Amadeus
December 30 @ 6:00 pm
Tuesday, 30 December
Amadeus
Directed by Miloš Forman and first released in 1984, making it 41 years old this year, Amadeus is a stunning and dramatic reimagining of the rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. The film is told through the eyes of the aged, institutionalised Salieri (F. Murray Abraham, in an Oscar-winning role), who confesses to having tormented and destroyed the younger genius, Mozart (Tom Hulce), out of consuming envy.
Salieri, a competent but unremarkable court composer, is driven mad by Mozart’s God-given, effortless talent, which he sees as a cosmic injustice given his own devout piety and hard work. He dedicates his life to sabotaging Mozart’s career, believing he is fighting a proxy war against God. The film brilliantly contrasts Mozart’s vulgar, childlike personality with the sublime beauty of his music. It serves as a spectacular, opulent meditation on genius, mediocrity, and the terrible price of envy, culminating in Salieri’s desperate final act—dictating his own requiem to the dying Mozart.
“Amadeus really is mesmeric (as well as deliciously exciting) and watching it again, I went into exactly the trance I experienced the first time.” – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
Full review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-amadeus-1984