Creativity and passion can make other men weak
One man’s desire to succeed outweighs his respect for creativity. Much like different versions of Jack the Ripper stories (there are multiple accounts of how Jack the Ripper came to be and who he was) there are multiple stories of how Mozart died. One such story involves a man named Antonio Salieri, a court composer to Emperor Joseph II. Salieri, who had given himself to God in exchange for his musical talents, ends up meeting someone who gave nothing to God, but received everything (and more) in return. Amadeus is about Salieri’s conquest to ruin and eventually kill Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
What makes this film one of the best of all-time is the simple fact that there isn’t much to it. You have a story where an innocent man, who makes some of the best music in anyone’s lifetime, is trying to do what he’s told, but is slowly being killed on the inside. Tom Hulce’s portrayal of the obnoxious, yet nice, Mozart is nothing short of brilliant. He lives the role of the famous composer and sells it to the audience. You can see the creativity pouring out of Wolfgang from the moment you meet him on screen, until his final breath before his eventual death. His transformation from youthful creative to drained creative is played out so well that you’ll find yourself crying. I know the first time I saw this I couldn’t shake the loss for weeks! It sounds ridiculous, but you’ll have to experience this movie to find out. Opposite of him, F. Murray Abraham plays the obsessively jealous Antonio Salieri. He plays him old and plays him in his prime. Watching Salieri break himself down to his nonstop jealousy of Wolfgang’s work is nothing short of frightening. Salieri welcomes ‘the creature’ (as he refers him in the film) into the web of politics where he lies and then continues to block all of the exits for Mozart to escape as Salieri is ruining him slowly. It’s vicious, it’s methodical and it’s just so damn intense to watch it all go down.
One thing that people, especially in 1984, tend to overlook is the fact that nearly everyone in the film spoke english (everyone important that is). Hulce’s only role that he was known for, prior to this one, was of Pinto in the movie Animal House, so it wasn’t as if he was completely established as an actor by this point in his life. His casting, especially during this day and age, would have been possibly a disaster with this type of film. He owned this role and his acting drove out the thought that he truly probably didn’t represent Mozart as perfectly as it could have been represented. This guy from Detroit literally sold everyone the image of Mozart and made everyone involved with the project, especially the person he was fighting against (his character was fighting against) much better in the long run. English accents aside, Hulce and company really put together a story that was solid from beginning to end. One in which you will get emotionally involved with whether you like it or not. It is that type of film.
Mozart feeling a bit Blu these days
This is one of those movies that needed to be in HD. It just simply needed to be there due to many factors. The first, is the music. The music needed the treatment and remastering that only HD music could bring to the table. Hearing all of the beautiful musical pieces, especially the first one, will be like candy to your ears as much as it would be to your mouth. Simply put, you won’t be disappointed. As for the video, there’s nothing like a period piece that has outstanding scenery that benefits from the HD treatment. One of the best moments is the candlelight writing with Salieri towards the end of the film. The gothic feel and deathly loom that the scene gives off in HD is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s nearly indescribable.
As for the features, here’s what you get:
– Director’s Cut commentary by Milos Forman
– The Making of Amadeus Documentary
– Theatrical Trailer
– Soundtrack Compilation CD
– Digital Download copy
There is plenty here to be had. The music alone makes the purchase worth it (outside of the HD factor). The making of documentary is new and insightful. You’ll get some very good commentary from the director and you’ll also get the film with 20 more minutes added to it (it actually does help the story a bit). The case of the movie contains a nice booklet that gives you some facts and history about the film, its origins, the actors and many other things to enhance the experience. Great stuff for an excellent film.