AMADEUS ***1/2 (PG)
Antonio Salieri: F. Murray Abraham Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Tom Hulce Constance Mozart: Elizabeth Berridge Emanuel Schikaneder: Simon Callow Leopold Mozart: Roy Dotrice
Directed by Milos Forman. Written by Peter Shaffer (based on his play). Running time: 158 minutes. Rated PG (for language and sexual references).
BY AARON MICHAELS
Amadeus is considered one of the best films of the 1980s. That decade mostly developed Brat Pack films so there's no doubt that the epic film would be one of the best. It made the American Film Institute's Top 100 List in the summer of 1998. Although it is not as good as some of the films near the bottom or off the list it still deserves it's place in cinema.
Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is a struggling composer who has worked hard to become great. Throughout his childhood he has seen a little boy named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The young boy performed for royalty. When Mozart grows up he is a giddy, over excited brat (played now by Tom Hulce) who makes obscene comments to women and curses. Salieri can't understand why God has chosen such a delinquent to pass his music through. Salieri swears hatred on Mozart and the God who raised him to his status.
The highlight of this movie is, of course, the music. John Strauss did much of it but also included music by Mozart, Salieri, and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. The music is used beautifully in the many operas that take place during the movie. Hulce and Abraham do a great job acting during their many scenes of conducting and piano playing.
Abraham and Hulce each were awarded Academy Award recognition which they deserve. Abraham won Best Actor over Hulce, which isn't wrong because two people can't win. Abraham plays Salieri with all the hatred he can without becoming an evil character. He has no heart and just wants the life that he thinks was taken from him as a brilliant composer.
Hulce does an excellent job as well as the eccentric Mozart. He is able to act extremely serious during his compositions but then chase a woman around a house. This was easily his best role to date. He is very well cast with his young looking face and acting talent.
Director Milos Forman along with Cinematographer Miroslav Ondrícek and the Art and Production Designers have created one beautiful movie. The opera theater scenes, along with wonderful wigs, costumes, and makeup, are a delight to watch. The use of scope is also very good.
Now to why I believe Amadeus to be less a film then the AFI makes it to be. While I do really like many things about this movie I still have some complaints. The movie is quite long at 158 minutes. The movie isn't boring and is much shorter than other epics but it is still quite a long time. A couple of scenes could have been shortened and not have hurt the movie much.
With my complaint aside, I can still say that Amadeus was definitely one of the better movies to come out in the 80s. I don't know if it's one of 100 best of all time but it is a very good movie.
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