A masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 1999)

Amadeus is as rich and deep as Mozart's own Requiem.
Most reviewers miss Salieri's fatal flaw, which is not his jealousy: it is his own monstrous ego which leads him into a Faustian abyss of madness. Mozart's egotism, in contrast, is the innocent egotism of a child. For all of Salieri's austere asceticism and Mozart's reckless abandon, it is Salieri with the guilty soul.
History was tampered with in the interests of dramatic effect. Mozart was not made more outrageous for the film in order to convey to a modern audience how shocking his behavior was. To the contrary, he was toned down, contenting himself with flatulating at parties rather than defecating on the table. Although Salieri did indeed plot politically against his rival, and although Mozart believed to his death that Salieri was poisoning him, the truth is that Mozart poisoned himself with alcohol and laudanum. An anonymous patron did indeed mysteriously commission the Requiem, but it was not Salieri. Mozart did dictate the Requiem on his deathbed, but to his pupil, Sussmeyer, whom Constanze hired to complete the work after her husband's death. Mozart really did keep Shinkenader and company waiting until the last minute for The Magic Flute, but while the cast partied downstairs, Mozart wrote feverishly upstairs while Constanze read to him and pumped him full of coffee to help him stay awake for the task. And so on.
Amadeus drew on sketches of original costumes and sets to depict Mozart's operas, and it is these details that add richness to the film. If for some reason you've put off seeing Amadeus this long, correct that oversight now. It's worth it.