oldest trick in the book

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2011)

The oldest known play in the history of drama is "The Persians" by Aeschylus. He wants to celebrate the Greek victory in the persian wars and in order to make his point more effective instead of writing about his victorious countrymen he writes about the defeated side. Peter Shaffer uses essentially the same dramatic trick. He shows genius through the eyes of mediocrity. Not just any mediocrity : a mediocrity capable of recognizing genius, which makes it still more tragic. This film is a masterpiece, and the script is one of the main reasons. If you are interested in more insight into the characters do yourself a favor and read the original play. Apart from many parts missing in the film, such as Mozart's relation with the masons, his views on opera etc, you may find that the lack of visual distraction helps build a more balanced picture of Mozart in your mind.