A solid period piece

Rating: 8/10 (17 April 2008)

This movie tells the story of Mozart through the eyes of his rival Salieri. It is a sumptuous period piece that is one of the better films of the eighties (though that is faint praise).
Milos Forman's direction perfectly captures the grandiose, larger than life figure of Mozart. Equal strength is shown in representing intimate encounters and grand performances. Thanks to the efforts of the behind-the-scenes crew the film effortlessly transports us to 18th century Vienna. It's no surprise to note that the film won Oscars for Set Decoration & Costumes. Presumably, the fact that the film's score wasn't nominated for an Oscar must have been related to the fact that it was all previously composed. Had it not been, the score would certainly have increased the film's Oscar count to nine.
One of the film's eight Oscars belongs to F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri. His was an excellent performance, certainly worthy of the accolades that it garnered. The other performances are good though it's a bit odd to see Larry 'Pinto' Kroger from "Animal House" as Mozart. Kind of like if Jason Biggs (of "American Pie" fame) were to play Bach.
If there's one area that I think could use improvement it's the script. The film is a little long and tends to drag a bit, particularly if you're not much of a fan of opera. The personal stories are fairly satisfying though I felt that there was some indefinable 'spark' missing that would've propelled the plot into greatness.
Minor quibbles aside, the movie earns high marks for its excellent production values and memorable performances.