Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Kenny Baker, Lisbeth Bartlett, Elizabeth Berridge, Barbara Byrne Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Warner Home Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: January 08, 2008 Running Time: 160 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 1984
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.
amazing loved it. i remember watching it in europe years ago when it came out and loved it again after so many years.
Like a gift from the gods, `Amadeus' is simply heaven-sent... `Amadeus' was one of the most refreshing spectacles I have had the pleasure of witnessing in quite some time. I was personally blown away with what I was presented with and have thus concluded `Amadeus' to be one of the best motion pictures in the history of motion pictures. If you have not had the privilege of witnessing this powerful film then please, stop everything you are doing and track this movie down, order it straight from this webpage if you need to, but please watch this movie immediately. I don't think I've been this passionate about a single film since I saw `The Godfather' for the first time. Truly all the praise and admiration that has been associated with this masterclass of a film is well warranted. `Amadeus' is astounding from start to finish, a truly mesmerizing and utterly flawless production. Milos Forman is God; seriously.
As the film opens we meet Antonio Salieri, a man gone crazy. He is living in an asylum and claims to have murdered Mozart. In the opening scenes of the film Salieri is met by a priest who wants to hear his story and so Salieri proceeds to tell him how it was that he came to meet, grow to despise and eventually kill Mozart.
Antonio Salieri was an aspiring composer who has reached a certain level of fame as court composer to Emperor Joseph II but he has achieved nothing in comparison to the fame and recognition as the esteemed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri himself feels that Mozart's music is divine, something sent from God above (kind of the way I feel about this movie) but when he has the chance to finally meet this messenger of God he is let down. Mozart is not the noble gentlemen he had expected but instead is a pompous arrogant vile thing that sends shivers down Salieri's spine.
How could God use this disgusting man in such a beautiful and miraculous way?
It becomes apparent that the Emperor is smitten with Mozart's talent though and this bothers Salieri, not to mention others close to the Emperor. Salieri then decides that he is to make it his life goal to destroy Mozart, to strip him of his power and social standing and ruin him, yes, kill him. He concocts a plan all his own to accomplish this and sets it all in motion, waiting for the time to be right to strike and make his dreams come true.
`Amadeus', as I mentioned earlier, is perfect. I seriously cannot find a single flaw. The script is deliciously absorbing and never loses the interest of its audience. The direction is nothing short of phenomenal and the acting across the board is superb. The two leads are brilliant. F. Murray Abraham, who won the Oscar for his performance, captures the very dire frustration and conflicting emotions that drives Salieri to madness and Tom Hulce (who should have won the Oscar in my humble opinion) dominates as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, completely fleshing out his talent as well as the demons that choked out the flame that was his life. Elizabeth Berridge was sorely robbed of an Oscar nomination. Her portrayal of Mozart's doting wife Constanze is brilliantly crafted and expertly executed.
The only word I can use to describe this film is ecstasy; pure, unbridled ecstasy. Since seeing this film I've thought of nothing else and have a feeling that I will think of nothing else for quite a while still to come. Please, I beg of you, experience this film for yourself. You will not regret it.
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