What a great film

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2008)

There simply aren't enough good things to be said about "Amadeus." This is an Oscar-winning Best Picture that truly lives up to its reputation, and is a personal favorite as much as a critical one. This film is full of fascinating (and funny) scenes, one of my favorites being Mozart (Tom Hulce) playing Salieri's (F. Murray Abraham) piece from memory after hearing it once and criticizing it somewhat unintentionally. An example of how great the film-making in this movie is involves the scene where Salieri helps Motzart finish his composition as he lies in bed dying. What Salieri learns from this is simply amazing, and it doesn't deserve to be spoiled here. The film is masterfully told in flashback, as Salieri reports the story as an old man in a confession to a priest. The film is not really a true-to-life biography of Motzart's life, and many of the interesting little facts, as well as the whole plot element of Salieri conspiring against Motzart, are more or less implied, speculated, or just plain made up. That's not the point, however. The film takes a true story that would ordinarily bore audiences and turns it into a movie that is highly entertaining, funny, and remarkable. I'm sure many people can relate to Salieri and what he must feel, knowing that in real life, there is always someone better than us. This Oscar-winning role makes the character of Salieri completely believable, allowing us to feel the envy that grows throughout the film and the redemption he feels toward the end. The only drawbacks to this movie are the mediocre acting jobs done by a few of the supporting characters, such as Motzart's wife, which don't really fit with the great acting done by the lead characters. Nevertheless, this does not ruin the movie by any means. This is highly recommended, even to those who don't tend to like biography or history films. Almost perfect.
**** out of ****