Amadeus DVD > Reviews > Ama-zing

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Not applicable

Advantages:	not a performance out of place, often amusing, consistently entertaining, excellent music(naturally) and an interesting storyline to match !
Disadvantages:	Probably not for everyone, but you won't know till you try !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Although I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into when I popped this tape into the video-player, I was glad I did. I myself has never heard of Amadeus before I saw it, which amazed me somewhat as it such an excellently performed and fascinating film. Based on the rise and fall of the composer Mozart told through the eyes of an aging and tortured Antonio Salieri(played exceptionally by F. Murray Abraham)it paints Mozart as a(and I quote from the back of the box here) 'a bawdy hellraiser. A screeching, raucous child. And the composer of the greatest music ever written.' A child prodigy, Salieri tells a visiting priest of his own jealousy that this man would be blessed with the voice of God, and he just the mediocre ability despite his pledge to God himself of chasity. And so he describes of his own plan of how to destroy the musical genius.

Wolfgang Mozart, who is illustrated perfectly by John Hulce as a somewhat naive but arrogant young man is employed by a Viennan Count to write for the national theatre. And while his pieces are breath takingly wonderful, the count, among others describes them 'as having too many notes'. But Salieri knows Mozart is truly a genious, his ability to write pieces straight to paper - no mistakes drives him to vengeful jealousy were he seeks to sabotage and destroy this man, despite his admiration.

The musical set-peices are not short of amazing, the humour is often and throughout, but its overall tone is deliciously dark and morbidly fascinating as we see Salieri try to justify his own twisted intentions and ultimately bring the blame upon God himself, for granting his gift not the the dedicated Salieri but instead to this Mozart, who Salieri thought was undeserving because of his cavalier attitude and undesirable antics.

An amusing cameo from Cynthia Nixon(Sex and the City) solely for my ability to spot her was welcomed, but the true stars are of course Hulce and Murray Abraham which pushes to me to wonder why I haven't seen them in more things due to their obvious talent?

Whatever the reasons, this is certainly an intriguing, amusing and entertaining thing that may teach you one or two things about the great master himself and push us all to wonder why with such men it all so often goes so wrong?