Amadeus (1984)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Peter Shaffer (play)
Peter Shaffer (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Amadeus. The man. The music. The magic. The madness. The murder. The mystery. The motion picture.

Plot:

The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum.

Plot Keywords:

Envy | Flashback | Musician | Asylum | Catholic Priest

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 32 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

F. Murray Abraham	...	Antonio Salieri
Tom Hulce	...	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Constanze Mozart
Roy Dotrice	...	Leopold Mozart
Simon Callow	...	Emanuel Schikaneder / Papageno in 'The Magic Flute'
Christine Ebersole	...	Katerina Cavalieri / Constanza in 'Abduction from the Seraglio'
Jeffrey Jones	...	Emperor Joseph II
Charles Kay	...	Count Orsini-Rosenberg
Kenneth McMillan	...	Michael Schlumberg (2002 Director's Cut)
Kenny Baker	...	Parody Commendatore
Lisabeth Bartlett	...	Papagena
Barbara Bryne	...	Frau Weber
Martin Cavina	...	Young Salieri (as Martin Cavani)
Roderick Cook	...	Count Von Strack
Milan Demjanenko	...	Karl Mozart

Also Known As:

Amadeus: Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Amadeus: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Peter Shaffer's Amadeus: Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief nudity. (director's cut)

Runtime:

160 min | 180 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (director's cut) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | UK:PG (also director's cut) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Sweden:7 (director's cut) | Germany:12 (director's cut) | Iran:(Banned) (director's cut) | Malaysia:(Banned) (director's cut) | Philippines:X (director's cut) | Czech Republic:15 (director's cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (video rating) (cut) | Brazil:Livre | New Zealand:PG (director's cut) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) (director's cut) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) (director's cut) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-7 (re-rating) | Finland:S (original rating) | France:U | Hong Kong:II | Iceland:L | Mexico:C (director's cut) | Netherlands:AL (director's cut) | Norway:12 (original rating) | Norway:15 (director's cut) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All (director's cut) | Spain:T (director's cut) | Sweden:11 (original rating) | Taiwan:PG-12 | USA:PG (No. 27396) | USA:R (director's cut) | West Germany:12 | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Kromeríz, Czech Republic

Company:

The Saul Zaentz Company

Trivia:

In preparation for some aspects of the title role, actor Tom Hulce studied footage of John McEnroe's on-court tennis tantrums

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the movie, Salieri offers God his chastity in exchange for immortality. The real Salieri married in 1774 and fathered 8 children.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Salieri: Mozart! Mozart, forgive your assassin! I confess, I killed you...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blow Dry (2001)

Soundtrack:

Lachrymosa

A triumph of genius

"Amadeus", while historically inaccurate in numerous ways, is a brilliant film. Its central character is not a man but an attribute of man at his most remarkable: genius. Mozart's genius was at the highest level, on par with Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Balanchine. Forman knew this when he undertook translating Peter Shaffer's play. Although most of the acting is on a very high plane, the actors themselves are not top tier, not should they be. A famous, easily recognizable actor would have detracted from the central thesis that genius is greater than the one on whom it has been entrusted. Mozart was, of course, deeper than the character shown in the movie, but no personal life could equal the extent and depth of the musical genius that flowed from this little man. The letters he sent to his father show a remarkable sensitivity and depth of understanding. However, they are not paradigms of literary greatness. The immense contribution of W. A. Mozart lay in some of the most sublime music ever written. Fortunately, the film gave us snippets of some of the real gems in the Mozart canon: the great C Minor Mass, the Requiem and "Don Giovanni". Forman realized that no human being will ever be great enough or have the background to pen such masterpieces without intervention from elsewhere. This is certainly true of Shakespeare as well. So what we have here, ultimately, is a celebration of genius, that great gift to mankind that nearly always proves to be too much for the person who is chosen to manifest it to the rest of us. Many thanks to Milos Forman for the wisdom to keep out of the way and allow genius to shine through. In that sense, "Amadeus" is an exercise in humility. Few films come across as blessings for those who experience them. "Amadeus" is one such film.