Review of Amadeus (1984) by Shanghua Y — 14 Dec 2010
The main reason why this movie works so well is not the brilliant acting, nor the design elements. It's due to the fact that the entire film was cut to Mozart's music rather than cutting the music to fit the film.
Whenever a film is cut this way, it can almost guarantee a killer emotional response, especially with a great score. The last 15 minutes of E. T. are cut to continuous music which was written before any editing was done, and you can't help but be riveted the whole time.
Amadeus has several of these extended phrases, the longest ones at the beginning and end. Very few films are edited this way. Immortal Beloved, the Beethoven biopic, did not do this, and that film would have been much more effective if the music was treated as a main character, as it is in Amadeus.
Because of this one smart choice, it is my favorite film. It amplifies the drama of Mozart's music. I don't care about the validity of the ending, at least it was cut to continuous music from the Requiem.
As Ellington said: "If it sounds good it is good." Mozart may not be the greatest composer, but this is the greatest example of riveting storytelling through film and music, using both art forms in equal measure.
The experience of watching this film in one sitting is like simultaneously enjoying a great film and a great symphony concert.
This review of Amadeus (1984) was written by Shanghua Y on 14 Dec 2010.
Amadeus has generally received very positive reviews.
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