''Music should go right through you, leave some of itself inside you, and take some of you with it when it leaves.'' - Henry Threadgill
What better way to describe this movie! Amadeus captures Mozart’s music in all it’s glory, leaving it deep inside us, taking away breath, leaving us spellbound and at a loss of words.
Directed by Milos Forman, Amadeus is based on Peter Shaffer’s play of the same name. Witty, beautiful and original, it is a tale of revenge, betrayal and jealousy. It is a movie in which Mozart is eternalized through his music.
Plot:
Ever since when he was a child, Antonio Salieri has wanted to be the best music composer ever. He asks god for the power of music so that he could spread the glory of god with it. He eventually becomes the court composer for Emperor Joseph II at Vienna. Everyone likes him. He likes himself.
All his life, Salieri has heard of a wonderful music composer from Salzburg named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Whoever has heard his music has nothing but praise for him. Salieri has the deepest respect for Mozart even though he has not yet met him. Salieri believes that Mozart is god’s chosen one who would spread his glory.
So when it is heard that Mozart would be giving a performance at Vienna, Salieri wants to meet him. When he goes there, he tries to guess who Mozart is among the many distinguished guests at the gathering. Mozart turns out to be the last thing Saliere expects him to be: a playful, flirty, egotistical, spoilt brat with a hideous, loud laugh and a passion for earthly pleasures.
Salieri is horrified.
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But why? Why did God choose an obscene child to be his instrument?”
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The emperor, impressed by Mozart’s music, offers him a job at Vienna. Though Salieri still respects Mozart, Mozart seems to think nothing of Salieri and his music. The emperor starts liking Mozart and slowly grows lenient towards him.
Salieri once gets the opportunity to look at Mozart’s drafts:
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Astounding! It was beyond belief. These were first and only drafts of music but they showed no correction of any kind. Not one. He had simply written down music already finished in his head. Page after page of it… as if he were just taking dictation.
And music… finished as no music has ever finished. Displace one note and there would be diminishment. Displace one phrase and the structure would fall. Here again, was the very voice of god. I was staring through the cage of those meticulous ink strokes at an absolute beauty.
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Salieri gets jealous of Mozart after seeing his drafts. He feels that god was wrong in choosing Mozart. He picks up the crucifix he has so long been worshipping and puts it in his hearth, burning it:
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From now on, we are enemies. You and I. Because You choose for Your instrument, a boastful, lustful, smutty, infantile boy, and give me for reward only the ability to recognize the incarnation.
Because You are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block You. I swear it. I will hinder and harm Your creature on earth as far as I’m able. I will ruin Your incarnation.
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Salieri now takes upon him the task of destroying Mozart. The rest of the movie shows us how Salieri does this, eventually driving Mozart to his death.
The whole movie is in the form of a confession by a very old Salieri to a priest.
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Pros:
The score, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner, showcases Mozart’s music in all it’s gorgeosity. Brilliant is not the word!
Salieri is one character you would actually empathize with. He knows he is mediocre and that Mozart is a genius. He hates Mozart because of what he is, but at the same time, has the deepest respect for him because of his music. Salieri’s character is very complex and has been played with relative ease by F. Murray Abraham.
Tom Hulce is excellent as Mozart.
The other actors in this movie have given a wonderful performance as well.
Marvelous body language by the entire cast.
Very good dialogues, screenplay, direction, costumes, art direction, character development, .
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Cons:
Nothing at all.
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Amadeus at the 1984 Academy Awards:
Amadeus was nominated for a lot of categories. It won the following awards:
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: F. Murray Abraham {''Antonio Salieri''}
ART DIRECTION: Art Direction: Patrizia Von Brandenstein; Set Decoration: Karel Cerny
COSTUME DESIGN: Theodor Pistek
DIRECTING: Milos Forman
MAKEUP: Paul LeBlanc, Dick Smith
BEST PICTURE: Saul Zaentz, Producer
SOUND: Mark Berger, Tom Scott, Todd Boekelheide, Chris Newman
WRITING (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium): Peter Shaffer
(Source: The Oscar Awards Database: https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/index.jsp)
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Though Mozart is portrayed as an impish joker throughout the movie, Amadeus is nothing less than the highest tribute paid to his music.
This movie is a must-see. Though it is about 3 hours long, one is left glued to the screen, thanks to the tightly wound script. Do see it in one sitting. The magic is lost otherwise.
Credits:
Overture from The Marriage of Figaro - Mozart
Rondo alla Turca from Piano Sonata no. 11 in A - Mozart
Symphony 25 - Mozart
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony – Joe Satriani
