Amadeus
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When eighteenth-century Vienna is brought to the screen with its magnificent palaces, clothes and music echoing in its great halls, one finds oneself not only in a historical period, but also right in the middle of the most ancient story of human jealousy. This work, formed in the hands of Miloš Forman, masterfully reveals how genius can be a curse and how mediocre is a heavy burden for a person. The story recounts Mozart's life not from his own perspective, but from that of another musician who watched him closely, loved him, and hated him. This choice constitutes the film's most powerful move. Because to know Mozart, one doesn't have to be Mozart; to understand music enough to comprehend him but be unable to create as much as he did is perhaps the most painful knowledge of all. This profound loneliness and helplessness portrayed through the character of Salieri evokes both pity and a strange sense of familiarity in the audience. F. Murray Abraham brings the role of his life to the stage, while Mozart, played by Tom Hulce, paints an almost disturbingly cheerful and irresponsible portrait of genius that completely goes beyond expectations. This is Mozart; not serious, melancholic, and noble, but rather childish, rude, and uncontrolled. However, every note that falls from their lips or emerges from their hands reveals the presence of a mind capable of comprehending the universe beneath that ordinary appearance. Instead of confronting this contradiction directly in the audience's face, Forman chooses to make it felt gradually. The film's soundtrack goes far beyond being an ordinary film score. Mozart's works become the narrative itself, not just the decoration of the scenes. In every aria, in every symphony, the characters' inner world speaks; where words fall short, notes take over. Its duration, approaching three hours, does not feel heavy at all, because Forman constantly leaves the audience with two questions: would God really allow such a thing? And can a person still stand when they become aware of their own limitations? These questions continue to echo in minds long after the screen goes black.
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Wuchak
December 20, 2020
8/10
_**Lively costume biography about Mozart’s last nine years in Austria**_ Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is a competent but mediocre composer in Vienna, Austria, in the late 1700s. He recognizes the God-given genius of the younger Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and struggles with bitter envy. The story is told in flashback as Salieri shares it with a cleric decades later at an asylum. “Amadeus” (1984) is an entertaining costume drama that successfully takes you back to Vienna fro...

CinemaSerf
January 07, 2023
8/10
Rarely can I think of a more worthy multi-award winning performance than that from F. Murray Abraham in this masterfully crafted - if entirely speculative - retrospective on the life and times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (portrayed here by the astonishingly effective Tom Hulce). Abraham portrays the duplicitous, envious and malevolent Antonio Salieri, the court composer to Emperor Joseph II of Austria (Jeffery Jones). He is talented, up to point, and settled in his politically influential and wea...
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Frequently Asked Questions
Amadeus was released in 1984.
Amadeus has a runtime of 2 hr 40 min (160 minutes).
Amadeus belongs to the following genres: Drama, History, Music.
Amadeus has a rating of 8.0/10 from 4,772 votes on TMDB.
In the United States, Amadeus is available to watch on: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.