One of the most opulent films ever produced, director Miloš Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The People Vs. Larry Flynt) shot Amadeus primarily in France, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Though most of the scenes take place indoors and there are no special effects to speak off, the opulent costumes, surroundings and music envelop the viewer from beginning to end.
Screenwriter Peter Shaffer based the film on his stage play, which focused on the last decade of Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life; specifically, the musician’s rivalry with fellow composer Antonio Salieri. When the film was released in September of 1984, several scholars questioned the validity of Mozart’s portrayal as an immature, childlike figure and bristled at the notion that Saleri could have poisoned him out of jealousy; whatever the truth, the story as written makes for a great movie. Add to that the films riveting scenery, costumes, music and talented actors, you have a near flawless movie that deserved each one of the eight Academy Awards Amadeus received, including Best Picture.
Given the questions raised about the validity of Shaffer’s script, Amadeus should be looked at as a film loosely based on his life, rather than a straight biography. At the end of his life, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham)–committed to an insane asylum after attempting suicide–decides to confess his sins to a young priest. First and foremost on his mind is the murder of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Salieri was once the most famous composer in Europe, but the priest doesn’t recognize anything he plays on the piano installed in his cell. That is, until the old man plays a work that the priest declares is “charming…I didn’t know you wrote that.” “I didn’t,” responds Salieri. “THAT was Mozart.”
Told through a series of flashbacks, Salieri recounts how excited he was to learn he was going to meet the genius, Mozart. Further, the overwhelming disappointment he felt when he discovered the young man was a disrespectful lout. Saleri goes on to explain, he couldn’t understand why God would give such a fool, such an extraordinary gift. Saleri became increasingly jealous. Mozart was able to come up with a piece of music on the spot; Saleri often had to put in hours of hard work to obtain similar results in quality. According to the film, despite Mozart’s obvious genius, not everyone appreciated his work. The Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones), for example, contended that his operas contained “too many notes;” criticism that clearly hurt Amadeus throughout his life.
Shaffer’s screenplay is so well written, it’s impossible to avoid becoming engrossed in the story of rage, revenge, and madness. Amadeus is a cautionary tale that follows a brilliant composer as he falls prey to his own insecurities and self-doubt. Shaffer and Forman don’t concern themselves with the circumstances surrounding his untimely death. Instead, they focus on the slow descent of his rival. As a result, the story contains dark twists and turns that allowed F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce to both give riveting performances.
When discussing Amadeus, it’s impossible not to mention the music. Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields provide excellent support, playing the music of Mozart that fills the film. Amadeus is a film one can appreciate for its acting and for its visual splendor, to be sure, but also for the sheer exuberance of its music making.
It would have been nice if the Director’s Cut was included—it adds about twenty additional minutes—but Warner Brothers has released just the Theatrical Cut on 4K.
Newly restored in 2024, the results are fantastic. Colors are rich throughout, blacks are inky, contrast is far more stable, and skin tones are natural and lifelike. Delineation is still problematic in a few passing shots, but detail has received a significant bump in overall clarity and texture definition. Fabric and hair are crisp, edges are sharp, and background elements are refined. Moreover, the image doesn’t suffer from rampant artifacting, source noise, or heavy banding. Grain appears natural.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack offers a solid mix. The continuous music opens up to the rear speakers, the ambient sounds are quite good, even though it is mostly musical bloom. There’s no question the musical passages benefit from the enveloping concert hall resonance of the surround channels.
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles are available.
The following extras are included on the 4K disc:
- The Making of Amadeus (1:00.42) Filmed in 2002, highly entertaining. It includes interviews with the director, Forman; the producer, Saul Zaentz); the writer, Peter Shaffer; the stars, Hulce, Abraham, Berridge, and Vincent Schiavelli; the music conductor, Neville Marriner; and various other members of the crew. Together, these folks provide a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of preparing and shooting the movie.
- NEW! The Making of a Masterpiece (23:27) Apparently filmed in the last couple of years, this includes more recent remarks from F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Patrizia Von Brandenstein, film music historian Jon Burlingame, and actors Simon Callow and Christine Ebersole.
