Almost great

Rating: Null/10 (26 July 2004)

The glaring problem with this movie is Tom Hulse, a good actor but far too American to play Mozart, better suited for an Iowa Marching Band, I think. Mozart should have been played by Kalus Maria Brandauer. Hulse was simply not believable in the part. It amazes me that people get hung up about black actors playing previously white parts (example: Denzel Washington in The Manchurian Candidate) but don't realize that someone can just be too American to play a European or other racial groups. Did you believe Jeff Chandler as Cochise? How about John Wayne as Genghis Khan? Also, from what I've seen the depiction of Mozart as a boor is not historically accurate. Too bad because the theme of Salieri's jealousy is well handled.