My Favorite Film of 1984!

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2020)

Amadeus, without a doubt, is my favorite film from 1984. Looking in from the outside, the movie looks to be a dark, disturbing tale about the feud between legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. In reality, while the film has some extremely dark moments, it is also light-hearted and quite funny. The casting is perfect. Tom Hulce as Mozart is one of the best casting of all-time, and it comes out of nowhere! The costumes are fantastic. Should I even mention the music? This film made me appreciate the fact that Mozart is one of the greatest minds in human history.
In 1975, a movie was released called One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That movie was one of my favorite films that year and also won Best Picture at the Oscars, just like this movie. Both films were directed by Milos Forman. Forman directed the heck out of the movie. Each scene was expertly staged and meaningful. Considering the world was entering the MTV stage, Forman took a giant gamble creating a three-hour long movie about classical music. That gamble paid off. I liked where he chose to shoot his film- in his native Czechoslovakia. Even though the film is set in Vienna, Prague had the scenery of what the world would look like two centuries prior.
People question whether the film is historically accurate or not. From the beginning, Forman and writer Peter Schaffer made it clear that the film is only loosely based on history. Most of the movie is just a drama made to entertain. The central premise of the film is the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri. While sometimes competing against each other for commissions, the two men were actually good friends. Salieri is depicted as a loner with a religious heart but was actually a married men with eight children. So, before you decide to critique the film on its accuracy, well this what the filmmakers intended.
Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is in love with Wolfgang Mozart's (Tom Hulce) music. He finds it divine and out-of-this-world. Salieri, who resides on the court of Austrian Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones), desperately wishes he were as good as Mozart. As a devout, religious man, he believed his talent was to praise God. He receives the shock of his life when he discovers Mozart is actually a vulgar, and rather self-centered man. He asks God why this creature deserves even better musical gifts than himself. He takes it to himself to take revenge on Mozart...and ultimately God.
The movie is a period costume drama and they can be somewhat dry and stuffy if not casted well. The casting here is absolutely genius and it makes the film fun as ever. If you seen Tom Hulce's performance in Animal House, you would not expect him to play a composer. Mark Hamill was originally considered but Forman thought his Luke Skywalker persona would be a distraction. Hulce's casting is genius. He played Mozart like a 60's punk hipster, and it worked so well. That laugh, though. Very unforgettable! On the flip side, F. Murray Abraham plays Salieri with such intensity. He commanded the screen each time he was on. Whether he was imitating Mozart's father (was played wonderfully by Roy Dotrice) or just giving the overview of the story whilst in the madhouse, just stay for his performance. I also liked Elizabeth Berridge's performance as Mozart's wife, Constanze.
Do I really need to mention the music? When performed well, Mozart's music is like heaven. Mozart is a genius and it amazes me he was able to create such magic at a young age. Just to think in today's age, we get Taylor Swift. Who am I to judge? There is a reason why he is one of the greatest minds in history. If you like classical music or not, you will not forget Mozart. Forman did a wonderful job in making sure Mozart's music help tell the story.
Amadeus is a film that asks important questions. If you know someone who is better than you, how would you react? How would you feel? Would you do anything? Such as murder the better person, as the film suggested Salieri did in the opening scene. Jealousy is the big theme that drives the movie and it allows us to feel for Salieri when the film ended. The character of Mozart is why the film is allowed to breathe with light-heartedness and humor. History remains to be seen whether Mozart was a crude person or not or had that infectious laugh (which I hated at first). Anyhow, this is my favorite film of 1984. It delivers a blend of emotions, is well-acted and well-directed, and the music is excellent as we should expect. Apparently, the Academy agreed.
My Grade: A+