Amadeus...worthy of its recognition

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2008)

Just recently, I have seen this impressive film, and the only words that I could say to describe it are...wonderfully tragic. The film tells the story of a regretful and bitter Antonio Salieri (portrayed by F. Murray Abraham), a man who only wanted to perform music for the joy of it, and to garner critical recognition for his work. Intertwining with Salieri's life, however, is the vulgar, arrogant and vain Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (portrayed by Tom Hulce), in which lies an amazing musical genius beyond comprehension.
As Salieri envies Mozart's musical talent despite his absurd lifestyle ("I am a vulgar man, Your Majesty, but I assure you...my music is not"), he conspires to bring about his rival's ultimate downfall with a plot of murder and plagiarism (claiming Mozart's greatest work, the Requiem Mass in D Minor, as his own). However...God instead destroys his greatest instrument to torture Salieri for the rest of his days. In the end, however...Mozart gets the last laugh, literally. Just before the credits roll, the triumphant voice of Mozart laughing echoes across the ages as "the patron saint of mediocrity" smiles.
The only thing about this film that unsettled me was the fact that they didn't bury Mozart in a pauper's grave as they did historically; instead, they dumped him in a mass grave to rot. However, I guess for a man of Mozart's genius and vulgarity, it serves as a form of poetic justice for Salieri...God's instrument of musical genius is laid to rest in a grave fit for Black Plague carriers.
Despite that...Amadeus is a true work of art. Those who cannot see it need to look in the mirror, watch the film again and then, hopefully they'll be able to see it.