was a man in gray), his face resembles that of Ryan O'Neal's "Barry Lyndon", another 18th century character, and I wonder if Milos Forman hired him for that reason. Roy Dotrice was solemn and dignified as the father who is no longer able to keep his child prodigy son or his career on track. In Jeffery Jones' first scenes as the Emperor Joseph, he resembled a one-dimensional painting; There was nothing one-dimensional about his performance, in which he could be very indecisive about the technicalities about music, but very firm on the issues of appropriate pieces for theatre. Some years ago, a revamped version of Peter Shaffer's stage play of "Amadeus" made its debut in the town where I live, and the play was definitely Salieri's show. In this film, F. Murray Abraham's Salieri, who, in reality probably didn't have a thing to do with Mozart's death, is a somber, embittered character, who could have had an easier life if he had confronted Mozart head-on about his shortcomings instead of scheming to destroy him. Elizabeth Berridge's Constanze is strong and supportive as Mozart's wife. She could hold her own against her husbands' unsavory cohorts when she had to, proving that the women of that era weren't always as passive as they may have seemed, although she still seemed overwhelmed by her husband's excessive behavior. A contemporary magazine review of "Amadeus" complained that the other Court composers were too subservient, but apparently, this is a realistic portrayal of the 18th century Austrian Court, and what American audiences tend to overlook is that people close enough to world leaders understand how difficult their jobs can be, and aren't as likely to contradict an Emperor on comparatively minor issues such as the theatre. In a smaller, less complex country like 18th century Austria certain forms of censorship, such as those advocated by Joseph II, may have been necessary to keep order. A pre-"Sex and the City" era Cynthia Nixon is a wide-eyed and frightened servant named Lorl, who witnesses the decline of the Great Composer, and is paid for her services by Salieri. The decline of Mozart is depicted with all the modern sensationalism of the demise of any young celebrity. We watch as Mozart's supporters either die or slip away, and as his impracticality with money affects his lifestyle, health, and his closest relationships. One wishes that there had been more understanding of child prodigies back then, and of their need for some normalcy in their lives, even though Mozart himself may not have been saved even by that. Ultimately, we see his life as a glorious, musical romp through a Rococo-decorated kaleidescope with a world of palaces and opera houses, the spreading of his music's popularity among the commoners of the land, and finally spiraling downward to an early and tragic death, which was poignantly, but not accurately portrayed in the movie. The final scenes of the Mozarts together tug at the heartstrings as the dying composer reconciles with his wife, and the funeral scene is devastating. Amadeus...The name means beloved of God, and happily, the film bearing this name was the beloved of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Rating: 
Summary: Two sides?!?! What a rip!
Review: Dual layer DVDs can hold 7GB. Braveheart, for example, is 3.5 hours long on a single side. For this 2.5 hour movie, I have to eject the DVD and turn it over! What's worse is that *NONE* of these two sided DVDs have any indication on the label of the box (or internet site) of this inconvenience....
Rating:
Summary: A triumph! Highly recommended!
Review: "Amadeus" is one of the richest and dramatic films one can see. The character development is very well done with the inner conflict of Salieri contrasted well with the carefree arrogance of Mozart. The constumes and imagery are also magificent. While I have seen this movie several times, (and I'm not an avid movie viewer) I am always fascinated by the plot and scenery. This film will stay with the viewer months after seeing it.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocrity triumphs¿ again.
Review: The irony of the DVD release of "Amadeus" is almost too much to bear. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arguably the greatest composer in the entirety of human history, is destroyed by a jealous rival in this wonderful film. His rival, Antonio Salieri, is talented enough to recognize Mozart's genius at a time when few others were capable of appreciating it. However, because that genius overshadowed his own modest talent, Salieri chose to destroy Mozart. It was as though Salieri was once the brightest star in the heavens, shining as brightly as Venus on a moonless night. Then Mozart appeared suddenly, like the rising sun, blotting out all other heavenly bodies. He both fascinated and overwhelmed his contemporaries, and only by vanishing below the horizon could he be fully appreciated.This film captures Mozart's rise and fall with exorbitant sets, amazing costumes, consummate acting, and fantastic music. I give the film 5+ stars. The DVD however, seems to be jealous of the film it is charged with conveying, and seeks to diminish it as much as possible. This is the first and only DVD in my vast collection that contains half the movie on one side of the disk, and the other half on the other side. You must get up and turn the disk over simply to continue watching the movie! My collection ranges from quaint, shallow films good for an occasional laugh, all the way up to masterpieces like Amadeus, and none other than Amadeus have the film split over two sides of the DVD. Simply unbelievable. I would never have bought it had I realized that the continuity of the film had been destroyed in this way. I would have stuck with VHS until a DVD was produced that did the film justice. As you might guess, with minimizing production costs being top priority with the producers of this DVD, there are no extras (worth mentioning) on this DVD either. No commentary track, no deleted scenes, nothing of any substance. Certainly, the video and audio quality are exquisite, but that comes for free with a modern film (which does not require remastering) and the DVD medium. It is as though Salieri himself has reprised his role as Patron Saint of All Mediocrities from beyond the grave. Through his ethereal influence, he helped to ensure that the greatest film to portray the life and genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart received the most shoddy treatment possible in its DVD release. Salute, Salieri.
Rating:
Summary: A Symphony
Review: The life of Mozart was a tragic one, at least according to this multi-Oscar winning film. From that tragedy comes a wonderful film filled with glorious music, superb performances, gorgeous settings and scenery and a screenplay adapted from Peter Shaffer's well-crafted stage play. The story involves a also-ran court composer, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham in an Oscar Winning Performance) who harbors extreme jealousy of the womanizing, crass, rude yet musically gifted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Through their performances and the clever words, the films theme's of trust and deception ring true. But, within all this comes a very bewildering choice. The role of Constanze Mozart (Wolfie's wife) is portrayed by Elizabeth Berridge. She seems more likely to be seen on the beaches of Los Angeles than in the period drama. But don't let that detract. Enjoy Amadeus
Rating:
Summary: Deserved every oscar it won.
Review: Not to say that Killing Fields or A Passage to India weren't great films but it was no contest what was best picture of 1984. Amadeus is one of the best and most original films I have seen. The music is exceptional and all the casting is perfect. The DVD is well done.
Rating:
Summary: Not world history, but Film history.
Review: Some people just don't get it. This film is meant to be fictional! You just have to be an observant film guru to follow pauvre Salieri's situation, and you have to watch this film at least three times before you can understand its true intentions. What this film is about, and this is my favorite film of all time, is a composer by the name of Antonio Salieri, who happens to be in competition with another composer, who happens to be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri paints his view of Mozart looking through his jealous and tedious eyes and gives us glimpses of the genius behind Mozart and the harshness of art towards the artist. The theme, simply put, deals with the struggle to live forever through art, and what it means to give up your tangible life in order to do so. Salieri claims he killed Mozart; this is absolutely false, and he knows it. Since he cannot live forever through art, like Mozart, he wanted to live forever through another medium: as a man who takes God's will into his own hands and decides to live throughout history as the man who took an angel's earthly existence. Yet, Salieri is the ultimate mediocrity, with the intelligence to know every bit of it is true. With a lavish production and stellar cast to support this amazing story orchestrated by Peter Shaffer, <<Amadeus>> boasts the best soundtrack, best actor (Abraham), should-have-been best supporting actor (Hulce), and a fantastic directing job by Forman, who made the 18th century come alive. I hope this film can be remembered by its wonderfully modern approach to classicism, and its humor above all else.
Rating:
Summary: Another gem found on a library shelf....
Review: I found this movie to be beautiful and riveting. I love the beauty and detail of the eighteenth century atmosphere, particularly because it's my favorite era in history. Maybe it wasn't completely historically correct, but I personally do not watch films to be educated and nitpicky, but to be entertained. Take it for what it is, which is a beautifully photographed and composed film offering a great feast for your senses. I liked the confusion surrounding the essence of Salieri's character, because while he's jealous and insulted by the arrogance and talent of Mozart, he's also intrigued and strangely drawn to him with an almost obsessive reverence. The film was long, don't get me wrong, but the whole plot was successfully executed for the sake of sacrificing the audience's attention span. This film also brought about a new interest in Mozart and classical music for me, which is also why this film gets five stars. The compositions and planning for the film were spectacular. I don't even want to think about how much they budgeted on this piece of eye candy. Instead, just watch the film and sink into a different era of time. PS: I hardly think getting off your butt for one minute to flip a DVD over is worth giving the film one star. How lazy can you get, people?
Rating:
Summary: Milos Formon marries Figaro and all things good
Review: Czech-born Milos Forman, who gave you The People Vs. Larry Flint, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Man on The Moon scores a all-time classic with Amadeus. The film has subtle nuances that leap out at you with the penetrating performances of Tom Hulce as Mozart and his character foil F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri. The film score is broad and gives us a cross-section of Mozart's work transforming the film into a quasi-musical without ever losing the compelling thread of the storyline...a bitterly jealous less artistically-achieved composer admiring and hating the genius of the happy-go-lucky and brash Mozart. The convention is really ingenious with F. Murray Abraham giving a convincing performance as an older cankerous Salieri. Who really cares if this entirely historically accurate? That's not the point. The film shows a devout appreciation of Mozart's music and gives it life weaving its creation with the turns of the rocky course of Mozart's carefree, but ultimately tragic life. The appreciation of the music comes across as not being false, pretentious, or heavy-handed a pratfall that many other "great artists"-subject works fall into...a.k.a. Starry Night and Van Gogh. Hulce's performance as Mozart is a spectacle to behold. The maniacal carefree laugh won't soon go away. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll toot on your Magic Flute. One of my 5 favorite movies of all time. Own this DVD. You'll watch it annually, maybe even more frequently. It captivates and moves the heart.
Rating:
Summary: Right on the mark Scrivener
Review: I agree completely with this reviewer. I first saw this movie two years ago, junior year in my high school's Chamber orchestra. Of course, while I've already heard and played some of Mozart's pieces (I play the violin), I never truly LISTENED to them. Amadeus is one of my favorite movies and I would have never become the Mozart freak (dubbed by friends)that I am today if I hadn't seen it. I've seen it countless times, read several biograhies, used him for occasional class presentation, downloaded lots of pieces, and of course my cell phone rings Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. It's true that Salieri didn't cause the death of Mozart and personally his pieces doesn't sound bad at all. The film is amusing, which is one of its strenghs since it encourages the person not normally interested in classical music too listen to it, and may lead them to find out more about the composer. It did it for me (though I still picture Hulce's face when I listen to Mozart's beautiful music).
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