Mozart for those not in the know.

Rating: Null/10 (18 February 2003)

I was so wary of watching this movie at first that I would leave the room every time my mom watched it. I thought it was just another dull, trite historical epic just dripping with pretention. Boy, I could not have been more wrong.
This Oscar-winning film takes the story of the much-beloved Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and tells it through the eyes of a madman, his bitter rival Salieri. After slitting his own throat at a ripe old age, Salieri finds himself in an asylum, telling the story of his great feud with God, to a priest. Of course, he's angry as hell. Why wouldn't he be? God has forsaken him, and given the talent that he craves to the magnificent Mozart.

Don't get lost yet, though. Mozart is hardly a role model in this movie. He's a drunk, an irritable fellow, he cheats on his fiancee with a ditzy diva, and also manages to insult every authority figure in town. But despite all that, he's still one of the most endearing and charming male figures I've ever seen. He wants so badly to succeed, and do the one thing he loves, making music.
Elizabeth Berridge also steals the show as Wolfgang's young wife, Constanze. She tries her hardest to make him happy, but being not much more than a child herself, sometimes gets herself into some rather interesting situations.
Ultimately, it's hard to say if it's Salieri who did the deed he claims to have done. But I recommend this delightful movie to anyone, anywhere, fan of Mozart's music or not. Make sure and see both the original and the director's cut, in that order, too. ;)