World Famous Comics: Amadeus - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Amadeus - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow Directed By: Milos Forman Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Warner Home Video Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 24, 2002 Running Time: 180 minutes Theatrical Release Date: September 19, 1984
Amazon.com essential video: A note-perfect cinematic event whose immortality was assured from its opening night, Amadeus is an unlikely candidate for the director's-cut treatment. Like one of Mozart's operas, the multiple Oscar-winning theatrical version seemed perfectly formed from the outset--ideal casting, costumes, sets, cinematography, lighting, screenplay, music, music, music--so the reinstatement of an extra 20 minutes simply risks adding "too many notes." Yet though this extended cut can hardly be said to improve a picture that needed no improvement, it does at least flesh out a couple of small subplots and shed new light on certain key scenes. Here we learn why Constanze Mozart bears such ill will towards Salieri when she discovers him at her husband's deathbed, and we see deeper into the reasons why Mozart has no students. The structure of the picture is otherwise unaltered.
The director's cut of Amadeus finally accords this masterful work the DVD treatment it deserves. The handsome anamorphic widescreen picture is accompanied by a choice of Dolby 5.1 or Dolby stereo sound options, and it's all contained on one side of the disc. Director Milos Forman and writer Peter Shaffer provide a chatty though sporadic commentary, but they're obviously still too mesmerized by the movie to do much more than offer the odd anecdote. The second disc contains an excellent new hour-long "making of" documentary, with contributions from Forman, Shaffer, Sir Neville Marriner, and all the main actors, taking in the scriptwriting, choice of music, casting, and problems involved in filming in Communist Czechoslovakia with half the crew and extras working for the Secret Police. --Mark Walker
Description: Gripping human drama. Sumptuous period epic. Glorious celebration of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This marvelous winner of eight Academy Awards(R) portrays the rivalry between the genius Mozart (Tom Hulce) and the jealous court composer (Best Actor Oscar(R) Winner F.Murray Abraham) who may have ruined Mozart's career and shortened his life.
Enjoy the show but remember its fiction! This is an enjoyable if grossly historically distorted account of Mozart and those around him. Please remember not to believe it! The pianist Moscheles who visited Salieri during his last illness in 1825 related that he tearfully protested his innocence to the last! Here we are continuing to believe in this nonsense. Mozart's letters show him capable of vulgarites, but nonetheless reflects a generally sober and ambitious young man at times too full of himself, and prone to imaginary enemies, like his dad Leopold. Thus rivals are unnecessarily maligned e.g Clementi, and in this movie, Salieri. Contrary to the portrayal, Salieri was a prodigy, if not on such dimensions as Mozart. He was extremely successful as a composer, not quite overshadowed by Mozart in the 1780's yet, and considered by Gluck to be his true heir (indeed a fair assessment). At the time of Mozart's death, both Mozart and Salieri had fallen out of favour at court, since the new emperor Leopold II had no time for them but prefered his own favourite Cimarosa. Thus indeed there was no reason for Salieri to murder Mozart! In fact during this time they actually became good friends. Only some time after Mozart's death did senseless and malicious rumours start to spread about Salieri's poisoning him. It resulted in Pushkin's play, Dargomizshky's opera, and now in our times Amadeus. In fact Mozart died of overwork because he was trying to make enough money to support his expensive lifestyle (he detested being looked down upon by the nobility). What do we know of the true Salieri? He was highly respected, and Beethoven sought in out as a teacher. He was also generous towards his pupils, giving lessons to Schubert and young Liszt for free because they could not afford the fees. Constanze did not fsir so badly. But still there were untruths, such as she abandoning him during his illness. He only fell ill after she returned from her treatment at the spa (yes she was ill, not going for fun). After his death, she proved to be an astute business woman and great custodian of his music, ensuring not only his lasting fame but also that their children were never in want. The world thought badly of her as a result of her father-in-law's and sister-in-law's relentless campaign against her.
DIRECTORS CUT Having always liked the movie Amadeus...I foung the directors cut to be better than the theater version. There is about 20 minutes of additional footage that explains a bit more of the movie.
what a terible waste The "director's cut of AMADEUS is terrible IMHO.
How someone could transform an exciting, exhilariting movie like the original theatrical release of AMADEUS into a depressing, sad, bio is beyond my ability to understand.
Remember how Apocalypse Now was transformed into Apocalypse Redux? And how good the redux version was?
The Director's cut of AMADEUS is like the original cut of Apocalypse Now. Dark and depressing. If this version was edited by Milos Forman himself then he must have some serious issues.
I expected joy from THE DIRECTOR'S CUT of AMADEUS but received an honest rendition of absolute sadness. What can I say? It was just very sad.
It makes you understand the worth of film edting.
I'm sorry to have to write this, but that's the way it is. Only buy this cut if you're on prozac.
HOW ON EARTH DID THIS VERSION OF AMADEUS EVER FIND IT'S WAY ONTO A DVD?
Astonishing.
RD
Stick with Theatrical Version This version of "Amadeus" was fabulously disappointing. The writing in the extra scenes are atrociously bad. They don't flow at all and they are so badly written they make what was left in the theatrical version look bad. It's amazing to see how they made a Best Picture out of this movie.
The extra scenes are also dull, obviously written to flesh out a plot that didn't need fleshing out- you can infer everything these scenes add, or, make your own interpretation of Salieri's motivations and character. In this way, the scenes insult the intelligence of the viewer. And they're boring too! They slow the pace of the movie down, and it's far less exciting. That's something the theatrical version did well - it was very exciting.
For people who know the original well, you're not missing anything with the Director's Cut.
For people who have never seen Amadeus, at least see the theatrical version first.
Amadeus This DVD is super, what more is there to say. May not be historically accurate throughout, but it's a great way to introduce classical music to young people. Love it, recommend it.
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