Great film about a great composer and time in musical history

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2018)

A lot of writing isn't necessary to praise a great film, and "Amadeus" is just that. The novel approach used in this film works beautifully. A major character in the plot tells the story of Mozart and his great music. F. Murray Abraham plays the Italian composer Antonio Salieri wonderfully. It is through his eyes that the story is told.
Abraham won the best actor Oscar in 1984 over the film's co-star, Tom Hulce, who also was nominated for best actor. Hulce's performance as Wolfgang Mozart was as good - even better than was Abraham's role. This was not the first time that two leading players in the same film have been nominated for the same award. It is a rare occasion, and even a much rarer one when both of the leads give outstanding performances. It's too bad that the Motion Picture Academy couldn't make a double award in such cases.
"Amadeus" is a delight for many reasons. The best, of course, is the music. Parts of many great Mozart works are played throughout the film. That makes this great film as much an enjoyable listening experience as it is a wonderful story to watch. All aspects of the movie excel - from the detail in the cultural settings and costumes, to the camera and film production.
Any such biopic will naturally be fictitious, especially with the many incidental details in a subject's life. Perhaps the biggest aspect of fiction in this film, though, has to do with Salieri. The film clearly shows him as a much less auspicious composer than Mozart. But Salieri had a major career and influence on opera of his day. He was a renowned and talented composer, conductor and teacher who wrote operas in three languages. He held a number of key music posts. Even though he stopped writing music by middle age, he had several famous pupils, including Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt.
Salieri's music did fade into oblivion within a few decades. And Mozart's continued to soar in performance and popularity. But with this film, Salieri's music enjoyed a revival in the classical world.
There may have been some rivalry felt by Salieri toward Mozart. And there likely was some envy over Mozart's talent. But there just as likely was a modicum of professional respect between the two men. Although few could match the musical genius of Mozart in creating masterful works in his time, many accomplished conductors and players performed his music. Salieri was among them.
This film is a delight. One can't help but wonder how much more great music the world might have had if Mozart had lived beyond his youthful age of 35. The movie is a must for any serious film library.