Amadeus DVD > Reviews > Mozart and his botty smacking wife.

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	based on ane excellent play
Disadvantages:	Mozart's laugh

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Amadeus began life as a stage play, written by Peter Schaffer (who has written many superb pieces including 'Equus')This is a very stage orrientated play, with Salieri speaking directly out to the audience. For anyone who has seen it live, it does not appear to be ideal film fodder. However, in 1984, director Milos Forman took Amadeus to the screen. The film does vary from the play in a variety of ways, altering the way in which Salieri narrates, but largely it remains true to the original.

Salieri was court composer for Joseph the second. He was not a vastly talented man - his music is good, but tends to be a touch repeptative. When young composer Mozart arived at the court, Salieri's position was threatened. That's the history. Schaffer then explores what it might have been like to be a mediocre composer faced with the awareness that a true genuis has arrived. Salieri, in the play, might have coped with Mozart had the young composer not been rude, coarse, arrogant, trivial and generally unlikebale. Salieri is a polite and cultured man, offended by Mozart's physicallity, his lewd humour and his botty smacking wife. Salieri had considered himself a religious man, had strived to be good, but in response to Mozart, he finds himself at odds with god. There are some stunning powerful speeches in which Salieri protests against his fate - having the desire to celebrate god through music, but not having been given the skill, and then cursed to hear that skill in Mozart, who seems to lack all of the finer sensibilities.

Having abandoneed his moral path, Salieri seduces his pupil, a young opera singer (having failed to seduce Mozart's wife) and then sets about destroying Mozart. Mozart is not portrayed as a wise man, and is too trusting of Salieri - he is soon drawn into debt, humiliation and a dramatic fall from grace. Salieri's cruel mind games eventually destroy the young composer. Again there are some references to actual events here, but the truth is somewhat sketchy.

Back to the film. This is a superb version of a truly amazing play. The sound track is impressive indeed, with music from both Salieri and Mozart. Those partial to costume peices will enjoy the lavish setting. There is a surprising amount of humour, although some of it is a little bleak, and tragedy often lurks behind the laughter. The acting is superb, F. Murray Abraham doing a sterling job of the bitter Salieri, while Tom Hulce offers a Mozart you will find yourself wanting to strangle - he has one of the most infuriating laughs I have ever heard.

This is a fairly high brow film, but not inaccessible - you don't need to know anything about the two composers in order to enjoy it. It is beautifully written and directed. However, if you don't like classical music at all, then you aren't going to get on with this. It's a fine story, quite exciting and well told, but if you really go for drippy romances or high speed action films, you probably want to give it a miss.

If you watch it and like it, I would strongly recomend getting to see it one the stage, which is quite an experience.