1984

Amadeus.
Premiered September 19th, 1984.
Directed by Milos Forman.
Starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge.
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri.




     What does one say about genius, when one cannot even hazard a guess as to what it feels like to think that way? What does it smell like, or taste like. or look like? What does it sound like? Well this was the task of the endlessly talented crew that put the 1984 film Amadeus together, and with all that focus on genius so pure it looks like crazy from the outside, they picked up a little of it themselves and made one hell of a good film (if you'll allow me a slight understatement).

     Mozart (1756-1791) was a world renowned composer by the age of 8. At the time of his death, at only 35 years of age, he'd composed 626 published pieces (including 40 symphonies). He was highly celebrated in his time among fellow composers and audiences alike for his daring musical techniques and bold subject choices. He was a prevalent socialite outside of the music scene as well as in it. He was to have partied more than he did almost anything else (except work). As much as he did work however, he spent money faster

X

than he could make it. He racked up debt all over Vienna, which wasn't helped by his wife. This is one thing the film portrays differently than how it's widely accepted to actually happened. In reality, Mozart's wife Constanze participated in their garish, expensive lifestyle quite enthusiastically. The film tells of her resistance and discontent with the way Mozart conducts himself. That alteration makes for a more dynamic story, so I can see why they did it. He had six children, rearing only two survivors. He died at home at 1;00 am on December 5th of still unknown causes, penniless, and was buried in a common grave. The location of his remains are unknown, but the legacy of his brilliance is everlasting.    

X

     Loaded with talent fresh off the English stage, the film was bound to at least be classy. It was adapted from a stage play by Peter Shaffer, and while the film doesn't necessarily feel like a play adaptation (it was remolded to it's new media quite well), it makes sense that the cast would be packed with stage players. This only works to film's advantage. Among them is Tom Hulce (Mozart), who, at that time, was a relative newcomer to the screen, with only one or two other semi-major roles under his belt. His performance in this film is masterful. I'd say he hit the sound stage running. On that note, I'd like to point out that most if not all of the films sets were active locations, as in places that Mozart might have actually been. A lot of it was shot in Vienna or manor homes and historical sites in the surrounding areas. The film is cut together like a dream. When you have music so structural and finely tuned to edit to, there's no other option than to keep the standard. Here is one of the most beautiful scenes, and the editing is killer. It's also an incredible example of Abraham's amazing performance.

X

     The music, while very familiar, is utilized perfectly. The selection of pieces, including the
placement of said pieces, is excellent (this a particularly good one - my favorite of his operatic compositions. This is how it appears in the film. For some context, Mozart's wife has just left him). With a body of work as expansive and damn near perfect as this one, those choices can't have been easy ones to make. The cinematography leaves nothing to be desired. The frames are rich, wide and fluid. Even close-ups feel larger than life. The construction of the story includes Salieri (Abraham) narrating his past with Mozart to a priest that visits him as an old man in a mental hospital. In these scenes, we get a lot of his face, close-cropped and expressive, describing the greatest competitor and the greatest genius that had ever crossed his path.These shots are beautiful. The sets to are lush and complex, depicting the time and reflecting the principal character all in one tidy package. The colors deserve particular notoriety. They change to set the mood along with the lighting. The stage scenes are bright, glowing almost, while Mozart at home and Salieri in present day are depicted in a dark, flickering single sourced light (exampled here). The costumes, in that vein, are out of this world. They are immense and refined and historically accurate and just spectacular.  

X

     This film was, deservedly, nominated for 11 Oscars, winning 8. Among them, it won best picture, best director for Forman, and best actor for Abraham. It made a resounding impression on the art world of film as well as the public consumers. It is today hailed as one of the best films of the 20th century. And to think, the studios of the time didn't want to finance the film, thinking it wasn't going to appeal to the masses. Boy were they wrong. By it's 8th weekend in theaters, it was ranked #6 in the top box office earners in it's season. Not only did it appeal, they loved it. It was a landmark. One could make the case that it's cultural impact was greater than it's artistic one. The only problem I have with it is that it's 3 hours long and I have a short attention span, but that's as much my fault as it it is the film's.


9/10. Majestic. Voluptuous. Watching this movie is like eating a 4 course meal at your Italian grandmother's house.


Those to be honorably mentioned this year are as follows: Beverly Hills Cop (Eddie Murphy not being annoying as hell and instead being actually funny), Footloose (Kenny Loggins and Kevin Bacon team up to make dancing legal again), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (no words. I have no words for this one), Broadway Danny Rose (Woody in his truest and most hilarious form), Dune (David Lynch what? I swear you don't even understand what you're doing most of time), The Flamingo Kid (just Romeo & Juliet with Matt Dillon and bathing suits), A Nightmare on Elm Street (Johnny Depp gets eaten by a bed and dies his way right into our hearts *sighs because Johnny Depp*), Oxford Blues (honestly, it's bad, but it's Rob Lowe in a rowing movie set in England, and Rob Lowe in anything has to be good. I'm pretty sure that's science), Purple Rain (Does it really count? Yes. Is it amazing? Yes. Will you ever look at purple the same way again? No.), Sixteen Candles (the only John Hughes film with a Bowie song in it, so for all it's potential shortcomings, it's perfect), and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (I know you're raising your eyebrows up there, but it's really not bad). I'm not saying this was a good year, but it's a year I certainly enjoy.


Peace,
Gang.