Handsome and carefully crafted, with standout performances...

Rating: 6/10 (15 April 2006)

Well-made and mounted chronicle of the relationship between opera composers Mozart and Salieri, the latter a court-appointed Vienna composer who simply could not keep up with the effortless showmanship of his prime competition. Peter Shaffer adapted his own celebrated play and Milos Forman helmed the smooth direction (both won Oscars), but neither is very generous in showing us the creative process behind the music. There's far more love for the classical pieces on display than actual insight into how the music was created. F. Murray Abraham is deliciously dark as Salieri and won the Oscar for Best Actor; Tom Hulce as jolly Mozart is uneven, occasionally forced or strained; supporting cast, too, is variable. Winner of eight Oscars in all, including Best Picture. **1/2 from ****