A Stroke of Genius

Rating: 10/10 (30 September 2013)

Accessibility is the Operative Word here, in this Glorious, Off-Center Presentation on the Genius, Influential, and Beloved Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Up until the late Sixties Classical Music was often referred to as Longhair. Meaning, of course, to the Lengthy Locks of Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, etc. It was sometimes used as a Condescension, meaning out of date, Ancient, High-Brow and such.
Twentieth Century Youths and most of the Proletariat were unfamiliar, or vaguely so, of the Music or the Musicians or the Compositions that languished in thick, dusty, and heavy Record Collection Book-Albums and were considered to be boring, long, and Anachronistic to Modern Sensibilities. This was the age of Jazz, Blues, Swing, Country and Western, Pop, Rock n' Roll, Punk, and Rap/Hip-Hop.
The decision to approach Mozart with a Reverential Tweakness was an Inspiration on Director Milos Forman's part. It gave Access to the Music and the Man, and Created a new appreciation for the Moderns who generally Loathed Classic Music and Opera. The Movie took much Criticism for its Bawdy, Gonzo take on a Sacred Cow.
The Film is Loads of Fun with an undercurrent of Tragedy that is Beautifully Shot, Impeccably Costumed, and Superbly Acted. But most of all it is Highly Entertaining for a Mass Audience including those with little interest in the Subject or the Subject Matter.
Even those with some Contempt, found in this Movie a way to Appreciate the Master, His Music, and the Period. With its Outrageous Costumes, Outdated Customs and some Hip-Lip. Simply put, this is a Modernization of Madness, both in the Film's Style and those that make up the Story. A Genius of an approach on the Portrayal of a Genius.