Amadeus

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Made Better
Review: The updated commentary make this classic all the more enjoyable. The documentary sheds a lot of light on the film and how it came to be. Can't recommend it enough.

Rating:
Summary: A Genuis that Suspends Belief!
Review: An old and senile Salieri sits at the piano playing some of his tunes to a young priest.He asks him whether he recognises any of the melodies he is playing. With a polite smile and a blank expression, the priest responds that he did not.Then Salieri stops for a second, and then asks, what about this tune? He plays another, and suddenly the priest's eyes light up in instant recognition and shouts: oh yes I know this one, is this yours?
Salieri with a very bitter sigh responds: this is Mozart!

What a way to start a film and what a scene to introduce that masterpiece that is Amadeus.
A genuis child prodigy that was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart took Europe by storm, and success,fame,admiration,sponsorship and financial protection was the natural result.But there was a darker side to that fame: the excesses, the gossip, the conspiracies, the politics of the court, Mozart's own inner demons, and his peculiar relationship with his father, respect that hides fear. And of course there was Salieri!
A veteran at the royal courts, a mediocre composer who has found a secure place for his limited talent,only to find its very foundations threatened by this newcomer..Jealousy and bitterness were the natural outcome, but carefully hidden by the guise of friendliness and protective wisdom, while Mozart still retaining a trusting naivity that would eventually hasten his downfall.
This is the story of THE best musical biography ever filmed(Period!), from a director who is no 'hired hand' but an artist in his own right. It is a very ambitious film, very lush, beautiful to watch and hear, an epic of dramatic and musical propotions.
There are good music biographies,like Ken Russell's Music Lovers (Russell has a life long passion for classical music), his own unique version of Tchaikovsky's life, in addition to Lizstmania and Mahler. Beethoven had an excellent and underrated biography in Immortally Beloved, but still Amadeus remains in a league of its own.
This status comes from the fact that the director and writer successfully manage to give an equal treatment to the music,the genuis of Mozart, and to the human drama, the essence of Mozart. The opera/concert scenes are not hurried but remain an integral part of the plot.(more of these scenes were added for the extended version)
F Murray Abraham won a deserved Oscar for playing Salieri so perfectly, but I would have loved for Tom Hulce to have won his nomination too: a pity since he has brought so much life and creativity to his role.
Now another scene,
A dying,weak and delirious Mozart lying in his bed is dictating his latest composition to Salieri (pretending till the end to be the trusted friend)..
Mozart is slow at first, but then as if suddenly possessed by the demon of music, the notes started flowing, faster than Salieri could write them, and not only flowing but the Italian composer is in a state of sheer disbelief at what he is actually writing, music that would become the most haunting classic piece ever composed, the Requiem.
You too will stare in disbelief at this creativity unfolding in front of Salieri's eyes and yours too!
Now how many films manage to do that??
Hmmm..let me see.....

Rating:
Summary: The Boy Genius and His Bitter Adversary
Review: For those about to see this film for the first time, they can expect a feast for their senses...at least in terms of sight and sound. Both the production values and the music are magnificent. In 1984, it received Academy Awards for best director (Milos Forman) and leading actor (F. Murray Abraham) as well as for adapted screenplay, art direction, costume design, makeup, and sound. It was also nominated for cinematography and deserved that award also, losing out to The Killing Fields. Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) is the subject, the film's focus is really on Antonio Salieri (Abraham) who is offended by young Mozart's vulgarity and resentful of the fact that such an immature boor should be entrusted by God with such exceptional talent. He considers himself the victim of a cruel practical joke, although he appreciates Mozart's "divine" talent which only serves to exacerbate his resentment. Unlike other films such as The Red Shoes which also offers so much that is pleasing to the eye and ear, Amadeus has a complicated plot which involves equally complicated human relationships, notably Mozart's with Salieri and with his father Leopold Mozart (Roy Doltrice). The supporting cast is first-rate. As the film progresses, we realize that young Mozart is literally working himself to death as he struggles to complete a commission to compose "Requiem," not realizing that Salieri is his "benefactor." There is so much to enjoy in this film even as Mozart's health deteriorates. What to make of Salieri? His jealousy is certainly understandable, if reprehensible. As the film draws to its sad conclusion, and as his own health deteriorates, Salieri's attitude toward Mozart seems to me ambivalent. Yes, the disapproval and resentment remain but I also sense a certain pride in his association with the young genius. The tone is bittersweet, in fact poignant as the old man realizes that Mozart's art -- not his -- will be remembered and cherished.

This DVD version also provides several supplementary items which include commentaries by Milos Forman and writer Peter Shaffer as well as a behind-the-scenes 37-minute documentary, "The Making of Amadeus."

Rating:
Summary: It's genius is stunning
Review: This film is the best underpublisized film of all time. Being only 16 years old I am not able to refer to myself as an expert, but I am capable of knowing a great movie when I see it. Everything about this film from its perspective right down to the facial expressions of the narrator intertwined with the heart wrenching notes that strum upon our very emotions. I'm anything but an expert on classical music, being a teenager my ears are more acustomed to the distortion of nirvana. However the music in this movie sparked a new found interest in the genre. Not enough can be said about this movie. The overall progression of Mozart's insanity throughtout the movie which if fueled by his own demons, alcohol, and the haunting apparition of his father. No one can be exactly sure on the details of Mozart's life, however I feel the director helps to portray his personality in a way that is fitting to the story line. Overall this movie is worth every penny and could quite possibly influence your life. The fashion in which he is presented creates an aura around the not so perfect personality of mistique and intelligence.

Rating:
Summary: psychologically intriguing: visually and musically perfect
Review: This film is as much a masterpiece of filmmaking genius as a Mozart sonata is a masterpiece of musical genius.

F. Murray Abraham as Mozart's arch-enemy Antonio Salieri is what makes this movie work. Peter Shaffer, in adapting his brilliant script to a screenplay, maintained the position of Salieri as semi-narrator, leading the audience down the path of his obsession. We hear the music as Salieri hears it, hear Mozart's annoying, maddening, whinnying laugh as only Salieri can. The film has a bit of Fatal Attraction in it.... Salieri loves and despises Mozart's music and genius. He wants to both kill and *be* Mozart. Not being able to do either, he is a failure in his own mind as a model of mediocrity and impotence. Abraham is pitiable and abhorent. What he wishes to do is so much more hateful than what he does, that what we most despise is his inability to achieve any of his dreams...but we also pity him for it. He is not a villian, he is merely a mortal beside Mozart: "God's instrument"...the "magic flute".

Tom Hulce, as Mozart, delivers an amazing portrayal of a genius that makes you care for, sympathize with, and admire Mozart as a person, while also truly maddening you with his childishness and idiosyncracies until you dislike him just as much as Salieri does. His dual portrait is true and lifelike.

The marriage of Mozart's music to this film is utterly amazing and complete. One could truly not exist without the other. Unlike other bio-films of great composers, the music is not offered in supplement to the story, as if to give the audience a taste of the composer's style, but instead it IS the story, pulling you and directing you onward to the next scene or event.

Amadeus is, in short, a beautiful film of genius, obsession, betrayal, revenge and glorious-soaring-immortal music that you must see.

Rating:
Summary: A Bad Film of a Worse Play
Review: 'Amadeus' (a name Mozart almost never used) seems to appeal to many with its sham profundities and sophomoric paradoxes. ("How could such a boor create something so divine etc. blah blah blah?") But to anyone who knows anything about Mozart, it is an intolerable work of fiction.

This is not just some nerdy nitpicking with its factual inaccuracies. The premiss of the film is that a capricious divinity or Muse chose to pour out sublime music through an irritating halfwit. This reduces Mozart to some kind of genuine exponent of the 'automatic writing' that some psychics pretend to practise. According to 'Amadeus' Mozart made no drafts and found composing effortless. Both statements are false. There are dozens of his drafts, crossed-out passages, corrections and abandoned scores extant. In his introduction to his 'Haydn Quartets' Mozart described them as "the fruit of long and laborious endeavour". Sometimes Mozart solved compositional problems in his head and the act of writing out the results was almost a copy-writing exercise. But to use these instances to portray Mozart as an idiot-savant with ridiculous hair is absurd and dishonest.

Yes, Mozart was a genius if anyone ever was. But he was also a superb craftsman who studied and learned from his older contemporaries such as J.C.Bach and Haydn. He was not a cosmic joke played on poor, stodgy Salieri (with whom he generally got on quite well anyway).

As for the soundtrack, if Neville Marriner's poor performances of bowlderised versions of the composer's scores bring more people to love and appreciate Mozart then I suppose some good has come of this unpleasant film. But this is not enough to redeem it, not nearly enough.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie Ever
Review: Amadeus is by far the best movie ever made. Even if you are not very fond of classical music, this is a spectacular movie with wonderful screenplay.

This my favorite move and I think that all should watch it even though it's not very accurate, historically that is. It's not even all about music; it's really about Antonio Salieri and his jealousy of Mozart being so gifted with music.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious little dark comedy mixed with a drama!
Review: This is just one great movie. It'll make you laugh with it's querky sense of humor, and will awe you with it's wonderful story. A note-perfect cinematic event whose immortality was assured from its opening night, Amadeus is an unlikely candidate for the director's-cut treatment. The last thing you would expect a high school junior to go ga-ga over is a movie about long-dead classical composers. Screenwriter Peter Shaffer adapted the work from his own play, a fictional history meditating on the lives of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and musical rival Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). All is told in flashback through the eyes of Salieri, who sees Mozart as a vulgar creature with divine gifts. Eventually, Salieri views Mozart's music as an insult from God, and he tries to undermine the young composer at every opportunity. During this time you just can't help but laugh, because everytime he thinks he's got something Mozart shows him up. It's a great film, and must be seen by everyone. It's to good to be kept to one's self.

Rating:
Summary: Is Salieri a Victim?
Review: The greatest movie ever! Amadeus is the movie of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the court composer, Antonio Salieri's counterattack from his obssesive jealousy toward Mozart's gifted talent. The saddest thing about Salieri is that he is the one who distinguishes and admits his ability is nothing, comparing to Mozart's. However, he successes at the end to obtain his wish-to remove him from this world. Indeed, it seems his victory was guaranteed; however, he became the one who had to live longer to convey the Mozart's talent and great work to the world. Though he became what he wanted to be-a great composer, he could not the one who provides and carries God's voice through music. It was Mozart. Is he a real victim in the movie? Find out now! I strongly recommend to watch it.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece!!!!
Review: By far one of the greatest movies ever made. Whether you like classical music or not, you'll like this film. Where do I begin?

The plot is extraordinary and very engaging from the first few minutes. The acting is 100% genius from both Abraham and Hulce. Both seem to almost *belong* to their roles. Hulce is eccentric and maddening. Abraham is devilish while retaining a certain charm and evident shrewness. The imagery? Spectacular, clearly the best costumes, set, and photography are the best I've seen. even the supporting actors and acctesses, albeit unknown at the time, do a wonderful job of perfectly fitting the story with nuances and humor that complete the Best Movie Award Oscar that it received.

Clearly, the movie is long. But honestly, even if you don't enjoy Mozart's music, the storyline is enough to keep you captivated. Abraham deserved the Oscar and then some for his portrayel of a young and old Saleri. If you are a movie buff and haven't seent his movie, it is a MUST, no question about it. If you haven't seen Amadeus yet, this is most likely due to a sort of itimidation or utter dislike of classical music. Get over it, because you've missed one of the best storylines of the 20th century!!