Unconventional telling of a famous figure rooted in jealously.

Rating: Null/10 (22 July 2013)

That laugh. Amadeus is represented through the icon of that laugh. Whether he was nervous, embarrassed, or just out of his blatant immaturity, the audience gets the pleasure of that laugh from Mozart frequently during this film. Amadeus is a fictionalized telling of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but more importantly, it tells a darker side of the human condition where jealousy is amplified, the performances are rich, and the production values make for one great period piece.
Amadeus has an unconventional storytelling method of an important figure in the world. Instead of following Mozart as the hero and Salieri as the villain of the story, Salieri is the protagonist. We learn Mozart's story through someone else's eyes, which makes sense if you think about it. Seeing a legend's story told through the eyes of someone else gives us a chance to see that person for how they acted, not how they internally felt. I really love the approach and am inspired by the choice.
We all have felt jealous, we've all had the jarring stab in the gut when we see someone do something better than us. It's never been better expressed than here in Amadeus. It's the topic most emphasized in the picture and it's always successfully explored. We can instantly identify with Salieri; though he's driven by rage and envy, we never look to him as the bad guy. Instead we look at him as a dark part of ourselves. Jealously as intense as the situation in Amadeus could make us question everything about ourselves: our talent, our interests, our beliefs in God. The immoral resentment conveyed on screen is something remarkable, proving that jealousy has no limits to what it can do to a man.
Being as organized as an uptight, old lady's desk drawer, Amadeus never feels as long as its extensive running time suggests. It moves from scene to scene, keeping the story and characters alive and interesting enough for us to care. The set of the theatre house is dauntingly beautiful and costume design fits the film like the last piece to a jigsaw puzzle making the film a stunning thing to view. Amadeus about one of the most celebrated musicians in history is obviously going to thrive in the music department, and it does, each song magnified to be an epic musical spectacle. It's the grand exploration Mozart's music labors deserve.
A Tale of Two Madmen. The first man too childish for his own good. The second driven mad by jealousy. The characterization of Mozart is fantastic by Tom Hulce. Hucle embodies the musician's tantalizing spirit and has wild eccentric power behind the portrayal. The only time Saleri ever fully gets the praise over Mozart is with the actor's portrayals of the two figures. F. Murray Abraham is the true star in Amadeus, pushing the sad man through his flesh, making him pop. The two performances stay true to the souls of their characters: Saleri's jealousy grows him into an even older man than his age, while Mozart's youth feels everlasting as is his musical composition.
Amadeus is artistic work in every sense of the word. It shows the gifted artist collecting the brilliance that seeps through his skull, the strain behind that gift. But it shows the even more consuming tendencies artists who aren't struggle to find live up to what they make their lives about. Amadeus is a masterful film that captures the hideous emotion of jealousy and insanity in a way that still isn't forgotten today.
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A