A triumph-deluxe!

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2001)

Grazie a Lei, Milos Forman for your skillful direction. Whatever a movie is supposed to be, Amadeus is definitely it. Although the dialogue stumbles over some colloquialisms, the movie is otherwise extremely beautiful and well-thought out. It made me almost regret my mediocrity and sympathize with Salieri. Almost.
I first saw Amadeus in my junior year of high school, after a friend recommended it to me. It made such an impression that I decided I was going to go to the Mozart Music Festival in Salzburg the following summer. Probably what struck me most about the film was its dramatic portrayal of Salieri, a man who blended into the 18th century music scene so well, his history can only be linked with Mozart, and although not mentioned, Beethoven, one of his later pupils. Watching Salieri struggle with his mediocrity created a pang in my side - how often are we all forced to witness genius and know that we can never achieve it? What is even more interesting is the dichotomy between the side of him that longs to destroy Mozart and the side of him that worships every note Mozart composes. Mozart's character was more conventional in that it portrayed an artist who falls short of his work. "Your majesty, I am a vulgar man, but I assure you, my music is not..." Even if the less than factual depiction of Mozart offends some people, the dexterous use of music alone is worth watching the movie.
Go see the movie already, if you haven't.