Damn near perfect

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2012)

For some reason I never imagined that an almost three hour movie about famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart could be that good. Well I was incredibly wrong. Unimaginably, unfathomably wrong was I. Milos Forman's 1984 Best Picture winning film is a masterpiece. It tells the story of, obviously, Wolfang Amadeus Mozart and his life in Vienna as the drunk babbling genius whose fame and talent drove him mad. Subsequently, it's also the story of Vienna's royal court composer Antonio Salieri who is driven mad with jealousy for Mozart and his God-like composing talents that Salieri has prayed for his whole life. The film is an incredibly tale of greed and jealousy, as well as a sweeping epic that celebrates the work of Mozart on a grand scale. Even if you're not a fan of classical music, which I am not, you should still love this film for the genius that it possesses.
Amadeus is a film wrought with ingenious subtleties to its plot and characters that make it incredibly impressive and fantastic to watch. The character of Mozart is portrayed so perfectly by Tom Hulce and it's one of the most well written characters I've ever seen on screen. The character goes through three phases through the film's three acts. In the first act he is the artist just trying to get recognized for the immense talent he knows he possesses. In the second act his talent becomes solidified throughout Europe, and he begins to push the limits of artistic expression. Much of the second act is spent with Mozart disobeying the royal court so that he can express the most artistic freedom he can. He becomes the embodiment of what every progressive artist wants to be. His character speaks volumes to anybody with a creative streak, and it absolutely floored me. The second act ends with Mozart conducting a performance of Don Giovanni and it is, without a doubt, one of the most moving and incredible things I've ever seen in a film.
And then we reach the third act where the expressionism and talent comes crashing down on Mozart as he drives himself mad and digs his own grave for himself. We see the fall of this epic character and it is brutal. We all see it coming, but as Mozart begins to slip away from reality it is absolutely tragic and we feel a part of ourselves die with Mozart as he crumbles away in his misery.
But then we have F. Murray Abraham's Oscar winning performance as Antonio Salieri which is spectacular and was just another element of the film that absolutely blew me away. His performance is damn near perfect and, once again, the character is written so incredibly well and the relationship that develops between the jealous Salieri and the oblivious Mozart is fantastic. There are scenes in the film where Mozart and Salieri are talking and Salieri is doing his absolute best to hide his seething hatred for Mozart. I can't adequately describe the excellence with which these exchanges are pulled off. You really just have to see it for yourself.
Amadeus is an absolute must see. I mean it with every fiber of my being when I say that this film is a masterpiece. It's superbly directed, ridiculously well written, and stunningly acted by every member of the cast. Amadeus is truly what I would call a near perfect film.