Review of Amadeus (1984) by Berni E — 13 Sep 2013

While it's more myth than anything else, the story being told is full of interesting characters, strong themes and a sense of spectacle that's fitting for the stage. The film captures these exciting elements on-screen and thus does justice to its source material. There's some comedy here too which feels like enough to stop those not interested in the subject matter from being put off of the film- this is neither stuffy not outdated but rather feels quite modern at times. An interesting success, even if it is likely to annoy more than a few Mozart fans.

It'd be great if this had been a biopic of Mozart based on historical events but, aside from with its title, this film never promises such a thing and so it can't be blamed for not being it. Instead the source material is a play which is highly fictitious to put it lightly, but very engaging and powerful nonetheless. The only problem with the premise then is that real, and instantly-familiar names (well, Mozart at least depending on one's interest in classical music) are involved but their depictions and the events around them are mostly made-up. Again, one shouldn't view this as a document of historical events anyway but it's nonetheless difficult to come to terms with the strange depiction of Mozart in this piece.

Some of Hulce's Mozart looks to be based in truth- Mozart for instance was actually quite obsessed with flatulence (I know, right!?) and he was probably a bit of a prick too because, hey, I said it, okay! Still, things fele exaggerated on both ends here- the idea that he was able to learn pieces at a single glance and that he never made mistakes just aren't true. Mozart here would fit into any comedy film but really doesn't fit into this epic rivalry. Salieri on the other hand, really plays his part and it's likely that the rather strange Mozart on show here is supposed to be Salieri's interpretation of him in the film. Salieri, after all, is narrating the events. Even then though, the fact that Salieri and Mozart were likely not even rivals but possible even friends just makes this a piece of significant fiction that just happens to include some real characters. This isn't the worst thing in the world but a film involving Mozart would surely be good enough if it's stories were real, no?

The script is good and the film carries its length- there's also some great dialogue and some very nice visual elements in there too. While Hulce's depiction of Mozart is overbearingly strange, there is some humour to it and he does perform well. the rest of the cast are strong too with Abraham giving a great performance, even if the prosthetics used to make Salieri older for the narration parts, take away from his appearance somewat.

The fact that a film so strange can actually be so accessible is quite remarkable- it doesn't feel outside of a lot of eighties movies but this one is considerably different and at times, very strong compared to most movies of the time. Its real strength is its heavy themes that are so well-delivered and deeply-rooted that you'll stay tied to the screen till it's all over. Recommended primarlily to people who are not classical music enthusiatists but rather to people who don't mind the subject area and are looking for a strong film about both the light and dark of the human mind. Classical music fans will also enjoy it if they can deal with the film's obscure fiction.