The Crowning Jewel of Milos Forman's Career

Rating: 10/10 (29 August 2012)

As well done as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is, my pick for Milos Forman's best movie and my personal favorite movie to date is "Amadeus." Yes it is not historically accurate. Yes it is Americans and British actors playing foreign roles with no accents. Yes it is a "stuffy period piece." You know what? It is also an absolute masterpiece of a movie! The story manages to work on multiple levels. Yes the surface message deals with the "price of revenge," but it is so much more personal than that. We see that Sallieri has become his own worst enemy purely because he cannot let go of his jealousy. He cannot just accept the skills of others and move on with his own already successful career. This is also paralleled in the life of Mozart, shown here as a childish genius who is trapped in his own prison of inflated ego in no small part because of his father. The film covers topics of faith, the fear of failure, the dark side of entertainment, the way class and talents are not in stone and more. It works organically and manages to be incredibly captivating.
Forman manages to keep the story entertaining by running his characters through plenty of emotional gamuts. At times the movie is very dramatic. Then there will be incredibly funny moments. Then there will be incredibly thoughtful moments. There is never one monotonous tone and it keeps you on your toes to see how a scene will play out. He also manages to keep an optimistic tone in spite of the darker elements. This is not just a tragic and depressing look at the decline of Mozart's career. It is a celebration of the man and the time period, with all of their faults. We know Mozart's memory still thrives through his music so why just be sad about it.
A lot of credit must be given to Tom Hulce as Mozart for that. Portraying Mozart as a boorish delinquent with a brilliant talent is not only pretty accurate (We know these people in real life), but the right counterbalance to the drama. Even as he drifts into insanity and ill health, Mozart is shown as a sympathetic character who has a consistent love for creating great music if not much else.
We cannot forget F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Sallieri though. The heart of the movie, Abraham brings emotional weight and human traits to a character who could simply be a typical envious character. his character also has pure intentions for making music, but he never learned how to accept humility for other talented people. Sallieri is a controlled and calculating force of envy and self-loathing and we see it all on Abraham's face and through his line delivery. Also the fact he can effortlessly pull off playing both the young and old Sallieri is an admirable feat.
The rest of the supporting cast works excellently in the film, but it is Jeffrey Jones playing Emperor Joseph II that steals the show. Though not nearly in the film enough, he carries a presence both as a royal figure and being a general music illiterate. He also works as a great foil for Hulce's more comedic scenes.
There is so much more that can be said about this film. The cinematography is eye popping, the sets are lavishly ornate, the costumes are all precise designed, the editing moves at a comfortable clip, the make-up work is spot-on and the performances of Mozart's classics are first rate.
I just could go on, but needless to say I wholeheartedly recommend this film. It is a stunning piece of work and well worth the time of any film buff or Mozart fan!