Too Many Scenes

Rating: 7/10 (7 January 2010)

This mostly fictional account of the relationship between Mozart and Salieri, a journeyman contemporary composer, is well filmed but has "too many scenes," to paraphrase Emperor Joseph. At three hours, it overstays its welcome with repetitive scenes. Was it necessary to spend 20 minutes on "Don Giovanni"? The film's portrayal of Mozart as a vulgar buffoon is hard to reconcile with his genius for creating sublime music. Also, it gives the impression that Mozart only composed operas whereas the vast majority of his output is non-operatic. While Abraham is brilliant as Salieri, Hulce's idiot act becomes tiresome, and Berridge is badly miscast as Constanze. Jones is amusing.