Review of Amadeus (1984) by Eric H — 02 Jan 2012

A film that should be recognized (if for nothing else) for it's all-encompassing elegance and it's poised camera artistry. Milos Forman, an already beloved and skilled director, achieved captivating cinema brilliance-- not once during the 158 minute run time does there seem to be an excessive shot or too much flourish; it is all simply necessary.

F. Murray Abraham was ingenious, but the real kudos must be given to Tom Hulce who was robbed of the Oscar for best actor. He perfected a character so multi-faceted that his will go down in history as the most intelligent, fascinating and intuitive performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart on the silver-screen. It is in the laugh alone, so individual it's almost painful, that half of the story unwinds. Scripts be damned (though Peter Shaffer's happens to be a superbly written one), the real story was told through Hulce's masterful characterization.

With an impossibly gorgeous set-design and down-right incredible costuming, this period-piece feels oddly rejuvenated and modern: almost too lively and worn to be so old.

A must see Oscar film, and a must see piece of entertainment. The only reason it does not receive a higher star-age from me is because the flash-back convention often pulled me out of the story, and though the insights from an older Salieri were prominent in the story, it was simply too much.