As a Mozart biography it's awful, but as a story based on his life and work, is absolutely beautiful. He did end up in a common, unnamed grave, and his remains are yet to be found.
That's probably why the play and the movie depicts the story proper as a flashback told by a mad, elderly Salieri. These are the ravings of a mad (in both senses) old man, not a scholarly account
It was perfectly normal to be interred into a mass grave back then, even for gentry. Had nothing to do with class, but more with church affiliation. That was a cemetery, not a graveyard. Learn the difference.
@@rollomaughfling380 Actually, this was a misstranslation. Mozart was buried in commoner's burial plot and the person translating the story mistook that to mean a "common/mass" grave.
So, once there were two gravediggers in Vienna's St. Marx Cemetery. They came across the grave marker for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. So one says to the other, "Let's did up Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's grave and see how he looks." So they start digging, and the come across a coffin. The carry the coffin out of the grave and set it down. On the cover it says "Here lies the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." They lift the lid off the coffin and there, inside the coffin, they find Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself - erasing his music!! The first gravedigger says "Wolfie, what are you doing?" And Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart answers "I'm decomposing."
From what I've seen in the comments , no one has spoken too much about Mozart's wife, CONSTANZE and her importance! First, based on the portrait I saw, I think Elizabeth Berridge was well cast to play Constanze. Second, we have Constanze to thank not only for preserving Mozart's work; but for also setting up memorial concerts and seeing it published to keep the memory of his music alive! Furthermore, she, along with her second husband, produced a biography of the composer. Constanze Mozart did indeed know how to get things done.
One of the best things about this movie is that it introduced newer generations to classical music, especially Mozart's. Several people had said that it gave them an appreciation for it, and they continue a musical education. When Salieri asked Stanzi to come back he really didn't expect her to show up hoping he had scared her off. There have been several theories to Wolfgang's death including liver disease, renal failure, intestinal problems from eating raw pork which was a tradition during Christmas time, or a combination of several factors due to his lifestyle. At the end, it is hard to believe that one of, if not the greatest composers of all-time was buried in a pauper's grave.
The movie does take some liberties. Salieri and Mozart were not actually at odds with each other. It's actually the opposite but even in his lifetime, after Mozart's death, there were rumours that Salieri was jealous of him and had him poisoned, even though Mozart didn't die of poisoning and had no poisoning symptoms. These rumours affected Salieri and later brought him to make a nervous breakdown. After Salieri's death, his music was pretty much forgotten until this movie which renewed the interest in the composer. Mozart was though like depicted in the film, very child-like but incredibly talented. The scene were he plays a part Salieri had written after just hearing it once and even improves on it on the spot is genuine. He was incredibly gifted and it will be centuries, maybe more before someone with such an extraordinary talent is born in the world again.
There is also the Requiem scene at the end wheer Mozart is reciting to Salieri. I saw a documentary where they said how challenging it was to make this interesting... well they achieved it, it's fabulous. Also Hulce said that he purposedly forgot to say some details in his dialogue so that F Murray Abraham would ask questions and look confused to show how much Mozart was so much more better than Salieri. But yeah, the movie took some liberties, Salieri's music is far from being mediocre.
It took *_all_* the liberties. Mozart had a healthy sense of humour, not "childlike," if you ever read his letters. That's the extent of it. Miloš Forman was a good overall filmmaker, but . . . This was a riff on a Pushkin Fantasia, nothing more. FFS, Forman had done the super-cringey musical "Hair" just five years prior.
The quality of the acting, particularly of F. Murray Abraham (who won the Oscar for this role) is breathtaking. Each of Abraham's gestures as well as the tone of his voice is impeccable and poetic. What a memorable piece of acting! For my part, I admit that the actor playing the King (or the Emperor, I'm not sure) is so funny that I remember it to this day. The way he says "Mmmmm-Mmmm..." when he's thinking while listening to someone's opinion or when he constantly says "Well. There it is' makes me chuckle every time. To this day, when the situation calls for it, I say, “Well. There it is'' the same way that actor does.
The Requiem scene is one of my favourites of any film. You don't have to understand what they're talking about, just listen and one of the greatest pieces of music is opened up. His nemesis finally understands.
I always loved this movie, but I like the theatrical release a lot more than the "director's cut". Indeed, this is one of the movies that made me realize that the director's cuts are normally worse than the theatrical cuts. I used to be one of those that said, "The director's cuts are the best, because they embody the artist's vision", but now I say that the producers and studios are right to reign in the director's indulgences. lol
It does flow much better in the theatrical cut. The only issue is that it comes so completely out of nowhere in the end when Mozart's wife hates Salieri so much. It just seems like she's being weird for no reason when you haven't seen the scene where he humilates her (and makes her think he's going to use her).
A great movie. There is a "in score" version of the final Requiem scene, where the notes magically appear while Salieri is transcribing Mozart's genius. OP.
The Requiem Mass is an amazingly powerful composition. One of the greatest ever. I used to put my headphones on and fall asleep to it. A friend of mine, who is also a fan of Mozart's music asked me how I could possibly fall asleep listening to that. I told him that I found the power of the music to be so very calming and reassuring.
If you want to continue exploring this area, try "Immortal Beloved", which is a bio-pic about Beethoven. Probably also not totally accurate, but more so than this one by far I think. And he was a very tragic character as well.
One of my all time favourite films. If you love period movies go for Dangerous Liasons with John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Keanu (very young) and Uma Thurman (even younger !) The maid is actually Cynthia Nixon (Miranda from Sex in the City).
Miloš Foreman, the director of *Amadeus,* also made a film version of *Les Liasons Dangereuses,* called *Valmont* (1989), starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk, Siân Phillips, Jeffrey Jones, and Henry Thomas.
- This was based on a stage play, and the actor who played Mozart in the original National Theater production was Simon Callow, who plays the actor Schikaneder, who commissions The Magic Flute in the film. When the play went to Broadway, the main three leads were Ian McKellen (Salieri), Tim Curry (Mozart), and Jane Seymour (Constanze). McKellen won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. - How do you connect Amadeus to Game of Thrones? Actor Roy Dotrice, who plays Leopold Mozart, was on a TV series in the 1980s called Beauty and the Beast, one of the main writers of the series was George R.R. Martin, and they became friends. When Martin published 'A Game of Thrones', he asked Dotrice to narrate the audiobook, which he did for all of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire novels until he died in 2012. He was originally supposed to play Grand Maester Pycelle in the series but bowed out due to health reasons, but still appeared in two episodes of the series as Wisdom Hallyne the Pyromancer. He was also the father of Karen Dotrice, best known for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins in 1964. - Before this Tom Hulce (Mozart) was best known for playing Larry "Pinto" Kroger in National Lampoon's Animal House. Today, he has produced two rock musicals on Broadway, Spring Awakening, for which he won a Tony for Best Musical, and Green Day's American Idiot. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Mozart in this. - F. Murray Abraham won the Oscar for Best Actor as Salieri, and in his speech said that the only way the win could have been better was if Tom Hulce could be on the stage also winning the award with him. - Lorl, the maid was played by Cynthia Nixon, when she was still a teenager many years before gaining fame as attorney Miranda Hobbs on Sex and the City and the follow-up series And Just Like That. At the time the film came out, she also had two small roles in two separate Broadway plays at the same time just two blocks from each other. She started as a kid and apart from her 2018 run for Governor of New York she lost, she has worked pretty consistently as an actress.
This movie introduced me to classical music. By the end of it, I had Mozart playing at my wedding. This is the greatest soundtrack album EVER, by the way. Three CDs, worth every penny.
I saw Amadeus in the theater when it was first released. I had been studying music only 7 years (classically and scholastically) and had only just started composing, but this film easily grabbed me by the heart and has yet to let go. And his Requiem mass wrecks me every time (especially the '94 Weiner Philharmoniker w/ Von Karajan ❤️).
Have never seen director’s cut. But the original film was stunning. I also saw a filmed version of a British stage production, that included an orchestra on stage.
I saw this film version at Edinburgh's Usher Hall, but with the score removed and a live orchestra playing all the music beneath the screen instead. One of the greatest nights at the theatre I've ever had.
I've found that little discoveries like this, such as a movie you wouldn't ordinarily watch, can leave a more lasting impression and open up avenues of discovery. When this movie came out in 1984, it seemed like it was everywhere and was all people could talk about. But then, time casts a shadow over these gems and they fade away. Glad you enjoyed it.
I agree about the director's cut. I don't know if it's worth it, with the possible exception of the scene between Salieri and Constanza - not because of the nudity, exactly, but because of the way he treats her. Maybe it's not necessary for her to come back that night, but she's doing it because she loves her husband and they're getting desperate financially, so she does something desperate. And it makes her attitude towards Salieri at the end make so much more sense.
This movie and Immortal Beloved are two of my favorite movies. The other one is about Beethoven. I didn't grow up with classical music, but got introduced to it through cartoons at a very early age, and these movies also helped me develop a curiosity, and appreciation that had me exploring the genre. Thankfully 😊.
I’m so happy that you saw this movie. I saw this at my music class in high school. I remember my teacher almost crying at the end because of how heartbreaking the scene was when he passes away.
Hey, Centane! One is not required to have any knowledge of musical theory or jargon to appreciate the transcription scene. As Mozart rattles off instructions which he perceives in his mind with absolute clarity, Salieri struggles to keep pace. He is getting insight into his idol's mind and process. He is breathless and astonished. As Salieri had noted throughout the film, Mozart would not make any corrections and the entire composition was already flawlessly constructed in his mind. At one point, Salieri reaches an impasse and doesn't understand what Mozart is saying; he cannot comprehend such an arrangement. That is his limit. Salieri has hit his wall, the barrier that keeps him from genius. Mozart demonstrates the music and, upon hearing the notes, Salieri is nudged past his mental block and witnesses beauty pour forth. It's a masterful scene and a tragic one well-played by both Hulce and Abraham. Salieri's love and hate are intermingled palpably. This is an extraordinary movie and my all-time favorite. The Director's Cut adds superfluous scenes. The theatrical cut is best. It was originally an 1830 short story called "Mozart and Salieri" written by Alexander Pushkin which was adapted into an 1897 opera also called "Mozart and Salieri" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The 1979 London stage play adaptation was written by Peter Shaffer and debuted at the Royal National Theatre with Paul Scofield as Salieri and Simon Callow as Mozart. Callow played the head of the working class theater company who commissioned Mozart's "Magic Flute" opera in the film. The 1981 Broadway production starred Ian "Gandalf" McKellen as Salieri, Tim "Wadsworth" Curry as Mozart and Jane "Dr. Quinn" Seymour as Constanze. The production won multiple Tony Awards. The 1999 Broadway revival starred David "Poirot" Suchet as Salieri and Michael "Lucian" Sheen as Mozart. This production was similarly lauded. The 1984 film by Milos Forman won multiple Oscars including Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham as Salieri. The play is a fictionalized dramatization but Mozart was a prodigy, a spendthrift and an impractical creative type in life. He is buried in an unknown pauper's grave and is considered the greatest composer who ever lived.
Not based on history at all but changes it up to tell a wonderful story about innate talent, those who don’t have it and knowing and reconciling your limits was fantastic. One of my favorite movies. The maid you said was a good actor grew up to play Miranda the lawyer in the Sex and the City series.
I was exactly your 1k Likes!!! :-P but - as for Mozart, He is one of my favorite composers a true Maestro and His Symphonies were Godly for his era. thanks for doing this reaction :)
About a year or so before this movie came out, I was in college. At the local music store they had a sale on classical music albums. I bought half a dozen just to have something to listen to. When this came out, I went to see it because I'd developed an appreciation for classical music. After seeing this movie, I have always wanted to see the Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. I had gotten a book on video game programming about a decade later; incorporated into the theme of the example game was some "bogus music" being played... that turned out to be "Entrance of the Queen of the Night" from the Magic flute. Decades later, I would still whistle the Queen of the Night's soliloquy, having never seen the opera. When "Shaw Shank Redemption" came out, and they played the piece from Marriage of Figaro, and I remember thinking that it was actually the second best piece. My absolute favorite was Perdona Contessa, which I discovered while watching Amadeus. It was everything Salieri described; the voice of forgiveness. 39 years later, and I still haven't seen either opera.
I first saw Amadeus on Broadway as a play---brilliant cast led by Tim Curry (amazing) as Mozart and Ian McKellen as Salieri, and Jane Seymour as Stanzi. I love this film. It was shot primarily in Prague, and off and on I was walking down streets I remembered from this film. There is also a Church there (St. Nicholas) that has an organ on which Mozart had performed in the 18th Century.
Always a good movie especially if you enjoy classical music. Your steep slope ceiling reminds me of my second floor bedroom in Copenhagen, when I was in college, 40 years ago.
You are completely correct: it did not need a Director's Cut. It was PERFECT as a 2 hour 20 minute movie, or whatever it was. I totally agree, I find that it drags now, Salieri is framed differently in the original version, I hate the topless scene that was added in.... and the sad part is: you can't even GET the original version anymore! You can only see the Director's Cut! I much prefer the original cut and I'm so sorry you didn't see it that way.
Yeah the main thing the Director's cut fixes is by adding context to Constanze's anger with Salieri at the end. Really if there was a version that had ONLY that scene added in I think that would be my preferred version.
@@PaulC-Drums It throws off the audience's sympathy. In the original cut, you feel Salieri's struggle and have empathy for him much more whereas he is quickly becomes an a-hole in the director's cut. So instead of rooting for these two guys to become friends - which they briefly do at the end - we don't trust him because we keep seeing him hurt Mozart at every turn. I'd gladly trade the context of her anger at the end - which I never wondered about, she was short with lots of people around Mozart - to preserve the original framing of Salieri's character.
One of the great things about this movie is that despite its length it goes by somewhat quickly or at a pace that doesn’t make audiences to bored while watching it. Another reason why it is a probably not to boring for audiences who enjoy it is the ay it blends the mix of drama and comedy throughout the movie and story it tells regarding the life and times of Mozart as told by the character Saleri. Though not historically accurate on various aspect’s including the relationship between Mozart and Saleri who were, despite being rival composers, in fact friends and or felt great respect for each other, the movie is nonetheless fun and enjoyable.
Great reaction! FYI, this is pure fantasy, written as a Broadway murder play. The people are real, but the story is made up. A glorious film! Glad you enjoyed it!
The theatrical cut has much better pacing. The only thing that the theatrical cut loses is why Constanze was so upset with Salieri at the end. But other than that, the director's cut doesn't do anything to enrich the story.
At this moment, when Salieri looks at the written music of Mozart, and says that he hears the voice of God in it, and then, both overwhelmed and dumbfounded in amazement, he can only describe it as "miraculous". 15:00 - quote "I find it so interesting how people talk about music in this way, because of someone on the outside, I would never think of it this way at all". I first saw this movie in the theater at 14 years old, and I immediately got it, and felt. With respect to the young lady, to this day I just do not understand how other people do not also hear it. It breaks my heart.
15:12 Very interesting point. I'm a composer, so i see music the same way; it speaks the voice of the divine and can evoke any emotion and more. What i've learned is that everyone is touched by something in a unique way; for some it's visual (photography, sculpting, painting), for some physical (dance, exercise), writing, music, whatever. The beauty of God and the divine is found is many ways, and each of us adds to that unfolding experience of discovering it. Doing any form of art (or many) helps the appreciation
I recommend listening to Konfutatis and Lacrimosa one after another, it takes like 10min. They are part of Mozarts Requiem and played during his final scenes with Salieri. The amount of emotion I get everytime I listen to it is beyond words.
Every time a movie is made using historical figures or events, heck even fictional books as source material, there are those whom feel compelled to 'clarify'. :P I enjoyed this immensely. The music, acting, wardrobe, set design and script were treated with higher ambition and melded perfectly to lose the viewer in this period in time. I'm watching a movie, not a documentary. For a couple hours I was there.
Actually solieri did really admit to killing mozart when he was in a psych ward. Most people think he was just crazy when he said it. There were also people of the time who thought solieri poisoned mozart.
Yeah, there are some accuracies and inaccuracies in this film. The one interesting accuracy in it was that Emperor Joseph II did actually say once that one opera he heard had simply "too many notes"; with another opera he also opined that the "bass sounded too low". But yeah, the writing of the Requiem was not done in a span of 24 hours between Mozart and Salieri. It actually was done over a period of a few months by Mozart and his one assistant/pupil named Franz Xavier Sussmayer; when Mozart died, he was in the middle of working on the Lacrimosa movement (this is the music you hear during the rainy funeral scene). From that point on, Sussmayer completed the Requiem using ideas Mozart had sketched out for the remaining movements while he had been alive. Another inaccuracy was that Salieri was the anonymous patron who commissioned the Requiem. While the patron was anonymous in real life, later in history it was found that the patron was this older Viennese aristocrat named Count Walseg von Stuppach. This guy had a penchant for commissioning music from composers, but when the music was premiered during his social functions he would tell everyone he had written the work and not give any credit to the actual composer. He commissioned the Requiem to be used for the funeral of his 17-year old wife who had recently died.
Not sure if you watched the movie or not, but the movie doesn't pretend or depict the Requiem being written in 24 hours. Don't you remember his friend coming in and seeing the Requiem Mass written and complaining that they needed him to put The Magic Flute on paper so they could begin rehearsing? Then the fictionalized collaboration happens after the opera is in full production to the public. This movie is based on a play where the author imagined what would happen if some of the conspiracy gossip that went around were true, and what that might look like. There is no claim to be accurately biographical or factually historical. It's always been a dramatic work of fiction. Talking about what it "got wrong" is so tedious, pedantic and pretentious. It's wearing to have to slog through all the "experts" talking about what a completely made-up work of fiction "got wrong" every time someone reacts to the movie or someone posts a scene from it. It didn't get anything wrong, because it's always been known to be made-up fiction.
Cut to End Scene. Salieri's dark, mocking laugh, observing the wrought he has brought upon the tortured Priest. "Your merciful God...", further delivering a malign sermon upon the innocent soul (and yet Salieri's words have the self-awareness to cast judgement upon himself). In the beginning, the Father had come thinking he could minister salvation upon the subject. But in the end, it is Salieri who is the Minister. A Minister of Vindictiveness towards his clearly shaken subject, rocking his faith, his confession also an instrument of visiting harm. "I will speak for you, Father. I speak for all mediocrities. I am their champion, I am their patron saint." Salieri laughs & smiles. "Mediocrities of the world, I absolve you..." Fade to divine laughter.
Very fun video! I enjoyed watching, thanks a lot. Mozart and Constanze were very happily married but apart from that, yes Mozart's personality was correct. Especially in the scene where he is using bathroom humor while flirting with Constanze and the scene where he farts at the end of a music piece. Mozart's letters show that he was actually like that in real life.
Cynthia Nixon is the only member of the Sex and the City cast to have an Oscar, because she played the maid in Amadeus. Not that SatC is high art or anything, but it was a happy accident for her that she played a small part in such an award-winning film.
@@goatkiller666 - Yeah. That's not generally how that works. No one refers to Chris Messina as an Oscar Winner because he was in Argo, and they don't give each and every cast member a statue for being in the winning film.
I dont know if anyone commented it yet, but a cool fun fact When Mozart starts to instruct Salleri to write the requiem and Mozart repeats the "A minor...." that was not written. To stay true to the music and the beat, both Hulce (Mozart) and Abraham (Salleri) had earplugs, to go along in real time. But Hulce earplugs didnt work so he was waiting and repeating until he could start "composing". Its such a brilliant scene and the fact that Abraham played along, made it look like Mozart was to sick to compose
@thomasnieswandt8805 All thw music heard in the movie is pre-recorded however Tom Hulce never misses a single note even when played upside down LOL as shown in one scene!🎹🎵🤔🧐
As for historical accuracy, the movie is not based on the real history, but on a theatrical play by Schaeffer, which is itself based on a tale by Pushkin. So it's a movie on a play on a fictional account of a real story, so you get the convoluted origin of it all. Historical fact is that Salieri was in no way a mediocre composer, that he and Mozart were in good terms, and that he was the teacher of Beethoven and a well-liked person in general. I've listened to his work and he's really, really good (if not a groundbreaking innovator).
Great reaction, Centane. Another great but underrated movie about another composer is 1994's 'Immortal Beloved' (about Beethoven) starring Gary Oldman as Ludwig Van Beethoven. It's actually a Rom-Dram-Mystery movie. You should definitely check it out --- 'Immortal Beloved' (1994).
@@Alexis40ar I said what I said. Whatever issues you have is your problem. Btw, I had actually already responded to your dumb comment 16 hours ago (within an hour of you posting it), but the UA-cam algorithm seems to have deleted my original response since it was deemed 'offensive'. You're very lucky that we currently live in a SOFT snowflake CLOWN-World era. So, I want you to use your imagination as to what my original response was. I meant every word of it. 😈
Mozart most likely died of consumption. Salieri couldn't have had anything to do with that. What I liked about the film, which separated it from so many other period pieces, is that the servants and lower level people weren't just background. They kept a stoic position, but you see them watching what is happening with curiosity or other emotional reactions. They hide it from the aristocracy, but not from us beyond the 4th wall. As for the historical accuracy, I wish they had changed the names (like they did in Inherit the Wind - about a real trial, but with the poetic license the makers decided to change the names) and just used the music. But it might have impacted the draw. Speaking of Inherit the Wind, you should consider watching that! Original version please.
I disagree on one point…Salieri could have certainly contributed to Mozart’s death. If a person is inches away from death’s door, a small amount of stress would be all that is needed for death. The consumption weekend him so badly that the stress put on him by Salieri theoretically could have put him over.
Don't think of it as a story about things happening, but about living with the characters in their world. You're not watching a bunch of similar events happen, you're watching Mozart's life and health slowly crumble, while you're also watching Salieri's control and sanity crumbling alongside. By the end you can start to wonder who's even telling the story and how much of it is even true. Also the music. And the costumes. And the music. And the sets. And the music. I always watch thing with the lights out so I can't see anything but the screen, and the sound turned waaay up, and just let it wash over me.
When i was in 5th or 6th grade our teacher from music class gave us as homework to watch this movie since it played on a saturday evening iirc. I ended up watching even the rerun that came a day later and in the next music class i was one of the few who actually watched it, but not only once but twice and i was literally the only one who enjoyed it. I was a weird kid, lol.
You are correct to say it tends to drag. Director's cuts are great for giving us additional material, but tend to disrupt the story flow and the direction of story intent. This can lessen the quality of a movie. Amadeus' Director's cut is notorious in this regard as it gives us "Too much spice ... too many notes". An overabundance of "creative liberties" were taken to call this an accurate biography, but the theatrical version still made for an excellent film.
Well, now we all tend to feel these movies are too long and slow because of today's media has educated us with a shorter attention span, and everything longer than two hours have to be packed with action or felt as boring. But it felt quite different in the 80s.
@@victormanteca7395 I was there in the 80's and saw this film in theaters. Although I agree with your point in general regarding short attention spans requiring instant gratification, etc ... I disagree with your assessment in this specific case. It doesn't apply here. Putting aside the 'popcorn flick' stratagem - Making a movie is an art form of proper story telling. "Amadeus" falls in this category. Key cinematic story flow elements have been diluted here via the Director's Cut.
@@dunringill1747 I pretty much agree with you. Director's cuts often illuminate back stories and give some context to possibly confusing parts of a story, but I have never seen a director's cut that didn't disrupt the artistic flow that was achieved by the editing for the theatrical cut.
@@dunringill1747 Ok, I won't argue with you in that point, because it's mostly a question of aesthetics and perception, but you'll surely agree with me that the scenes between Constance and Salieri that were cut off the theatrical release are important to understand her disgust and hostility when she finds him in her house after she gets back to her husband. In the theatrical version her anger seems to be disproportionate; in the director's cut we know that she's completely aware of Salieri's mischief and manipulations.
Awww... I redmember this one :) we watched it at school in 9th grade. We needed a fair bit of help from our teacher to keep up with the subtleties and intricasies. but it is a great one :)
They dumped his body because that was the way burials were in Vienna those days for the non-nobles. Space in cemeteries was limited and mass graves were the usual thing, and in Vienna it was even by law. It's not because he was that poor, as has been said. Unfortunately, because of that, we don't know where his body is, nor Vivaldi's and others who died there in the 1700s. Beethoven was rewarded with a suntuous proper tomb because of how famous he was in his late life.
one thing that is pretty accurate is that even though he was celebrated in his time, Salieri was still a third rate composer (and he knew it) with a god tier ear for music
As at least one other commenter has noted, this wasn't intended to be biographical, or even historical in an academic sense. Peter Shaffer deliberately spun a sort of "what if" fantasy out of murky historical elements here, in order to explore further one of the most persistent themes in his work as a playwright: namely, the reaction of the merely ordinary when confronted with genius. Amadeus is a wonderful result, but it's not even his best exploration of this theme. For that, I would recommend Equus, which also received a cinematic treatment (but about a decade earlier, in the 70s).
I would argue that in his best works (including *Amadeus),* Peter Shaffer is obsessed with "religious" questions. The film version of *Equus* (1977) starred Richard Burton and Peter Firth. This is the same work in which, decades later, Danny Radcliffe of *Harry Potter* fame made his startling stage debut. An earlier movie based on a Shaffer play, *The Royal Hunt of the Sun* (1969), starred Robert Shaw and (in a performance that will stun *Sound of Music* fans) Christopher Plummer.
Mozart was a genius, an absolute GENIUS
As a Mozart biography it's awful, but as a story based on his life and work, is absolutely beautiful. He did end up in a common, unnamed grave, and his remains are yet to be found.
That's probably why the play and the movie depicts the story proper as a flashback told by a mad, elderly Salieri. These are the ravings of a mad (in both senses) old man, not a scholarly account
It was perfectly normal to be interred into a mass grave back then, even for gentry. Had nothing to do with class, but more with church affiliation. That was a cemetery, not a graveyard. Learn the difference.
@@rollomaughfling380 Actually, this was a misstranslation. Mozart was buried in commoner's burial plot and the person translating the story mistook that to mean a "common/mass" grave.
So, once there were two gravediggers in Vienna's St. Marx Cemetery. They came across the grave marker for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. So one says to the other, "Let's did up Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's grave and see how he looks." So they start digging, and the come across a coffin. The carry the coffin out of the grave and set it down. On the cover it says "Here lies the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." They lift the lid off the coffin and there, inside the coffin, they find Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself - erasing his music!! The first gravedigger says "Wolfie, what are you doing?" And Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart answers "I'm decomposing."
@@rollomaughfling380 I've never once seen or heard anyone use cemetery and graveyard as distinct concepts.
Winner of 8 Oscars including Best Picture.
Masterpiece
From what I've seen in the comments , no one has spoken too much about Mozart's wife, CONSTANZE and her importance! First, based on the portrait I saw, I think Elizabeth Berridge was well cast to play Constanze. Second, we have Constanze to thank not only for preserving Mozart's work; but for also setting up memorial concerts and seeing it published to keep the memory of his music alive! Furthermore, she, along with her second husband, produced a biography of the composer. Constanze Mozart did indeed know how to get things done.
This masterpiece is in my top 5 movies of all time. Timeless Classic. I loved how they used his music throughout the movie.
I'm right there with you. This movie surprised the hell out of me.
My favorite movie of all time
Masterpiece of a movie, regardless of the fictional parts.
One of the best things about this movie is that it introduced newer generations to classical music, especially Mozart's. Several people had said that it gave them an appreciation for it, and they continue a musical education. When Salieri asked Stanzi to come back he really didn't expect her to show up hoping he had scared her off. There have been several theories to Wolfgang's death including liver disease, renal failure, intestinal problems from eating raw pork which was a tradition during Christmas time, or a combination of several factors due to his lifestyle. At the end, it is hard to believe that one of, if not the greatest composers of all-time was buried in a pauper's grave.
I actually bought some Mozart after seeing this movie in high school.
The movie does take some liberties. Salieri and Mozart were not actually at odds with each other. It's actually the opposite but even in his lifetime, after Mozart's death, there were rumours that Salieri was jealous of him and had him poisoned, even though Mozart didn't die of poisoning and had no poisoning symptoms. These rumours affected Salieri and later brought him to make a nervous breakdown.
After Salieri's death, his music was pretty much forgotten until this movie which renewed the interest in the composer.
Mozart was though like depicted in the film, very child-like but incredibly talented.
The scene were he plays a part Salieri had written after just hearing it once and even improves on it on the spot is genuine. He was incredibly gifted and it will be centuries, maybe more before someone with such an extraordinary talent is born in the world again.
There is also the Requiem scene at the end wheer Mozart is reciting to Salieri. I saw a documentary where they said how challenging it was to make this interesting... well they achieved it, it's fabulous. Also Hulce said that he purposedly forgot to say some details in his dialogue so that F Murray Abraham would ask questions and look confused to show how much Mozart was so much more better than Salieri. But yeah, the movie took some liberties, Salieri's music is far from being mediocre.
Salieri was remembered mostly as a great teacher, the Yoda of classical music. His students included Beethoven and Liszt.
It took *_all_* the liberties. Mozart had a healthy sense of humour, not "childlike," if you ever read his letters. That's the extent of it. Miloš Forman was a good overall filmmaker, but . . . This was a riff on a Pushkin Fantasia, nothing more. FFS, Forman had done the super-cringey musical "Hair" just five years prior.
@@rollomaughfling380 is it Forman's fault? I mean the film is based on a play I think
@@lindenmanmax I think Salieri's Wikipedia page has high traffic today
The quality of the acting, particularly of F. Murray Abraham (who won the Oscar for this role) is breathtaking. Each of Abraham's gestures as well as the tone of his voice is impeccable and poetic. What a memorable piece of acting! For my part, I admit that the actor playing the King (or the Emperor, I'm not sure) is so funny that I remember it to this day. The way he says "Mmmmm-Mmmm..." when he's thinking while listening to someone's opinion or when he constantly says "Well. There it is' makes me chuckle every time. To this day, when the situation calls for it, I say, “Well. There it is'' the same way that actor does.
I agree wholeheartedly. F. Murray Abraham's performance in this is probably my favorite of all. His acting was sublime.
In my mind, the Emperor will always be the principal in "Ferris Beuller's Day off".
@@Hiraghmand a disgusting pedo apparently
The Requiem scene is one of my favourites of any film. You don't have to understand what they're talking about, just listen and one of the greatest pieces of music is opened up. His nemesis finally understands.
I give you a ton of credit for sitting through 3 hours. Your enjoyment was very easy to see. Once again - A pleasure watching your reaction!
She tought the directors cut had "to many notes"😂
@@Phethario lol
I always loved this movie, but I like the theatrical release a lot more than the "director's cut". Indeed, this is one of the movies that made me realize that the director's cuts are normally worse than the theatrical cuts. I used to be one of those that said, "The director's cuts are the best, because they embody the artist's vision", but now I say that the producers and studios are right to reign in the director's indulgences. lol
It does flow much better in the theatrical cut. The only issue is that it comes so completely out of nowhere in the end when Mozart's wife hates Salieri so much. It just seems like she's being weird for no reason when you haven't seen the scene where he humilates her (and makes her think he's going to use her).
@@baguettegott3409I supposed someone else has seen One Fatal Flaw series 😏
A great movie. There is a "in score" version of the final Requiem scene, where the notes magically appear while Salieri is transcribing Mozart's genius. OP.
Finally Amadeus. My top 1 movie of all time. I remember being so happy when this movie was requested on your charity stream.
The Requiem Mass is an amazingly powerful composition. One of the greatest ever. I used to put my headphones on and fall asleep to it. A friend of mine, who is also a fan of Mozart's music asked me how I could possibly fall asleep listening to that. I told him that I found the power of the music to be so very calming and reassuring.
Mozart Requiem.k.626 is my absolute favorite! It inspired me to properly mourn my grandfather Paolo. What a master artist, Mozart was.
A few years ago I saw this movie in a concert hall with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack.
That would've been an absolute pleasure.
If you want to continue exploring this area, try "Immortal Beloved", which is a bio-pic about Beethoven. Probably also not totally accurate, but more so than this one by far I think. And he was a very tragic character as well.
We saw this in a theatre in 1980s. The movie did not feel like 2 1/3 hours, it is captivating.
One of my all time favourite films. If you love period movies go for Dangerous Liasons with John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Keanu (very young) and Uma Thurman (even younger !)
The maid is actually Cynthia Nixon (Miranda from Sex in the City).
Miloš Foreman, the director of *Amadeus,* also made a film version of *Les Liasons Dangereuses,* called *Valmont* (1989), starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk, Siân Phillips, Jeffrey Jones, and Henry Thomas.
Amadeus & Glory are 2 of the greatest movies ever made. Period.
- This was based on a stage play, and the actor who played Mozart in the original National Theater production was Simon Callow, who plays the actor Schikaneder, who commissions The Magic Flute in the film. When the play went to Broadway, the main three leads were Ian McKellen (Salieri), Tim Curry (Mozart), and Jane Seymour (Constanze). McKellen won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
- How do you connect Amadeus to Game of Thrones? Actor Roy Dotrice, who plays Leopold Mozart, was on a TV series in the 1980s called Beauty and the Beast, one of the main writers of the series was George R.R. Martin, and they became friends. When Martin published 'A Game of Thrones', he asked Dotrice to narrate the audiobook, which he did for all of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire novels until he died in 2012. He was originally supposed to play Grand Maester Pycelle in the series but bowed out due to health reasons, but still appeared in two episodes of the series as Wisdom Hallyne the Pyromancer. He was also the father of Karen Dotrice, best known for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins in 1964.
- Before this Tom Hulce (Mozart) was best known for playing Larry "Pinto" Kroger in National Lampoon's Animal House. Today, he has produced two rock musicals on Broadway, Spring Awakening, for which he won a Tony for Best Musical, and Green Day's American Idiot. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Mozart in this.
- F. Murray Abraham won the Oscar for Best Actor as Salieri, and in his speech said that the only way the win could have been better was if Tom Hulce could be on the stage also winning the award with him.
- Lorl, the maid was played by Cynthia Nixon, when she was still a teenager many years before gaining fame as attorney Miranda Hobbs on Sex and the City and the follow-up series And Just Like That. At the time the film came out, she also had two small roles in two separate Broadway plays at the same time just two blocks from each other. She started as a kid and apart from her 2018 run for Governor of New York she lost, she has worked pretty consistently as an actress.
This movie introduced me to classical music. By the end of it, I had Mozart playing at my wedding. This is the greatest soundtrack album EVER, by the way. Three CDs, worth every penny.
I saw Amadeus in the theater when it was first released. I had been studying music only 7 years (classically and scholastically) and had only just started composing, but this film easily grabbed me by the heart and has yet to let go. And his Requiem mass wrecks me every time (especially the '94 Weiner Philharmoniker w/ Von Karajan ❤️).
Have never seen director’s cut. But the original film was stunning. I also saw a filmed version of a British stage production, that included an orchestra on stage.
I saw this film version at Edinburgh's Usher Hall, but with the score removed and a live orchestra playing all the music beneath the screen instead. One of the greatest nights at the theatre I've ever had.
I've found that little discoveries like this, such as a movie you wouldn't ordinarily watch, can leave a more lasting impression and open up avenues of discovery. When this movie came out in 1984, it seemed like it was everywhere and was all people could talk about. But then, time casts a shadow over these gems and they fade away. Glad you enjoyed it.
I agree about the director's cut. I don't know if it's worth it, with the possible exception of the scene between Salieri and Constanza - not because of the nudity, exactly, but because of the way he treats her. Maybe it's not necessary for her to come back that night, but she's doing it because she loves her husband and they're getting desperate financially, so she does something desperate. And it makes her attitude towards Salieri at the end make so much more sense.
This movie and Immortal Beloved are two of my favorite movies. The other one is about Beethoven. I didn't grow up with classical music, but got introduced to it through cartoons at a very early age, and these movies also helped me develop a curiosity, and appreciation that had me exploring the genre. Thankfully 😊.
Centaine, what a wonderful reaction. Moazart was taken to a pauper's grave. People who had no money were buried in mass graves.
I’m so happy that you saw this movie. I saw this at my music class in high school. I remember my teacher almost crying at the end because of how heartbreaking the scene was when he passes away.
Hey, Centane! One is not required to have any knowledge of musical theory or jargon to appreciate the transcription scene. As Mozart rattles off instructions which he perceives in his mind with absolute clarity, Salieri struggles to keep pace. He is getting insight into his idol's mind and process. He is breathless and astonished. As Salieri had noted throughout the film, Mozart would not make any corrections and the entire composition was already flawlessly constructed in his mind. At one point, Salieri reaches an impasse and doesn't understand what Mozart is saying; he cannot comprehend such an arrangement. That is his limit. Salieri has hit his wall, the barrier that keeps him from genius. Mozart demonstrates the music and, upon hearing the notes, Salieri is nudged past his mental block and witnesses beauty pour forth. It's a masterful scene and a tragic one well-played by both Hulce and Abraham. Salieri's love and hate are intermingled palpably.
This is an extraordinary movie and my all-time favorite.
The Director's Cut adds superfluous scenes. The theatrical cut is best.
It was originally an 1830 short story called "Mozart and Salieri" written by Alexander Pushkin which was adapted into an 1897 opera also called "Mozart and Salieri" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
The 1979 London stage play adaptation was written by Peter Shaffer and debuted at the Royal National Theatre with Paul Scofield as Salieri and Simon Callow as Mozart. Callow played the head of the working class theater company who commissioned Mozart's "Magic Flute" opera in the film.
The 1981 Broadway production starred Ian "Gandalf" McKellen as Salieri, Tim "Wadsworth" Curry as Mozart and Jane "Dr. Quinn" Seymour as Constanze. The production won multiple Tony Awards.
The 1999 Broadway revival starred David "Poirot" Suchet as Salieri and Michael "Lucian" Sheen as Mozart. This production was similarly lauded.
The 1984 film by Milos Forman won multiple Oscars including Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham as Salieri.
The play is a fictionalized dramatization but Mozart was a prodigy, a spendthrift and an impractical creative type in life. He is buried in an unknown pauper's grave and is considered the greatest composer who ever lived.
Not based on history at all but changes it up to tell a wonderful story about innate talent, those who don’t have it and knowing and reconciling your limits was fantastic. One of my favorite movies. The maid you said was a good actor grew up to play Miranda the lawyer in the Sex and the City series.
I was exactly your 1k Likes!!! :-P but - as for Mozart, He is one of my favorite composers a true Maestro and His Symphonies were Godly for his era. thanks for doing this reaction :)
The ending, where Mozart is dictating to Salieri, next-level film-making that has yet to be matched.
Cannot wait for this one. Hope I remain 100% in my suggestions
About a year or so before this movie came out, I was in college. At the local music store they had a sale on classical music albums. I bought half a dozen just to have something to listen to.
When this came out, I went to see it because I'd developed an appreciation for classical music.
After seeing this movie, I have always wanted to see the Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute.
I had gotten a book on video game programming about a decade later; incorporated into the theme of the example game was some "bogus music" being played... that turned out to be "Entrance of the Queen of the Night" from the Magic flute.
Decades later, I would still whistle the Queen of the Night's soliloquy, having never seen the opera.
When "Shaw Shank Redemption" came out, and they played the piece from Marriage of Figaro, and I remember thinking that it was actually the second best piece. My absolute favorite was Perdona Contessa, which I discovered while watching Amadeus. It was everything Salieri described; the voice of forgiveness.
39 years later, and I still haven't seen either opera.
Amadeus is the movie with the best soundtrack ever.
This movie and Immortal Beloved (About Beethoven) are two that show music being felt, I love both for that. :)
I first saw Amadeus on Broadway as a play---brilliant cast led by Tim Curry (amazing) as Mozart and Ian McKellen as Salieri, and Jane Seymour as Stanzi. I love this film. It was shot primarily in Prague, and off and on I was walking down streets I remembered from this film. There is also a Church there (St. Nicholas) that has an organ on which Mozart had performed in the 18th Century.
Love Amadeus- a fantastic movie! And, like all great films, it makes you dive into the real story & life of Mozart!
AFTER watching the movie, I read some of the older books about him. He was a stitch. The original "rockstar."
LOVE this movie!! One of my favorites! So glad you did a reaction to this classic!
Absolutely my favorite movie of all time. Great to see someone reacting to it!
Always a good movie especially if you enjoy classical music. Your steep slope ceiling reminds me of my second floor bedroom in Copenhagen, when I was in college, 40 years ago.
I played Emperor Joseph II..in a production..best part of rehearsals was .introducing myself to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart..out of this world 🌎..MUSIC..
You are completely correct: it did not need a Director's Cut. It was PERFECT as a 2 hour 20 minute movie, or whatever it was. I totally agree, I find that it drags now, Salieri is framed differently in the original version, I hate the topless scene that was added in.... and the sad part is: you can't even GET the original version anymore! You can only see the Director's Cut! I much prefer the original cut and I'm so sorry you didn't see it that way.
❤️❤️
Yeah the main thing the Director's cut fixes is by adding context to Constanze's anger with Salieri at the end. Really if there was a version that had ONLY that scene added in I think that would be my preferred version.
@@PaulC-Drums It throws off the audience's sympathy. In the original cut, you feel Salieri's struggle and have empathy for him much more whereas he is quickly becomes an a-hole in the director's cut. So instead of rooting for these two guys to become friends - which they briefly do at the end - we don't trust him because we keep seeing him hurt Mozart at every turn. I'd gladly trade the context of her anger at the end - which I never wondered about, she was short with lots of people around Mozart - to preserve the original framing of Salieri's character.
One of the great things about this movie is that despite its length it goes by somewhat quickly or at a pace that doesn’t make audiences to bored while watching it. Another reason why it is a probably not to boring for audiences who enjoy it is the ay it blends the mix of drama and comedy throughout the movie and story it tells regarding the life and times of Mozart as told by the character Saleri. Though not historically accurate on various aspect’s including the relationship between Mozart and Saleri who were, despite being rival composers, in fact friends and or felt great respect for each other, the movie is nonetheless fun and enjoyable.
Mozart wrote his last 3 Symphonies in 6 Weeks!
Oh I'm so happy you're watching this film! I absolutely loved it!
My favorite quote from this is ... "Too many notes!"
It's amazing that such a rich and heartfelt movie is also hilarious.
THE MAKING OF AMADEUS is one of my favorite documentaries of its type and is available on UA-cam.
Great reaction! FYI, this is pure fantasy, written as a Broadway murder play. The people are real, but the story is made up. A glorious film! Glad you enjoyed it!
It's not pure fantasy, elements are true. Sallieri claimed to have killed Mozart.
The theatrical cut has much better pacing. The only thing that the theatrical cut loses is why Constanze was so upset with Salieri at the end. But other than that, the director's cut doesn't do anything to enrich the story.
At this moment, when Salieri looks at the written music of Mozart, and says that he hears the voice of God in it, and then, both overwhelmed and dumbfounded in amazement, he can only describe it as "miraculous".
15:00 - quote "I find it so interesting how people talk about music in this way, because of someone on the outside, I would never think of it this way at all".
I first saw this movie in the theater at 14 years old, and I immediately got it, and felt. With respect to the young lady, to this day I just do not understand how other people do not also hear it.
It breaks my heart.
15:12 Very interesting point. I'm a composer, so i see music the same way; it speaks the voice of the divine and can evoke any emotion and more. What i've learned is that everyone is touched by something in a unique way; for some it's visual (photography, sculpting, painting), for some physical (dance, exercise), writing, music, whatever. The beauty of God and the divine is found is many ways, and each of us adds to that unfolding experience of discovering it. Doing any form of art (or many) helps the appreciation
Powerful movie. Incredible acting. Just shows no matter what the subject is, if the performance and writing are there the audience will appreciate.
I recommend listening to Konfutatis and Lacrimosa one after another, it takes like 10min. They are part of Mozarts Requiem and played during his final scenes with Salieri. The amount of emotion I get everytime I listen to it is beyond words.
This in my opinion is the greatest film of all time. I thought I would never watch a film better than the Godfather but I was wrong!
The young actress who plays the maid is Cynthia Nixon who later became famous for her role as Miranda in Sex and the City.
Every time a movie is made using historical figures or events, heck even fictional books as source material, there are those whom feel compelled to 'clarify'. :P I enjoyed this immensely. The music, acting, wardrobe, set design and script were treated with higher ambition and melded perfectly to lose the viewer in this period in time. I'm watching a movie, not a documentary. For a couple hours I was there.
Actually solieri did really admit to killing mozart when he was in a psych ward. Most people think he was just crazy when he said it. There were also people of the time who thought solieri poisoned mozart.
"That is his brightest moment...also for me with the Sun!"....that was a great coincidence!
Yeah, there are some accuracies and inaccuracies in this film. The one interesting accuracy in it was that Emperor Joseph II did actually say once that one opera he heard had simply "too many notes"; with another opera he also opined that the "bass sounded too low".
But yeah, the writing of the Requiem was not done in a span of 24 hours between Mozart and Salieri. It actually was done over a period of a few months by Mozart and his one assistant/pupil named Franz Xavier Sussmayer; when Mozart died, he was in the middle of working on the Lacrimosa movement (this is the music you hear during the rainy funeral scene). From that point on, Sussmayer completed the Requiem using ideas Mozart had sketched out for the remaining movements while he had been alive.
Another inaccuracy was that Salieri was the anonymous patron who commissioned the Requiem. While the patron was anonymous in real life, later in history it was found that the patron was this older Viennese aristocrat named Count Walseg von Stuppach. This guy had a penchant for commissioning music from composers, but when the music was premiered during his social functions he would tell everyone he had written the work and not give any credit to the actual composer. He commissioned the Requiem to be used for the funeral of his 17-year old wife who had recently died.
Not sure if you watched the movie or not, but the movie doesn't pretend or depict the Requiem being written in 24 hours.
Don't you remember his friend coming in and seeing the Requiem Mass written and complaining that they needed him to put The Magic Flute on paper so they could begin rehearsing? Then the fictionalized collaboration happens after the opera is in full production to the public.
This movie is based on a play where the author imagined what would happen if some of the conspiracy gossip that went around were true, and what that might look like. There is no claim to be accurately biographical or factually historical. It's always been a dramatic work of fiction. Talking about what it "got wrong" is so tedious, pedantic and pretentious. It's wearing to have to slog through all the "experts" talking about what a completely made-up work of fiction "got wrong" every time someone reacts to the movie or someone posts a scene from it.
It didn't get anything wrong, because it's always been known to be made-up fiction.
Cut to End Scene. Salieri's dark, mocking laugh, observing the wrought he has brought upon the tortured Priest. "Your merciful God...", further delivering a malign sermon upon the innocent soul (and yet Salieri's words have the self-awareness to cast judgement upon himself). In the beginning, the Father had come thinking he could minister salvation upon the subject. But in the end, it is Salieri who is the Minister. A Minister of Vindictiveness towards his clearly shaken subject, rocking his faith, his confession also an instrument of visiting harm. "I will speak for you, Father. I speak for all mediocrities. I am their champion, I am their patron saint." Salieri laughs & smiles. "Mediocrities of the world, I absolve you..." Fade to divine laughter.
Very fun video! I enjoyed watching, thanks a lot.
Mozart and Constanze were very happily married but apart from that, yes Mozart's personality was correct. Especially in the scene where he is using bathroom humor while flirting with Constanze and the scene where he farts at the end of a music piece. Mozart's letters show that he was actually like that in real life.
33:10 City. She left Vienna for Baden where there was a health spa.
Cynthia Nixon is the only member of the Sex and the City cast to have an Oscar, because she played the maid in Amadeus. Not that SatC is high art or anything, but it was a happy accident for her that she played a small part in such an award-winning film.
She didn’t win an Oscar (wasn't even nominated) but this was definitely one of her career highlights to be in an Oscar winning film.
@@ADifferentVibe - The movie won. Everyone in the movie won.
@@goatkiller666 - Yeah. That's not generally how that works. No one refers to Chris Messina as an Oscar Winner because he was in Argo, and they don't give each and every cast member a statue for being in the winning film.
I dont know if anyone commented it yet, but a cool fun fact
When Mozart starts to instruct Salleri to write the requiem and Mozart repeats the "A minor...." that was not written. To stay true to the music and the beat, both Hulce (Mozart) and Abraham (Salleri) had earplugs, to go along in real time. But Hulce earplugs didnt work so he was waiting and repeating until he could start "composing". Its such a brilliant scene and the fact that Abraham played along, made it look like Mozart was to sick to compose
@thomasnieswandt8805 All thw music heard in the movie is pre-recorded however Tom Hulce never misses a single note even when played upside down LOL as shown in one scene!🎹🎵🤔🧐
I just noticed the maid that was hired by an “admirer” is what’s her face from Sex and the City. One of the girls on that show.
Amadeus and Auntie Mame (Rosalind Russell version) are my favorite movies of all time. I have to watch them at least once a year.
I use to have this movie on VHS, it's not historically accurate, but it's still a great movie.
As for historical accuracy, the movie is not based on the real history, but on a theatrical play by Schaeffer, which is itself based on a tale by Pushkin. So it's a movie on a play on a fictional account of a real story, so you get the convoluted origin of it all. Historical fact is that Salieri was in no way a mediocre composer, that he and Mozart were in good terms, and that he was the teacher of Beethoven and a well-liked person in general. I've listened to his work and he's really, really good (if not a groundbreaking innovator).
I actually like the theatrical release way more but you can't find it anywhere!
The original theatrical version is superior
'Wolfie' is a nickname of german 'Wolfgang'. Also used: 'Wolferl', but a century later. To those who aren't familiar with german.
Tom Hulce is the voice of Quasimodo in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
I really wish the theatrical cut existed.
Great reaction, Centane. Another great but underrated movie about another composer is 1994's 'Immortal Beloved' (about Beethoven) starring Gary Oldman as Ludwig Van Beethoven. It's actually a Rom-Dram-Mystery movie. You should definitely check it out --- 'Immortal Beloved' (1994).
Great reaction?? Did you even watch the video??
@@Alexis40ar I said what I said. Whatever issues you have is your problem.
Btw, I had actually already responded to your dumb comment 16 hours ago (within an hour of you posting it), but the UA-cam algorithm seems to have deleted my original response since it was deemed 'offensive'. You're very lucky that we currently live in a SOFT snowflake CLOWN-World era. So, I want you to use your imagination as to what my original response was. I meant every word of it. 😈
Wow, nobody does this movie. One of my top 10. ❤
I love F. Murray Abraham. What a brilliant actor.
Mozart most likely died of consumption. Salieri couldn't have had anything to do with that. What I liked about the film, which separated it from so many other period pieces, is that the servants and lower level people weren't just background. They kept a stoic position, but you see them watching what is happening with curiosity or other emotional reactions. They hide it from the aristocracy, but not from us beyond the 4th wall. As for the historical accuracy, I wish they had changed the names (like they did in Inherit the Wind - about a real trial, but with the poetic license the makers decided to change the names) and just used the music. But it might have impacted the draw. Speaking of Inherit the Wind, you should consider watching that! Original version please.
I disagree on one point…Salieri could have certainly contributed to Mozart’s death. If a person is inches away from death’s door, a small amount of stress would be all that is needed for death. The consumption weekend him so badly that the stress put on him by Salieri theoretically could have put him over.
G'day, Kunsoo! I admit my ignorance, but could you please explain to me what "the fourth wall" means?
Don't think of it as a story about things happening, but about living with the characters in their world. You're not watching a bunch of similar events happen, you're watching Mozart's life and health slowly crumble, while you're also watching Salieri's control and sanity crumbling alongside. By the end you can start to wonder who's even telling the story and how much of it is even true.
Also the music. And the costumes. And the music. And the sets. And the music. I always watch thing with the lights out so I can't see anything but the screen, and the sound turned waaay up, and just let it wash over me.
F. Murray Abraham gave the performance of a lifetime. Such a fantastic movie!
What an excellent and thorough reaction to a great movie! You impress every time young lady! 🙂💯
Thanks for reacting to this wonderful movie 😌👍👍
I am glad to see you smiling!
When i was in 5th or 6th grade our teacher from music class gave us as homework to watch this movie since it played on a saturday evening iirc. I ended up watching even the rerun that came a day later and in the next music class i was one of the few who actually watched it, but not only once but twice and i was literally the only one who enjoyed it. I was a weird kid, lol.
You are correct to say it tends to drag. Director's cuts are great for giving us additional material, but tend to disrupt the story flow and the direction of story intent. This can lessen the quality of a movie. Amadeus' Director's cut is notorious in this regard as it gives us "Too much spice ... too many notes".
An overabundance of "creative liberties" were taken to call this an accurate biography, but the theatrical version still made for an excellent film.
Well, now we all tend to feel these movies are too long and slow because of today's media has educated us with a shorter attention span, and everything longer than two hours have to be packed with action or felt as boring. But it felt quite different in the 80s.
@@victormanteca7395 I was there in the 80's and saw this film in theaters.
Although I agree with your point in general regarding short attention spans requiring instant gratification, etc ... I disagree with your assessment in this specific case. It doesn't apply here.
Putting aside the 'popcorn flick' stratagem - Making a movie is an art form of proper story telling. "Amadeus" falls in this category. Key cinematic story flow elements have been diluted here via the Director's Cut.
@@dunringill1747 I pretty much agree with you. Director's cuts often illuminate back stories and give some context to possibly confusing parts of a story, but I have never seen a director's cut that didn't disrupt the artistic flow that was achieved by the editing for the theatrical cut.
@@dunringill1747 Ok, I won't argue with you in that point, because it's mostly a question of aesthetics and perception, but you'll surely agree with me that the scenes between Constance and Salieri that were cut off the theatrical release are important to understand her disgust and hostility when she finds him in her house after she gets back to her husband. In the theatrical version her anger seems to be disproportionate; in the director's cut we know that she's completely aware of Salieri's mischief and manipulations.
Awww... I redmember this one :)
we watched it at school in 9th grade.
We needed a fair bit of help from our teacher to keep up with the subtleties and intricasies.
but it is a great one :)
I agree with you, the "theatrical" version (2h 40m) is, in this case, way better. Eh . . . regardless, hope you enjoyed it.
I remember watching this at the theater but don't remember much about it 😊
They dumped his body because that was the way burials were in Vienna those days for the non-nobles. Space in cemeteries was limited and mass graves were the usual thing, and in Vienna it was even by law. It's not because he was that poor, as has been said. Unfortunately, because of that, we don't know where his body is, nor Vivaldi's and others who died there in the 1700s. Beethoven was rewarded with a suntuous proper tomb because of how famous he was in his late life.
First time seeing director's cut- I like to see more about Mozart. Thank you.
Well. There you have it.
one thing that is pretty accurate is that even though he was celebrated in his time, Salieri was still a third rate composer (and he knew it) with a god tier ear for music
One of the greatest movies in history IMHO
34:25 the makeup is fantastic.
As at least one other commenter has noted, this wasn't intended to be biographical, or even historical in an academic sense. Peter Shaffer deliberately spun a sort of "what if" fantasy out of murky historical elements here, in order to explore further one of the most persistent themes in his work as a playwright: namely, the reaction of the merely ordinary when confronted with genius. Amadeus is a wonderful result, but it's not even his best exploration of this theme. For that, I would recommend Equus, which also received a cinematic treatment (but about a decade earlier, in the 70s).
I would argue that in his best works (including *Amadeus),* Peter Shaffer is obsessed with "religious" questions. The film version of *Equus* (1977) starred Richard Burton and Peter Firth. This is the same work in which, decades later, Danny Radcliffe of *Harry Potter* fame made his startling stage debut. An earlier movie based on a Shaffer play, *The Royal Hunt of the Sun* (1969), starred Robert Shaw and (in a performance that will stun *Sound of Music* fans) Christopher Plummer.
If you enjoyed this movie, another one about a classical music composer is the movie Immortal Beloved. About the life of Beethoven. A beautiful movie.