Amadeus is a biographical film about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It came out in 1984. The movie is 160 minutes and is rated PG. Antonio Salieri was played by F. Murray Abraham. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was played by Tom Hulce. Constante Mozart was played by Elizabeth Berridge. Leopold Mozart was played by Roy Dotrice. The film was directed by Milos Forman. The play and screenplay were written by Peter Shaffer. This film occurs in the Classical Period of Music.
Antonio Salieri recounts his lifetime amongst Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He is now a bitter old man, who has been taken to an insane asylum after trying to kill himself. He tells the story of his life with Mozart to a priest. The entire film is a recounting of Salieri’s life with Mozart. Through this film we learned of Mozart’s impressive childhood career as a musician, we see the lively jovial persona of Mozart, we see how Mozart was subject to the wishes of the royalty he served, we see his great triumphs in opera writing, and we see his sad decline and untimely death at a young age.
Salieri starts as the court musician of the Emperor of Austria. In time Mozart also becomes a musician for the same Emperor and that is how Salieri knows Mozart. Mozart even plays Salieri’s music and improves upon it greatly, just after one hearing. So impressed by Mozart, the Emperor of Austria has him write an opera for him in German. The opera is a success. Mozart was impelled to get married to his fiancé by the Emperor against the wishes of Leopold. Mozart marries his fiancé. Then Mozart is offered a teaching position for the niece of the emperor. But to get this job he has to submit some of his work. He will not do it so his wife does it for him.
Salieri is impressed by his music. So impressed he just leaves the room, too envious to even want to help Mozart. Mozart takes his father and wife to a masquerade. At this display we see how playful Mozart is -almost childlike-. He loved to party and have a good time. His father gets tired of his clowning around and leaves. We see Mozart make fun of Salieri, here. Salieri is witness to the mockery.
Jealous of Mozart, Salieri pays for a maid to housekeep for Mozart’s family, so she can spy on him. His intent becomes to ruin Mozart. This maid discovers that Mozart will do the Marriage of Figaro an Italian opera with political overtones that stir up nobles and the common people. This opera was originally banned by the Emperor. The colleagues of the Emperor make a speech for operas to be God-like and have eternal virtues. Mozart wants operas for the masses that are funny and speak to the common people. He isn’t interested in gods or the royalty. It seems like Salieri’s attempts to thwart Mozart’s music aren’t effective. His attempts to stop Mozart only stimulate his music to be produced. The colleagues of the Emperor start ripping out pages of a ballet; Rosenberg does this. The Emperor watches the play and is very bored to see dancing without music; he immediately adds it back.
Although jealous of Mozart, Salieri secretly praises Mozart’s music. He believes Mozart is the true voice of God. And in his opera Don Giovanni he starts to see Mozart’s father -now dead- represented as a ghost in his opera. It is hinted that Salieri has influence behind the scenes and restricts Mozart’s operas to only a limited number of viewings. This was hindering Mozart and making it hard for him to make a living. Finally
Salieri, allegedly goes to Mozart’s house after Mozart’s father has passed, dressed similar to Leopold demanding a mass for the dead. Salieri secretly wants to write the music for Mozart’s mass, so he would have a final triumph over Mozart. Writing this mass is disturbing Mozart making him sick.
Mozart is starting to write music for more common music, vaudeville. They hardly pay him anything and he is becoming more of an alcoholic day by day.
He is not living a healthy life partying to odd hours and drinking. Salieri’s plots to disturb Mozart are working to some extent; although Mozart was also very vain and he lived well beyond his means. He did not take on music students to earn regular wages. He just wanted to compose, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to pay all his debts. So finally after many great operas and successes; Mozart is getting worn out. He is very sick now.
He falls over playing piano at a vaudeville theater, and there Salieri takes him home. There on his deathbed Mozart helps Salieri write down music for his own mass for the dead. And thus the overworked Mozart finally perishes of sickness. And in the end he is buried in a mass grave, due to lack of funds.
Much if this film shows the human side of the person, who is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We learn that Mozart although a genius musician well beyond his years was also a young man. Salieri was shocked out how human and vulgar Mozart was. One could say much of the spontaneity and joy in his music was part of the lively, lustful, and comedic character of Mozart. Salieri recounts an episode while he watched Mozart courting the young Constante. He chased after the women he loved, including opera singers he lusted after.
Mozart was a continual jokester, loved to laugh, and party and play games. All this joviality easily came across in his music and through his operas. He was a man full of zest and enthusiasm. His personality sometimes conflicted with the royalty he served. The Arch-Bishop he served could not stand his liveliness and penchant for coming late to performances.
Mozart was a child prodigy with exceptional talent. As a child Mozart played for kings and popes. Mozart’s father Leopold taught him everything. Mozart played for the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg. He wrote a concerto at age 4, a first symphony at age 7 and his first opera at age 12.
One constant them of the film is showing how Mozart is a subject of royalty.
He is subject to their whims like an employee. And at times, he was criticized for his individuality and style. Many of the Emperors colleagues were critical of Mozart’s music. They said it had,” Too many notes.” His music was quite new for that era and some people did not know what to make of it.
Mozart’s music was very novel, revolutionary, and ahead of its time. Mozart gave audiences a new kind of music to experience one of vitality, enthusiasm, and great humor. His music was a reflection of his own love of life that people can experience even today. The soul of Mozart lives on his music
