Mediocrity Is Everything

Rating: 5/10 (12 September 2016)

With all its colorful and dazzling visual and audio flare, Amadeus is one for the ages. But I never really connected to the characters, and that's where it fails for me.
Winning 8 Oscars in 1985 and numerous other accolades, it's safe to say Amadeus is one of the more beloved films of the 80's. It also comes from the great director behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Miles Forman. But what Amadeus lacks is subtly. I understand a film about grand-scale music and opera's needs to have a unique identity, but I found Tom Hulce's eccentric title role-performance to lack the human touch.
Of course, Amadeus isn't strictly about Mozart himself, it deals with his "rivalry" with Italian composer, Antonio Salieri and the various trials and tribulations of Mozart's wish to display his talents to the world and particularly, the Roman Emperor. These events are told in flashbacks by Salieri as he was recently committed to an Insane Asylum after attempted suicide. As far as we know, most of the events of the film are highly fictionalized or exaggerated. Normally, I don't mind such a choice in storytelling, but it seemed to bother me this time around.
What didn't bother me, however, was the performance of F. Murray Abraham as Salieri. Covering decades, Abraham brings a totally different vibe to both the old and younger versions of Salieri, and both work extremely well. It's also worth noting that his character isn't all that likable on paper, but he brings the grounded humanity, especially in his jealousy for Mozart, that's missing from the rest of the film.
Another thing Amadeus has going for it is the glorious music used and conducted for the film. Surely, most of the tunes are genius-ly written by the original composers, but the overall sound quality and editing is brilliant. Putting character dialogue aside, merely listening to this film is a joy.
I may be in the minority here, but to me, a film must do more than just sound great, it has to move me emotionally in one way or another. The made up story has its fascinating moments, but it gets old after a while. As does the over-the-top performance from Hulce. Sure, a wonderful soundtrack and Abraham's performance are impressive, but it's not enough to get this to a positive review for me.
+Abraham
+Music
-Hulce
-Characters lack humanity
-A tad long
5.8/10