A brilliantly ambitious, sprawling, and truly epic film

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2005)

Few films create such a lasting impact as "Amadeus." Although it may not be as well-recognized as some other classics, those "in the know" have been privy to one of the great films of the 20th century. Its Director's Cut re-release a few years ago re-established it as a classic, and enticed many new viewers.
Personally, having been subjected to this film years ago, watching the Director's Cut is a delight, because it seems to flow even better now, even with an extra twenty minutes of runtime.
The film begins with the composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) telling his story (and Mozart's) to a priest (Simon Callow). Antonio feels personally responsible for Mozart's early death, and finally - after years of silence - spills his beans.
The flashbacks (intercut with scenes of Salieri reciting the story from memory) show us the infantile and juvenile Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played by "Animal House's" Tom Hulce) and his domination of musical composure in Vienna, where he was the subject of jealousy from Salieri, whose lifelong dream was to be half as great as Mozart.
The performances are wonderful - Hulce perfectly embodies the Mozart many of us weren't aware existed - the troubled, disrespectful and hyper-active man-child. Today, historians claim Mozart probably suffered from attention disorders like ADD. Whatever the reason for his behavior, Hulce never lets up on the believability.
Even more impressive is F. Murray Abraham as Salieri. It is really he who carries the film on his shoulders and is the vital link to Mozart. I personally think it was a brilliant decision by Peter Shaffer (playwrite and scriptwriter) to convey the story through the eyes of another man close to Mozart, rather than Mozart himself. It's far more effective than a simple narrative, which would have detracted from the effortless intrigue of this movie. (Once you start watching, you're hooked - even though it's three hours long on the Director's Cut, it's over in what feels like less than half that long.) Milos Forman has been responsible for some wonderful films throughout his career (other highlights include "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The People vs. Larry Flynt") but in my opinion, from a directorial standpoint, this is probably his strongest. "Cuckoos' Nest" may have had deeper themes and drawn greater parallels between characters and events and symbolism, but "Amadeus" doesn't need to be complicated, and it isn't. At heart it is the story of a brilliant composer and the man whose jealousy destroyed them both. This should be seen by everyone at least once - because once you see it, you'll come back for seconds.