Thursday, July 7, 2011

Classic: Amadeus Director's Cut (1984)

The Plot
The movie starts off with an old Antonio Salieri confessing to a church's father, as to how he plotted the death of the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri is a court composer at the Austrian Emperor's court. He is a hard working musician who learnt music through sheer interest despite his father not showing any interest in music.

Mozart on the other hand is a child prodigy who is nurtured by his father from a very young age. Mozart is a very extravagant character and he enjoys life to the core with a lot of drinks and with his lover girl. Salieri just can't digest the fact that a singlemindedly devoted character like him isn't even a percentage of what Mozart is, despite Mozart being a very funny character from the outside.

Mozart moves to Vienna and to the emperor's court from Salzburg, despite his father's disinterest at this move and his marriage. Then, Salieri starts plotting Mozart's downfall by not giving him some good offers, by seeing to it that his operas don't run for long and by not allowing new students to go to him.

Mozart thus becomes increasingly reliant on drinks due to the lack of quality work and Salieri even convinces him through shady means to compose a death mass following the death of Mozart's father. This piece really takes a toll on Mozart and Salieri succeeds in his mission at getting Mozart killed. But, 32 yrs on, Salieri is full of guilt and feels miserable at all the mediocrity around at a mental hospital after he attempts suicide.

                                                                     
Hits

  • The music for this movie is one for the ages. Many of Mozart's operas have been recreated brilliantly and been picturized equally astonishingly in grand theaters.Antonio Salieri's works have also been used. Goose bumps all over. 
  • F. Murray Abraham as Salieri is unbelievably brilliant particularly in the old makeover. The scenes where he feels the music through his words are mesmerizing. Deserved the Oscar
  • Tom Hulce as Mozart is very apt be it the funny laughs, the comic walk, the charming smile or the passionate music composing during the operas. Brilliant. 
  • Elizabeth Berridge as Mozart's concerned and possessive wife is another terrific character. She is so cute, charming, and busty too :) Quite a dream woman to have as a wife. 
  • The costumes are all so extravagant and colorful. The big grand hats, the outrageous wigs, the gowns etc. Mirrors the period and the setting perfectly. 
VERDICT
A complete musical feast with some passionate human drama thrown in. An eclectic mix. MUST WATCH. 

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