An sensual assault.

Rating: 8/10 (8 June 2003)

You have to hand it to Milos Forman, he really knows how to thrash out human experience on screen. With wonderful movies such as One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The People Vs. Larry Flynt and Man On The Moon under his belt he truly is one of cinema's finest biographers. Amadeus is a curious movie, for a multiple oscar winner its rarely mentioned among peoples 'top lists'. Stanger still is the fact that its leading actors F. Murray Abraham(Salieri) and Tom Hulce(Mozart) never really achieved much in Hollywood following the success of Amadeus. A shame really as those who've watched it will know:
Amadeus takes an objective view of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by having Viennese Court Composer, Antonio Salieri narrate the tale. Salieri reveals his part in Mozart's demise and illustrates his legendary hatred for Mozart throughout the film. Yet underneath Salieri's hatred lies an admiration for Mozart's talent that stretches to adoration for Mozart's music. These conflicting emotions cause Salieri to conjure a fascinating portrayal of Mozart and his talent for the audience - Criticisms of the movie mainly revolve around the historical inaccuracies and the portrayal of Mozart himself....to these people I say that all history is open to interpretation and that the movie itself is told from the perspective of Salieri(of whom little is actually known) who, for the purposes of the movie, resented the success and lifestyle enjoyed by Mozart - F. Murray Abraham's performance as Salieri was majestic, with his awe-stricken voice retaining an authoritative weight throughout the picture. Hulce is well cast as the giggling, and often arrogant young Mozart. Set largly in decorative opera halls and Royal Courts the sets are among the most lavish to hit film and are accompanied on screen by (inevitably) a glorious classical score(so make sure to turn up the volume) giving the audience a wonderful cinematic experience, both visually and aurally. Worth a look.