AMADEUS 1984
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
2 :- ) :-) for creating musical masterpieces
Cast: Tom Hulce, F. Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Berridge, Jeffrey Jones, written by Peter Shaffer, directed by Milos Forman.
'ha Ha HA HA Ha ha' What a laugh. Who would have guessed that Mozart alias 'Wolfy' would be as jovial, irreverent and light hearted as this movie has made him out to be. I mean being German and a composer, and creating such operatic masterpieces as 'Don Giavanni' and 'Le nozze di Figaro' one would have thought perhaps a more serious and conservative man was behind the work; but if you listen carefully to Mozart's lighter and more playful compositions ie 'Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen from Act II Die Zauberflote' one can perhaps hear the laughter and joy that must have filled this musician's heart as he composed.
It must be a wonderful gift to be able to hear the structures of melody and harmony, chords and progressions swimming with the same fluidity as daily thought, and greater talent to be able to string together the chorus of sounds without having to place a single note down on paper. When the sound of music comes as easily as eating, sleeping and breathing we have arguably the greatest composer that mankind has known.
Tom Hulce is wonderfully petulant as the rude, arrogant talented Amadeus. His unique interpretation of the man is commendable, with the added signature of that laugh making this particular characterisation distinctive to say the least. F. Murray Abraham, is Antonio Salieri a rival composer of the time. He excels at giving scathing looks of jealousy; whose own tepid mediocrity pits him to blame God for bestowing the greater gift of music on another man. His resulting actions brings both raging revenge and regretful remorse. Also of note are the creative white wigs of that period, unfashionable now, but perhaps a foreseeable revival in the 21st century?
So perhaps we will never know the true 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart', but we still have his music to remind us of the man. Although he was extraordinary in terms of musical talent, it is evident in the movie, that he also carries the yearnings of a common man; and it is the miraculous transformation of these ordinary feelings of joy and despair, sorrow and laughter into the heartbeat of thoughtful notes, which sets him far above the rest.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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