lush imagery, great acting

Rating: 9/10 (16 September 2001)

Every once in a while, Hollywood gives us a lush epic similar to the ones they made so often in the 50's. Most of these films are not good. Most of them are too long or are just ridiculous. For "Amadeus" this is not the case. Every wide-screen frame is lovingly packed with detail and color. It is perhaps the most beautiful movie of the 80's. The script is impressive, and although the writers may not have been too true to history, they certainly appreciated the otherworldly genius of Mozart. F. Murray Abraham does splendid work, and Tom Hulce is the ideal actor for the musical nut case. (By the way, what's happened to Tom Hulce?) The film is surprisingly witty for a period film. Over all, "Amadeus" is definitely a fine epic worthy of butt-numbing for.