Amadeus

Rating:
Summary: Jealous of God
Review: Rather than make a movie about a simple and petty jealousy, Milos Forman has instead made a movie concerned with how a pious man can lose his faith. How this happens takes the viewer into the world of the eighteenth century and into the mind of Antonio Salieri, as he assumes Mozart to be the incarnation of God in the realm of music. But if he loves music more than the licentious and disreputable Mozart, what does that say about God?

Rating:
Summary: Review of Director's Cut DVD
Review: What makes AMADEUS successful is its unique perspective on the subject of Mozart -- it is not so much a musical biography of Mozart, but a portrait of a rival of Mozart, Antonio Salieri, who walks the fine line between deep admiration and intense jealousy. In some of the film's best moments, Salieri is often deeply moved by Mozart's music in one minute, then becomes hateful and vengeful the next. And actor F. Murray Abraham's portrayal of Salieri conveys such mixed feelings most convincingly. Together with several sumptuous opera sequences, AMADEUS is a visual and aural feast as well as a thoughtful study of human nature.

The film contains a lot more of Mozart's music than the original stage version. Interestingly, none of Mozart's most famous works is used, such as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Elvira Madigan, or Ronda Alla Turca. Perhaps the filmmakers thought that such highly familiar tunes would make the film seem banal and commonplace. The film does feature works like Symphony No. 25, Serenade No. 10 (which Salieri refers to as "the voice of God" in the film), Piano Concerto No. 22, Requiem (which figures prominently in the film's last act), and Piano Concerto No. 20 (played over the end credits).

The director's cut contains about 20 minutes of new scenes, most of which occur in the first 90 minutes. Some are short scenes that make the transition to next scene smoother. For instance, after Salieri confesses to have violent thoughts towards Mozart, a new scene is added to shows Salieri praying, "Please, lord, send him [Mozart] away to Salzburg!" Then it is followed by what was in the original film, the Archbishop of Salzburg saying, "No! I won't have him back!" Thus, in effect, the Archibishop is responding to Salieri's prayer. That gives a touch of irony that is absent in the original version. The result is also, of course, a much more coherent dramatic flow.

But perhaps the most important added scene, the one that is perhaps the sole justification of releasing the director's cut, is an extended encounter between Constanza and Salieri. I won't give away the details (it's better see it fresh like I did), but it is a scene that accomplishes three things: (a) it shows Salieri's efforts to hurt Mozart becoming increasingly vile, (b) it shows how deeply sacrificial and devoted Constanza is to her husband, a quality that seems to move even Salieri, (c) it provides the reason for Constanza's hostile attitude towards Salieri near the film's end. In the DVD's audio commentary, director Milos Forman thinks the scene gives a deeper characterization of Constanza, without which she would appear to be just a common landlady's daughter as in the original film.

When I saw the director's cut version in a theater in New York, it looked terrible for some reason. This new DVD, however, looks fine. The picture is sharper and less grainy than on the old DVD. Colors are slightly less saturated, but still look rich and vibrant. There is also more picture on all four sides of the screen -- slightly more on the top and bottom, but a lot more on the left and right sides. If actors look a little skinnier and farther away from you than what you remembered, it's due to the sizable amount of extra picture. The flesh tones still look a little too pinkish at times, as on the old DVD.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is much louder than that of the old DVD (and other DVDs in general), but it does sound a little better. Atmospheric sound is a little more detailed. In the scene where Mozart's mother-in-law shouts at him in the middle of a concert hall, her voice has a realistic reverberation that is not present on the old DVD. The audio quality of the music, however, is the same (i.e. just as good) as that of the old DVD.

The audio track is supported by subtitles and English closed captioning. On both the new and old DVDs, the captioning shows dialogs as well as Mozart's librettos whenever possible ("Cinque, dieci, venti, trenta, trenta sei, quaranta tre"), while the subtitles show dialogs only. None of Salieri's librettos is captioned, interestingly.

The isolated music track on the old DVD, however, is not on the new DVD. The new DVD also has fewer text information regarding the cast and crew and the production. It has primarily two extra features: a full-length audio commentary by Forman and screenwriter Peter Shaffer, and a 1-hour making-of documentary. The audio commentary is informally spoken and sounds a little stream-of-consciousness, but it does offer much information on the making of the film, the methods for adapting the play to the screen, and how the real Mozart compares to the one in the film. Forman points out the many meticulous details in the film: the well-behaved cat in the first scene, the chandelier candles that get shorter and shorter, and so on. Shaffer emphazises that there is a "kernel of truth in everything" in AMADEUS, and cites many historical facts that inspired some of the dramatic details in his play. The one-hour documentary is essentially a collection of interviews, covering nearly all of the principal cast and crew. Forman and Shaffer reiterate many of the things from their audio commentary. Actors F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Berridge, and others recall how they got the parts and their experiences in working in the film. All of them regard Forman as a blunt, but truthful director.

Even with his attention to details, Forman apparently left a little goof in the film. During the Marriage of Figaro sequence, the emperor actually yawns not once, but twice. The second yawn can be seen at the center of the screen at time 1:48:22 on the new DVD, or 1:30:29 on the old one. During the audio commentary, neither Forman nor Shaffer seems to notice it!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Although some of the added footage is superfluous, the extra scences of Elizabeth Berridge are a godsend. Her character comes off as much richer and intriguing in this edition.

The secong disk is a bit disappointing. The actors today talk about their experiences in the making of the movie. NOBODY has aged well.

Rating:
Summary: Does the restored footage make it a better film?
Review: Difficult to say, actually. Some scenes have been fleshed out, some with minor additional dialogue and some with lengthy additions. But for those of us who have seen the film repeatedly over the years and know the film's tempo rather intimately, the additional scenes disrupt the pacing more than they contribute to the story.

Viewers might have been better served by having the addional footage relegated to the Bonus Features section rather than spliced into the film. Or, better yet, the makers of this DVD could have offered two playback options - original version AND Director's Cut. Other movies on DVD have integrated that option seamlessly. David Cronenberg's film "Crash" comes to mind. On that DVD you can opt for either the R rated version or the NC-17 version, and the DVD player plays or skips the chosen footage. That would have been my preference for this "Amadeus" Director's Cut.

But what do we get with this new footage? Insight into Constanze's dislike of Salieri at the film's end (courtesy of a brief bit of nudity on Elizabeth Berridge's part that seems gratuitous now), an extension of the scene in which Christine Ebersole's character discovers that Mozart is two-timing her, snippets of addtional dialogue between the aged Salieri and the young priest, a middle-act bookend sequence about Mozart's attempts to hire himself out as a music tutor to the daughter of actor Kenneth McMillan's character [surely McMillan would have been pleased to see his role restored in a Best Picture winner], and a few assorted other scenes/lines that clarify a few points here and there. The best and most interesting addition to me, however, was a rather ominous line reading by F. Murray Abraham's Salieri early in the film after he recounts first hearing Mozart's music. "[music that good by that young, foul-mouthed child] must be an accident. It MUST be. ...It better be!" Here we get an earlier indication of the depth and maliciousness of Salieri's jealousy.

As of this writing I still prefer the original version better, but I may eventually grow used to this longer cut. Fortunately I have the THX-treatment Pioneer LaserDisc Signature Edition from several years ago. The LaserDisc set has the same running commentary by Milos Forman and Peter Shaffer (though the "new" footage on the new DVD has newly-recorded commentary behind most of it), and a different behind-the-scenes documentary called "The Last Laugh". A few moments of "The Last Laugh" are incorporated into the DVD's b-t-s doc, but they otherwise contain different material.

Some of the most interesting footage of the new documentary, however, is the footage from screen tests and auditions of other actors who sought the major roles. Their faces have been masked by digital blur (so the producers wouldn't have to pay them for appearing in this documentary, among other reasons both legal and for sake of courtesy), but you can make out Mick Jagger and Elizabeth McGovern fairly easily. You can also see a page or two of audition/screen test schedule sheets with times reserved for Sam Waterston, Rebecca DeMornay, and others. There is also footage of actress Meg Tilly in rehearsals as Constanze. The producers have not hidden the fact over the years that Tilly was cast and set to begin shooting as Constanze, but a leg injury sidelined her at literally the last minute. Berridge and an unnamed other actress survived the winnowing process to select Tilly's replacement, and they were flown to Prague for test shoots. That story is covered in greater detail in the documentary.

Matter of fact, why didn't the makers of this Director's Cut DVD include "The Last Laugh" in addition to the other new documentary? There certainly is room for it on Disc 2. All in all, the bonus extras on this 2 Disc Special Edition are in short supply, when one considers the amount of Disc Two's unused potential space.

But if you weren't one of the fortunate ones to get the LaserDisc Signature Edition back in the day, then the whole of the running commentary will be new to you, and I'm sure you will be most pleased with it.

Well, there it is!

Rating:
Summary: Extra scenes adds insight, but does not make a better film
Review: The original cut of the movie feels "right". In the director's cut, "too" much is revealed literally and figuratively. The original cut allows for the viewer to speculate and question the motives of Mozart, Salieri, the Viennese public etc. adding to the mystery surrounding Mozart's death.

The added scenes effectively kill the aura surrounding the mystery and paints Mozart and a drunk and Salieri as a very vidicitive character. In the original cut one was never quite certain whether what happened actually happened or whether it was simply the delusions of an insane man and therefore one is allowed to feel more sympathetic towards Salieri. In the director's cut, the characters are more black and white.

Furthermore, the added scenes has a serious impact on the rhythm and pace of the film. The original editing is tight and lean. The extra scenes in the director's cut are like speedbumps along the way.

The interviews of the main actors (Hulce, Berridge, Abraham, Jones) are fun and insightful. Also it is interesting to see them 20 years later.

The feature length commentary is slightly annoying because of Milos Forman's has difficulty expressing himself in english.

If you're a HUGE fan of Amadeus get BOTH versions. If you're just want to see the movie, the original cut is more than adequate.

Rating:
Summary: Re:New edition of Amadeus = new rating from MPAA
Review: First, it's a great movie, and should be seen by everyone who appreciates great acting and excellent music. The new edition appears to be quite an improvement over the previous, featureless "flipper"-disc.

In response to the previous reviewer, the MPAA does not decide its ratings based on the acting ability of a film's actors or the quality of a film, but rather, they judge its content. The new scene definately merits an R rating and is unsuitable for high schools to show. Fault the filmmakers who turned an excellent PG movie into an R rated one, not the MPAA. The same thing happened with an equally great music movie: Topsy-Turvy. Were it not for a brothel scene and a few f-bombs, it would be a PG film.

Rating:
Summary: Correction about MPAA Rating.
Review: ...Originally, the film was released with a "PG." However, we have restored 22 minutes of footage. When you see it, you will know why.

Rating:
Summary: one of the greats
Review: Most certainly, 'Amadeus' discovers the accolades it receives. It is a true classic and ingenious fusion of music, spectacle, intrigue, performance, and directorial vision. Please note that the new director's cut has about 30 mins. of added footage. Some of this footage includes a scene containing sex/nudity. For this, the timid souls of the MPAA served up a new 'R rating.' The original theatrical version was rated 'PG.' The added footage is a great highlight and does not diminish this phenomenal film, rather it enhances key plot points. 'Amadeus,' just like Mozart's music, is masterful and unique. See it, then see it again.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful film, though the play is better.
Review: This is a great film. It has great art direction and costuming and cinematography and (obviously) music and direction and performances by the masterful, masterful, masterful F. Murray Abraham and even little Thomas Hulce. And it's powerful and revealing and even fun.
But the play is better. The language is better. The characters and scenes are more perfectly designed and executed. Shaffer's rewrite for the screen is so... easy. It speaks a bit too much to the average man. The film's not AS powerful. (Go to my review of the play, in book form, to perhaps learn the real reason I think this.)
But that has nothing to do with what the movie accomplishes. It simplifies and breathes life into the base story. The only flaws are that the story COULD have been shorter and still worked (in a lengthy film that generally means that it should have been) and Elizabeth Berridge is way too American-seeming for Constanze. So is Tom Hulce, but he is a superior actor and makes due with it.
See this movie at least once. Read the play. See the play. (Come to MY production of the play if it happens! I'm too young for Salieri, so I'll be playing Wolfgang.)
Peace.

Rating:
Summary: MPAA Rating is "R" for the Director's Cut
Review: Some of the earlier postings on this list have included comments that the MPAA rating as listed by Amazon is incorrectly given as "R." The "R" rating is accurate; the Director's Cut of "Amadeus" includes over 20 minutes of additional footage, and when the Director's Cut was screened for the MPAA, it was rated "R" (the original version was rated "PG"). The Director's Cut, which I saw last spring when it was shown in NYC, includes a scene in which Mozart's wife disrobes in front of Salieri; I assume this is the reason for the new rating.