Breathtaking! Stunning! Worthy of Every Award!

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2006)

There are few films out there even today that can match Amadeus' incomparable genius. For starters, the two leading actors played by Oscar and Golden Globe Winner F. Murray Abraham and Oscar Nominee Tom Hulce play Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, two rival composers. When Abraham speaks, you can't take your eyes off him whether he is elderly or young and promising and gifted as well. He saves his envy for the spoiled musical prodigy Mozart who is also goofy and childish as well. It's Salieri who begins to despise his rival without telling him the truth of how much he resented Mozart's musical genius and that God chose Mozart over Salieri. Anyway, the backdrop which includes the lavish costumes and art direction are unforgettable. The movie takes you to another place and time where the same occurrences of rivalries, jealousies, and envy can be a powerful weapon of hatred. Mozart naively believes in Salieri's friendship and support. I don't care for the casting of American actors like Jeffrey Jones playing the Austrian emperor. Cynthia Nixon playing the maid hired by Salieri to spy on the Mozart family. I thought Elizabeth Berridge was adequate as well as Christine Ebersole. British actors like Roy Dotrice (when will be honored) and Simon Callow CBE are equally the same. It really is Salieri's film overall told from his point of view. You can't forget Mozart's unique laugh and his desire for his father's love who wants him back in Salzburg than in Vienna. Salieri's father died while he was young. We don't see much of the women in the film but that is expected since you expect that women were still second class citizens. Salieri envied Mozart's genius as well as zest for life outside music. He loved parties and people while Salieri preferred music. Oh what a film for the ages!