by Adam Ritchie, Contributing Writer
For this month’s 20th Century Flicks, let’s get a little bit musical. Nominated for an astonishing 11 Academy Awards, and winning eight, including Best Picture, Director, and Actor, let me tell you a little bit about the 1984 period piece classic from director Milos Forman called Amadeus.
The film stars F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri in his Oscar-winning performance, and Tom Hulce as Wolfgang AmadeusMozart, also Oscar-nominated and a worthy adversary to Abraham. Amadeus is interestingly told from the perspective of antagonist Salieri, as he narrates his history with Mozart to a young priest in order to confess his sin of attempted suicide.
Set in Vienna where Salieri is the court composer to Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones), Mozart is introduced during a reception to honor his patron, the Archbishop of Salzburg. Already having a reputation for his brilliance, Salieri is initially excited to meet the great composer, but quickly becomes disillusioned when Mozart turns out to be a boorish, obscene, and immature cad. As Salieri is a devout Catholic, he cannot fathom why God would bestow such an incredible gift to such a man. Salieri was deeply enamored with Mozart’s talent, but equally aggrieved that his God would openly mock him for his own lack of skill.
Foreman depicts Mozart as a complicated genius. His level of talent is a burden, as it can be to most geniuses. Mozart coped by quieting his gift with constant partying and alcohol. He was extremely self-aware of his skill, and (deliberate or not) obnoxiously arrogant with his assessment of other’s compositions.
Salieri was devoted to his emperor and his God. He worked hard to create fine works of art himself, but he worked even harder to keep Mozart in his sights by trying to manipulate every aspect of his Vienna based career.
Amadeus doesn’t try to be historically accurate; it takes a lot of artistic license to create its story. Historical inaccuracies aside, it is a superb work of art. An incredible character study from the perspective of an antagonist who freely admits to sabotaging Mozart’s career and work. The set and costume design are both divine, and the score and music are transcendent as you might expect of such an aurally beautiful time in history.
Now is the time I usually contemplate whether this month’s film holds up to modern temperaments. This is an easy one to ponder, as Amadeus is an ageless classic that demands to be viewed for its time in history. A period piece has the enviable ability of automatically withstanding the test of time, even if historically inaccurate.
So, my loyal readers, I was short and sweet this month, but I truly hope I have convinced you to see Amadeus if you have yet to enjoy all it has to offer film lovers. I adored it.
You can read more from Adam Ritchie, and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd