Scribbling and Bibbling

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2005)

I would like to make some short comments. 1. Acting - a. F. Murray Abraham - there wasn't much for him to do except brood. Flashes of intensity, but for the most part, he seems swept through the action by happenstance. b. Tom Hulce - over-the-top performance still made believable by the restraint of the script. Especially convincing is Mozart dictating to Salieri. c. Elizabeth Berridge - unconvincing, underplayed to a fault. Relying on script and costuming is a poor way to make a living as an actress. d. Jeffrey Jones - made an impact on me as a catalyst and not a flunky of the circumstances. Leopold's brief interactions are nonetheless very important to the storyline. 2. Writing - the plot line is pretty cool: a little bit of Hitchcock straining at the leash, but mainly we're treated to a chronology of Mozart's works, albeit truncated and jumpy. The subplots concerning Mozart's father and Wolfie's wife are thin, and to me don't add any substance to the transitions nor the ending. What stands out is the God-given talent of Mozart, which is brilliantly displayed in both the context and the acting. Hulce brings to life the torture of genius. What it feels like to be blessed by God, which can also be a curse. He has all the music in his head, and the rest is just "scribbling and bibbling." To say that Mozart worked himself to death wouldn't be outlandish, even knowing that his alcoholism contributed mightily. But which was the killer? Was it the strain of dealing with all the music that wanted to be released, or was it liver and/or kidney failure? The ambiguities here and in Salieri's story are riveting, if ultimately unsatisfying. One moral I came away with: be happy for what you DO have, for jealousy will drive you mad as surely as ambition will drive you into the earth. 3. Design - costuming was heroic, and the settings were impeccable. The extras were very believable, and the atmosphere reeked of baroque. A little more definition of Vienna was perhaps needed just to reel you in a little deeper, but I'm being trifling here. 4. Music - I'm not crazy for Mozart, but I walked away with a greater appreciation for the prodigy and his vocation. I've always looked on Wolfgang Amadeus, the composer, as very pompous in his assumptions concerning the listener, and this was pointed out in the film as well. Nevertheless, the pieces are short enough to placate my A.D.D. and yet long enough to satisfy my curiosity. 5. Objectionable Material - concerning sexual content, there is no nudity, but there is some adult speech. No violence.