Great performances, and great music.

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 1999)

I had the fortune of watching Amadeus for the first time on laserdisc a few years ago. After that viewing, I fell in love with that movie. The costumes, the art direction, and the music! F. Murray Abraham is perfect as the tortured Salieri, a mediocre composer that plots and schemes against the loutish, but incredibly gifted, Mozart. Tom Hulce gives Mozart a boyish charm, and that laugh! That high pitched giggle that haunts Salieri till the very end. The music of Mozart is heard constantly through out the film. You can see the foreshadowing and hear it, whenever Mozart's father appears. And when the Don Giovanni piece appears, it all makes sense. The best scene in the film is when Mozart is ill, and Salieri sees this as his chance to get even with God. Mozart hears the music that will eventually become the Requiem, all in his head. As he dictates the score, Salieri becomes overwhelmed by the genius of Mozart. But, the ultimate indignation for this great composer comes at the end. The Lacrymosa is playing and we see Mozart's final resting place. A mass, unmarked grave. All dramacticaly punctuated by a massive choir, and you feel just like the priest that is taking Salieri's confession. A great film that showcases music by one of the greatest composers ever to live.