When Salieri said he killed Mozart, I never thought he meant in a literal way. but more in a way of composers like him hated, antagonized, and hated Mozart so much that it drove him to his death
In real life I'd say that you are correct. Salieri actually tutored Mozart's son and other youths to make sure that their fate wouldn't be the same unfortunate one as Mozart's was.
He was out of his mind with dementia and fever when he said it. No one thought anything of it at the time, or after, until the play was written in the 1970s. The historical record doesn't support that they knew each other very well.
@@scottysatpanalysis Well a good example of this are his two plays based on Julius Caesar. The plays are great, no doubt, in fact I will say the funeral speech of Marc Antony is down right beautiful. And that part is based on real history, Antony really did give a passionate speech at Caesars speech. It is also true that Caesar was warned about the Ides of March, he was killed by his close friends and colleges, Marc Antony did fall for Cleopatra of Egypt, and their lives did have a tragic end. So a good start, however. The plays have numerous inaccuries, mainly due to two reasons, character and timing. Caesar is portrayed as martyr, a hero for Rome killed in cold blood. While the morality of Caesar is very much in the air, Caesar was defiently not a saint, and the conspirators did have some clause for killing him. Antony was a sexually deviant in life, Cleopatra was one of the most intelligent woman of all time, and Octavian was much more calculating and complex then a villain. But in Shakespeare, the characters needed to be more clear (this was before Hamlet and King Leer, his great character studies). As well, the events in the play are very much compressed. Octavian didn’t rise out of nowhere, it took him years to get to the place of the power. And the war against Brutus And conspirators took almost seven years, much longer hen what the play gives.
Salieri was in fact a very good man who educated Mozart's children and helped his widow after his untimely death. Salieri was also a very talented composer although certainly not in the same league as Mozart. Salieri helped Beethoven during a a critical phase of his development giving him a solid musical education. The subject of a fantastic play which later became an Oscar worthy movie. Here's to Salieri, the greatest second rate composer who ever lived. Te Amamo Maestro!
I enjoyed this film as a kid, but later, upon learning of the real Salieri, came to see it as a bit of a nasty slur on a decent man. Who, though not as talented as Mozart, certainly had talent, and was not the conniving little backstabber portrayed in the movie and play.
Only today have I listened to a piece by Salieri, but he was every bit as talented and competent as Mozart, just a bit classic. Mozart was an innovator, while Salieri was someone who perfected what was already accepted at the time. Mozart was like the first rock star, while Salieri was a blues artist. It is how all great innovations start: steam vs oil, oil vs electricity, electricity vs nuclear. All of the innovators were called mad at some point. Salieri was one of the best when it came to the musical styles that were accepted and prevalent, while Mozart was unorthodox in his pieces. Mozart's pieces stand out because they were something new, not just because he was a great composer.
I never looked at Amadeus as a “historical depiction.” I see it more as a retelling from the view point of a Salieri who had driven himself insane with guilt. The story obviously isn’t 100% true, but Salieri’s guilt and borderline insanity has altered his memory to what we see in the movie. To this day this is my favorite movie. Edit: Aaaaaaaand you just said everything I stated in my comment. I love you.
The entire plot of Amadeus is like a caricature of the actual events. Everything is so dramatic and emphasized, just like a lot of Mozart's music. It's really brilliant how they did that under the excuse of Salieri's mental issues. Bonus points for the infinite amount of dramatic quotes. "That was not Mozart laughing, Father... that was God."
In an art history class I took in high school, my teacher put Amadeus on at the end of the year and a fellow student made all of the same complaints basically. The teacher basically gave the kid the same dressing down to the kid Critic gave to the smug guy. It was one of the most gratifying moments in my entire school career because that kid was basically the exact same character Doug portrayed. And man was she annoying.
I also read that Mozart thought that Salieri was against him but later they even composed a piece together. It is highly likely that they were even friends.
@@coxsquad No. What I meant is how the girl was acting like she knew it all and then the teacher proved her wrong. It's satisfying when people who act like they know it all get proven is satisfying.
Ever since someone told me that Mozart is Spongebob and Salieri is Squidward I've never been able to watch this movie the same way again. It just makes too much sense XD
The assumption that Mozart simply couldn't have been the childish party-animal he's portrayed as in the movie kind of reminds me of the Anti-Stratfordian theory - The idea that Shakespeare couldn't have been the true author of his plays because he wasn't a cultured aristocrat.
There's alot more to it than that. Including that for many of his contemporaries we can find remnants of their written works actually written in their own hand but not such artifacts exist for a man who ostensibly wrote 37 plays. Also it's just more the fact that only the wealthy and the nobility tended to have the broad education the works display.
@@oxtheunlikelycontemplator2682 Shakespeare's education actually was pretty broad. Grammar school education for children of Shakespeare's class was quite extensive, even teaching classics in Greek and Latin. Alongside his education, Shakespeare pulled from a variety of sources and history books for his plays that were already available to him and other playwrights. A number of his works were clever theatrical reworkings of already established stories, histories, and some plays. While we consider Shakespeare's plays to be high-art classics back in the day, at the time, his plays and the plays of his contemporaries were viewed more like sensational soap operas. Some have argued that only a noble could write his plays, except that his plays have a high degree of theatricality: most nobles of his time were not very theatrical. It takes an actor and someone who understood the theater business to pull off the kind of theatricality Shakespeare wrote.
Maybe Salieri was not delusional, but knew that if he could take historical credit for Mozart's death, his fame would be directly tied to Mozart's fame. can you imagine what kind of legacy that would be?
karsten69 well it was more so the fact that he is close to death and he believes after all those years that he was responsible for the death of a great composer, and that God laughed at him for trying to take Mozart's fame
Barello Smith It’s not necessarily that Mozart was more famous than Salieri was, but that he saw in Mozart’s work more resonance as a pure art form than his own(as he saw it, from his building envy and self consciousness). His anger at God for giving such talent that he, and he alone, recognizes(especially in a society that, as pointed out, was highly unappreciative of the new angles Mozart’s work was tackling) to that of a giggling and perverted man child, was founded on the rage over how God’s Chosen instrument can be easily be dismissed by the same public who praised Salieri for being lesser and “unchosen”. m.ua-cam.com/video/DsMIcwY4jtI/v-deo.html This new awareness terrify’s him, and in his rage he lashes out at the only one he can truly blame, God, and “does all he did(at least, that’s what he believes at his old age)” to make it not so, knowing that he can never truly lie to himself of the truth. The truth that, in his own mind and spirit that is, he’s nothing but a mere mortal who only wants the full recognition(from both God and society) that he can never have, and is forced to watch another with the opposite excel in memory beyond both of their own lives. At the end of the play/movie, he acknowledges that his mediocrity truly was only ever appreciated in the time he lived as a member of the court, and that he essentially had it made, while knowing that Mozart’s will forever get more and more recognition throughout history and ever changing cultures that will be more welcoming and adjusted to what Mozart has in store than the time he lived in did.
History Buffs compared Mozart to Michael Jackson. Both prodigies with overbearing fathers who pushed their music careers from a very young age, depriving them of their childhoods which led to them growing into man-childs.
@@Zeldarw104 Yes but they cannot be compared...dancing with good moves doesn't make you a genius, you just have agility, but composing such masterpieces like Mozart's, do make you a pure genius.
They're 'man-children' because they're both probably on the autistic spectrum and have never had to deal with the social pressure to mask their natural behavior. Hard to say if Mozart was on the spectrum (could have been ADHD or Tourette's too), but interviews with Michael Jackson definitely give me that vibe.
That's a genre, it's called "secret history", it's way popular here in Chile. The idea is to take what's historically known and expand upon what is unkown. Those details that tie the story together but nobody wrote because, technically, nobody saw them. So, literally speaking, anything could have happened. That's where the creative freedom comes and that's what people that like this genre want to see.
Not exactly. Assassin's Creed has science fiction on it, that's historical fantasy. But you're close, both are subgenre of historical fiction. Secret history is based on historical events and stays as realistic as possible. It's about filling the gap that the historical records have, most of the time because the story got so spread out with so many different versions that the actual history is lost on those tales. Or, like in this case, the facts exist, but not the details. Putting this movie as an example, Mozart was childish and worked hard on his music, fact. But how hard? What childish behavior did he have? vague. Only those who knew him could answer this questions and everyone would answer them differently, so historians have no choise but add only those parts that maintain constant. The secret history plays with the ambiguity of history and tries to make you believe that what you're reading (or watching), is how it actually happened. In short, secret history is trying to answer the questions "How all those events came to be? And how are them related to one another?"
Classically trained musician here; mom made me study Mozart's life before she let me watch the movie. Mom and I both still love the movie. Now if you want a _proper_ shit musician movie, it's called Immortal Beloved ;)
It is over-romanticized with the relationship trifecta of bullshit love aspect that is nothing more than speculation, but the Oldman interpretation of Beethoven was excellent and really makes that film worth the watch alone! b^^
I knew about Mozart long before I knew that this movie existed, and I looked up a lot on him. From what I've read, a lot of Mozart's personality quirks came because he had a crappy childhood. As soon as his father realized that Mozart was a musical prodigy with a natural gift for music, he turned him into a cash cow, micro-managing his life and forcing him towards that career path, never letting up for an instant, which led to him never quite developing a stable, mature personality. As for the part of his relationship with other composers, Mozart was the Orson Welles of his day and his music was like Citizen Kane; it had vision and style so unlike anything else of the time that his contemporaries disliked it because they had no idea what they were experiencing. While Mozart's music did get praise when it first came out (like how Citizen Kane was nominated for 9 Oscars even though it only won 1), it was in retrospect that it became recognized as truly great. As for the part about the person stealing the Requiem, I knew that an anonymous person commissioned Mozart to create it and that the production of this piece so consumed Mozart's life that he died before it was entirely finished, but I either forgot or missed the part where a person actually tried to steal it. Finally, as the Critic pointed out, it's a very clever twist in figuring out that Salieri is an unreliable narrator.
As a total know-it-all, I really appreciate being put on the spot and educated by this video. Now, with my new gained pieces of knowledge, I can be _even more_ insufferable in the future. >:D
I love that this movie ages beautifully. I had no idea this movie was even made in the 80s until recently. And I don't believe it's just because it's a period piece, I think it's just that well made.
OMG, yes! That could be so hilarious and clever. What's your premise: Watson secretly solves all the cases while helping Sherlock not die from his drug addictions and frequent STD's? I can't help thinking that, if someone like Sherlock (not the people who inspired him) existed in real life, he would likely be diagnosed as mentally ill, not just "eccentric".
We kind of already have that; it's called Mr. Holmes. It's about a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes who's trying to recall his final case, with the help of his caretaker's son. It's really good.
I mean... look at rocketman, bohemian rhapsody, wolf of Wall Street, notorious, the dirt, and the founder which everyone knows are pretty great but aren’t fully accurate either.
If someone did a film where Mozart was the murderer people would be less upset, because the general understanding about Mozart's life would supersede the lie. No one knew who Salieri was when the play came out, then the movie was hugely successful and his reputation was tarnished forever. Even in this video the Nostalgia Critic exaggerates the basis for the claims, saying there were interviews, that Salieri had doubled down and expanded upon his words. The only passing reference we have is a letter from one of Salieri's deathbed witnesses who heard Salieri cry 'Mozart, I killed you!' among many other nonsensical ravings. This became the inspiration for the story, but there is no record to suggest that Salieri held this delusion about Mozart in any persistent way.
These editorials are another reason to love the Nostalgia Critic. One week, he can talk about how an Oscar-winner like Amadeus perfectly balances fact and fiction to create a compelling and respectful story, and the next week he can rant about the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.
The blending of fiction and reality was super fun. I had no idea the movie was going to be like that. It was hillarious and filled with amazing performances
It really is a great film! I'd suggest watching it without any other distractions going on, and a nice cup of tea. Even while being comedic, the dramatic bits are so perfectly done, intense and emotional.
Gameplay and Talk it is quite possibly the best film ever made. Perfect pacing, acting, drama, direction, editing... just about anything. Although I'd suggest watching the theatrical cut first, as the director's cut slows down the pacing of the film
Well it's awkward now because we know Mozart died from strep throat which led to kidney failure. Even though these two started out as distrusted rivals, these two later on became genuine friends, who sincerely admired each other's work. It's kinda sad now to think, we dragged this poor soul's name Salieri through the mud, us thinking he killed Mozart. What I find interesting about this movie is that even though Salieri is clearly an evil antagonist, Salieri is played as a sincere and genuine towards Mozart, getting a weird sense they could be good close friends, even though Salieri is trying to kill him lol. So here's a thought, I like to think Salieri and Mozarts friendship was so sincere, that even though folks tried to Villainize Salieri, Salieri's love and admiration for Morzats still comes pouring through, because they were friends who admired each other. Both composers visited the other's show. Salieri even have a standing applause. Good for thought guys.
Well as the Nostalgia Critic points out the film is narrated by Salieri post mental breakdown and suicide attempt. So very much an unreliable narrator.
While the direct translation is "lick me in the ass/arse", I believe a more accurate comparison is actually "kiss my ass", which sounds much less sexual and perverse.
I knew about this movie for years. Never had a reason to watch it until now. Thanks, Doug!!! This is why he's so good. Not only does he talk about movies and shows that we loved or hated, he brings up things that we may or may not have heard of and sparks our interest in them.
For years before I actually watched the film, I was under the impression that the film was a musical and that was the main theme. I'm an idiot 😂 But sometimes I do feel like Amadeus has the potential to be a...not bad musical.
Do not worry friend, for I get the reference. Family Guy, when they lose their hair and stewie pretends to be mozart. Playing through a few chords before peter asks in a serious voice "play peter griffin." Stewie proceeds to play like he is mentally impaired, and ends with a fart to roaring laughter from the family. Doing a quick scene change it goes to an elderly victorian era looking peter talking with a man saying "Go ahead! Mock me! But it wasn't stewie who was laughing! It was god!" Then opera music plays and he dies. Either way! I love the reference!
It's one of the great movies, imo. Especially the way it depicts the way music works (any "real" music, anyway : harmonics, melodies and such all follow the same rules no matter which style). Go watch it, you won't regret it. :)
+Ronnie Derrell The "regular" cut is all you need, in my opinion. If you really love the movie, give the director's cut a try a few months/years/later. It's just not really necessary, the good bits are all in the normal version, the longer one just Explores a few details... quite a bit. :)
buckfifty90 Hehe ! As they say, everybody has 50 movies in their top 10... but to me, that one definitely is on the podium. The real one. :) I don't know what the other two are, but I don't care.
After a bit of google-fu, it seems like the last time a "theatrical version" (the Oscar winning one) was released was ... in 1997 on laserdisc. Damn, I feel old. Seems like the guys who did the Star Wars despecialized editions are on the case, though... Maybe there's a short version floating around (well, it'd be around 2.5 hrs anyway, if memory serves), I'll keep an eye on it, out of curiosity (talking about curiosity, i'll check, but I think I have an old divx burnt in 2001... time to snoop around). Anyway, well worth it even at 3hrs. Added scenes drag a bit, but... There's worse than that in life ^^
this is my favorite video of yours because it’s incredibly well-researched. i loved your interpretation because it’s really what i’ve been saying all these years. i really hate when people take the “historical” aspect to full-value as well, because it takes away the nuances of salieri’s retelling and how he told his story in a literal mental hospital (he was there for a reason, y’know!). amazing movie, great analysis
We are forgetting that the play is not intended to be historical but is touching upon universal human themes. Why are some people talented? Where does that talent come from. Is it fair that some are blessed with such great skills even if there personal integrity and morality is wanting? This is what the play and movie are about. It seems even the question of of historical accuracy is beside the point.
I have an idea for another editorial: Does the rating system matter anymore? You complained about how Frozen and Finding Dory have no reason to be PG, yet they feel like they need to because people tend to translate G to stuff like Barney. You also said Mask of the Phantasm realizes that PG means more than what others think. At the same time, it feels like a requirement for horror films to be rated R. Plus you have more and more kids going to see R rated films, especially Deadpool, that people are caring less and less about what their kids are watching. Is our rating system neglected or is it obsolete?
Most movies that are rated G usually ends up being box office bombs, so in order to make a profit as well as sell more tickets, they need to be PG. PG does stand today for Practically G. I grew up with real PG movies like Return to Oz and Watership down. That was PG then. PG movies now: Inside out, Kung fu Panda and Frozen
I see more PG-13 horror movies these days than R rated ones, because they feel they need to hit the teenage demographic, and most teenagers can't walk into an R rated film unaccompanied.
I think we are still a long ways away from rating systems being obsolete, but you are right - as cultural norms change, so too do ratings. I also remember the good ol' days when PG films were edgy and PG-13 films were...really edgy. We didn't need to see 'R' rated films because we got to feel 'cool' and 'adult' just with the PG-13s. *sigh*
They really need to do more films about composers, there are many who had much more interesting lives than Mozart (eg: Shostakovich) or were even more unusual creative figures.
Have you seen All The Mornings of the World, about Saint-Colombe? Almost all of the music in the movie is performed by Jordi Savall. It's one of the most wonderful movies I've ever watched.
Check out Immortal Beloved. It's a Beethoven film. It got mixed reviews, but I personally like it. It's DEFINITELY based on speculation rather than actual Beethoven history.
Never saw this one before. I'm glad found it. Looks like Mozard was a mix between the Genius of Dr. House and the mental instability of Tony Stark...all focused to music. A mad man genius both delighted and tormented by his gifted talent.
He mostly just House, a genius, yet not socially adept and prone to saying things he really shouldn't. He was also just a pervert who cracked innappropiate jokes all the time despite living in High Society.
This has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. A few years ago, I stumbled upon the director's cut version. I would recommend it. It has about 30 minutes additional film (which I know, it a lot when it's already a long movie) which fleshes out the relationship between Salieri and Mozart's wife a bit more. It has a few more scenes depicting Mozart's fall into financial ruin. It's not necessary, I suppose, but I really appreciated the additional scenes. This isn't always the case. Often times, less is more, but for anyone who enjoys the film, check out the director's cut (if you haven't already, of course).
Fun Fact: One of Mozart's known works is a little number titled "Leck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauber". Yeah, try looking up the translation of that song. And while you're at it, a performance of it by some elementary school girls is on UA-cam.
As a classical musician, I appreciate this film for bringing one of the greatest composers in the history of this planet into more of the public eye. Even though it certainly has inaccuracies, it is a delightful and deep film, saluting a great god of music.
I gave three similarities and differences between the film and reality that I totally thought up myself and didn't just use a five minute Google search.
[SPOILER WARNING] Before watching this video, I know the things they got right were: -Mozart's genius talent -The fact he didn't handle money very well -He was buried in a mass grave (was a law passed by the Emperor; Mozart wasn't THAT poor) -He actually did have a dirty sense of humor (his letters to family) -A basic rivalry with Salieri (the movie exaggerates it quite a bit) Honestly, Mozart's personality in the movie seems rather endearing to me. Yes, he's pretty much a giggling idiot, but he is committed to his work. Work that is practically perfect in every way. The one thing that makes me really like Amadeus, is the fact that my opinions on the two most prominent characters completely switched the closer it got to the end. At first, I kind of liked Salieri, and rolled my eyes at Mozart. Mr. Salieri seemed kind enough, and suddenly the cocky Mozart walks in and unknowingly makes himself a hindrance to Salieri's talent. I hated Mozart, and sympathized with Salieri. When Salieri first spread that rumor (that Mozart wasn't to be trusted alone with a woman or younger girl), I was just like *well this'll probably teach Mozart a lesson, then he'll eventually get a job*, but then Salieri just goes too far to make Mozart suffer, because he used Mozart's grief for his fathers death to his advantage. And it's because of him that Mozart overworks himself to death (LITERALLY). Then, I realized that Mozart was suffering for no reason, and Salieri was becoming a deranged sadist obsessed with Mozart's work yet also full of seething and unreasonable hatred towards Mozart. Soon, I began to hate Salieri, and sympathize with Mozart. Crap, that comment took too long to write, and I gotta get back to homework. *Puts video on Watch Later*
I can't remember was it in 7th, 8th or 9th grade.. But here the rating is not_under_12_years_olds for that movie. You're at least 12 when you go to 7th grade. Depends how late you have born or did you go year earlier to school. Most children are already 13 years old. We probably watched it 8th/9th grade anyway.. It wasn't scary or anything and we did understand it. So I don't see any problems.
For a long time, I didn't like this movie. I only started to like it as an adult. Why? Because in elementary school/junior high band, when our band teacher was out for whatever reason, his substitute would always put this on. So I watched it dozens of times against my will. I can probably quote entire scenes from this movie, but hand me a clarinet and I'll have no clue how to play it... and I played it for THREE AND A HALF YEARS.Thanks for that, Mr. Lancaster...
Impressive how Mozart's life is poorly known. The man is one of the biggest names in music history and lived only 200 years ago. An anonymous person might have all of his/her life forgotten within a generation, but not a person whose work is so lively praised and well known even centuries later. And when you think that we assume history books are so accurate about antiquity empires and their rulers who lived millenia ago, it's weird that there's so much mystery about the life of someone who lived during the enlightenment era, among the elite, where writting was rather commonplace. It makes me think that we actually know very little about history, with most of the gaps filled by assumptions or by our imagination. WHo was the first king of Rome? What caused Magnus Alexander's death? Who were the celtic peoples? The German peoples? All we have are pieces of pottery, the story of some people about another people, a poem, a myth... and a handful of reliable accounts in between. Thus, history is the novel we write by putting the pieces together and by assuming a lot of things. WE know nothing, actually
You are a genius in a comedian's costume. All these years I am still in awe of your skills and knowledge and sheer power through words. You are probably one of the only people I can think of that could keep up with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
Good analysis Critic. "Amadeus" is a best musical experience I had ever seen. This is Doug's 2nd favorite film of all time in "Doug's Top 20 Favorite Films of All Time." Also, "Amadeus won several Academy Awards including Best Picture of the Year in 1984.
So the impression of this film is like how a UA-camr makes only one 10 minute video so that's how long they spent making that video, and in no way did that 10 minute video take hours or even days to get onto the screen.
The Boss Stage1 There's a common idea held by a lot of people who both don't understand how video making works and don't really respect it, and that idea is that video making is extremely easy and quick. So, they believe that a very short video took a very short amount of time to make. This is, of course, true in some cases if the video has very little editing, but depending on the subject of the video, a 10 minute video can take hours if not days if the creator really puts the effort into making the best video they can.
I'm sure you learned long ago to keep your distance from the comments, so you'll likely never hear this, but I saw Amadeus after seeing it in your top 20 favorite films, and I can't thank you enough. It is such an unbelievably good movie. I'm not informed at all when it comes to classical music, but in terms of full albums just listened to from start to finish, I think the Amadeus soundtrack is probably the one I've listened to most since seeing the film. The music is incredible, and having it anchored to the film just makes it so much more enjoyable for me. Thank you thank you thank you :)
You know, I'm surprised that no one's ever made a major motion picture about Ludwig van Beethoven. I mean, we all know about his deafness, but how many know that it may have been a symptom of a wider disease or disorder, possibly an auto-immune disease? Or that he may have also had bipolar disorder, causing him to be very irritable and have numerous fallouts and make-ups with friends and family members? The guy was a proto-rockstar, a musical genius with numerous problems. The story could almost write itself!
There was a major motion picture about Beethoven actually. Immortal Beloved. Gary Oldman plays Beethoven. Though I would not recommend it. It really mostly focuses on the part of his life with the immortal beloved issue and the ending was pretty awful. I personally felt that they didn't really capture Beethoven's spirit in the film. Rather than focusing on a vague part of his life, I feel that the film should have been more about Beethoven and his work, not about his love life. Especially since it was unsuccessful for the great composer. Beethoven is my favorite composer and it disappoints me that there is not an amazing film about him. His life was fascinating!
Copying Beethovan is pretty bad, but Gary Oldman in Immortal Beloved does capture Beethovan somewhat well from the letters and discussion written about him at the time. The love story, on the other hand, is like Doug talking about Salieri, it is an over-romanticized piece of hogwash and it is more interesting to see Gary Oldman play the roll and his interpretation of said persona, ignore the love hexagon of shit, and love it for the acting towards the mythos surrounding the composer.
Copying Beethoven had potential, but it wrote itself into a corner. They couldn't come out and say at the end that Anna became a respected composer (because we'd know it wasn't true IRL), so they just had her walk off at the end with no closure, which made the story fall flat.
I hate those Alvin films so much (and this is coming from someone who was never a fan of the cartoon at all), and I can't wait to see goodol' Dougie rip those squeakshitfests a new one.
I'm a huge history buff. But people need to stop criticizing historical movies for inaccuracies. There are documentaries for that. In my opinion, history based movies' role is to make the viewers interested in the past enough to go and research the facts on their own.
Also, most people don't seem to be aware that biographies have a weird sister: so -called hagiographies. Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" is an example of one. Hagiographies aren't about the precise depiction of someone's biography, but an idealisation of it.
Been a while, but I once listened to the piano works of Salieri, followed by those of Mozart, and that's when it struck me: they were flip sides of one coin. Mozart, even though knowing about the dark, twisted, sad things happening in the world, at his deepest core was still a happy, joyous person, whereas Salieri not only embraced, but lived and expressioned himself through said tristesse. Again, this is just what listening to their individual music styles lead me to believe; I have nothing to back it up
I loved Amadeus, I was expecting to have a fun time talking to others in the comments... instead I see the top comments going to someone talking about pokemon, and the rest with how excited people are for Alvin and the Chipmunks... FML.
I watched this movie on Netflix yesterday after having watched this editorial the week before. Take that big media companies who say using footage hurts sales of what's being reviewed
Absolutely. A great flick. It has been in my own personal top ten since I first saw it. The magic of Amadeus is in how it lifts classical music (not just Mozart's) out of the realm of the dry and the dusty and into a place where it can be loved as something truly dynamic and vital. A point my own mother tried to make to me for many years but it still took this wonderful film to finally drive it home. I think I will pull it off the shelf and watch it agian this evening.
Many artists hate being called talented. But Mozart really shows he did have talent. He was terrible at many things and immature so he most likely didn't care much of other's opinion or learning. But this only makes his talent more true since he was an amazing composer regardless of his upbringing
My favorite fact about Mozart is that he wrote a song called "Leck mich im Arsch" which roughly translates to "Kiss My Ass," and honestly I think it's the best thing ever.
Being that the movie was a comedy/satire about being the second best guy in anything, I would imagine much was changed for the sake of the punchline. For all of us who pray at the shrine for "The Patron Saint of the Mediocre", It was hilarious.
I love this movie, one of the best ever made. Sadly Peter Shaffer, who wrote the original stage play as well as the screenplay adaptation, passed away a month ago. RIP
Come on critic, you didn't even touch on how the idea of "Saliari killed mozart" started out as basically a proto- German-nationalistic rumor that had no basis in reality, or that Saliari was still popular up to his death
The most impressive thing about this movie, is that it evokes deeply nuanced emotions. The emotions of amazing talent, being overcome by contempt Mozart recieved ,and the downward spiral of self indulgence and self torture. It is a movie which does what a great wok of music is supposed to do. It captivates your fascination. It captures you, and forces you to experience it. It drowns you in it's expression. This movie has the power and effect, of a great work of music. It overwhelms you.
This film by Miloš Forman is an absolute and undeniable chef-d'œuvre. If we should ever encounter an alien race from outer space, Mozart's music should represent us all.
Doug- thanks for talking about this movie. As a music teacher, I have to agree with you on most everything that you discussed. You pretty much hit every single nail on the head regarding the historical accuracy of the movie.
Fun fact, Mozart was a musician.
Fun Fact, this is a comment.
Fun fact, this is a reply.
can you cite your comment at the very least?
Fun Fact: This reply is false
WHAT? NO WAY!
When Salieri said he killed Mozart, I never thought he meant in a literal way. but more in a way of composers like him hated, antagonized, and hated Mozart so much that it drove him to his death
I kind of felt that way too!
I figured he meant it figuratively too.
In real life I'd say that you are correct.
Salieri actually tutored Mozart's son and other youths to make sure that their fate wouldn't be the same unfortunate one as Mozart's was.
He was out of his mind with dementia and fever when he said it. No one thought anything of it at the time, or after, until the play was written in the 1970s. The historical record doesn't support that they knew each other very well.
@@lynxminx4 Alexander Pushkin deserves part of the blame as well since the play was based off from what he wrote.
Shakespeare plays about historical figures were inaccurate . but nobody complains about that.
Yeah... "nobody" in his time complains about that and some other flaws of Shakespeare....
That's because Shakespeare rocked.
That's a very good point.
Which inaccuracies are you talking about? I’m not as educated about Shakespeare
@@scottysatpanalysis Well a good example of this are his two plays based on Julius Caesar. The plays are great, no doubt, in fact I will say the funeral speech of Marc Antony is down right beautiful. And that part is based on real history, Antony really did give a passionate speech at Caesars speech. It is also true that Caesar was warned about the Ides of March, he was killed by his close friends and colleges, Marc Antony did fall for Cleopatra of Egypt, and their lives did have a tragic end. So a good start, however.
The plays have numerous inaccuries, mainly due to two reasons, character and timing. Caesar is portrayed as martyr, a hero for Rome killed in cold blood. While the morality of Caesar is very much in the air, Caesar was defiently not a saint, and the conspirators did have some clause for killing him. Antony was a sexually deviant in life, Cleopatra was one of the most intelligent woman of all time, and Octavian was much more calculating and complex then a villain. But in Shakespeare, the characters needed to be more clear (this was before Hamlet and King Leer, his great character studies). As well, the events in the play are very much compressed. Octavian didn’t rise out of nowhere, it took him years to get to the place of the power. And the war against Brutus And conspirators took almost seven years, much longer hen what the play gives.
Salieri was in fact a very good man who educated Mozart's children and helped his widow after his untimely death. Salieri was also a very talented composer although certainly not in the same league as Mozart. Salieri helped Beethoven during a a critical phase of his development giving him a solid musical education. The subject of a fantastic play which later became an Oscar worthy movie. Here's to Salieri, the greatest second rate composer who ever lived. Te Amamo Maestro!
Schubert was one of his pallbearers. He was vocal coach to all of the greatest coloratura sopranos of his era. Long Live our Patron Saint!
Hoorah for the great composer, may his contributions to the world of music never be forgotten!
I enjoyed this film as a kid, but later, upon learning of the real Salieri, came to see it as a bit of a nasty slur on a decent man. Who, though not as talented as Mozart, certainly had talent, and was not the conniving little backstabber portrayed in the movie and play.
Only today have I listened to a piece by Salieri, but he was every bit as talented and competent as Mozart, just a bit classic. Mozart was an innovator, while Salieri was someone who perfected what was already accepted at the time. Mozart was like the first rock star, while Salieri was a blues artist. It is how all great innovations start: steam vs oil, oil vs electricity, electricity vs nuclear. All of the innovators were called mad at some point. Salieri was one of the best when it came to the musical styles that were accepted and prevalent, while Mozart was unorthodox in his pieces. Mozart's pieces stand out because they were something new, not just because he was a great composer.
He even coached Beethoven
I never looked at Amadeus as a “historical depiction.” I see it more as a retelling from the view point of a Salieri who had driven himself insane with guilt. The story obviously isn’t 100% true, but Salieri’s guilt and borderline insanity has altered his memory to what we see in the movie. To this day this is my favorite movie.
Edit: Aaaaaaaand you just said everything I stated in my comment. I love you.
I'm so glad that you did a video on Amadeus! It's one of my favorites as well. A truly authentic portrayal of Mozart. Great job :)
Hey Nick!
Saw this video and instantly thought of you man, buff!
Saw this video and instantly thought of you man, buff!
I forgot you mentioned you like the NC. I do adore your reviews as well. Keep up the good work :)
Your video was better.
Mozart, the original rock star.
Hell, there's a song called "Rock Me Amadeus"
Yeah...no reference in this?
+Brown Wolf based on the movie
Help me Dr.Zaius!
+Brown Wolf funny that in no way "rock me amadeus" is rock, i rather prefer "dr zaius"
The entire plot of Amadeus is like a caricature of the actual events. Everything is so dramatic and emphasized, just like a lot of Mozart's music. It's really brilliant how they did that under the excuse of Salieri's mental issues. Bonus points for the infinite amount of dramatic quotes. "That was not Mozart laughing, Father... that was God."
In an art history class I took in high school, my teacher put Amadeus on at the end of the year and a fellow student made all of the same complaints basically. The teacher basically gave the kid the same dressing down to the kid Critic gave to the smug guy. It was one of the most gratifying moments in my entire school career because that kid was basically the exact same character Doug portrayed. And man was she annoying.
Oh wow, that's awesome!
I like seeing people like that girl get proven wrong.
I also read that Mozart thought that Salieri was against him but later they even composed a piece together. It is highly likely that they were even friends.
A healthy rivalry, as I would like to describe it.
@@coxsquad No. What I meant is how the girl was acting like she knew it all and then the teacher proved her wrong. It's satisfying when people who act like they know it all get proven is satisfying.
I always thought Salieri had some similarities with Squidward.
L O L, i can't unsee that now
SaltWaggerz and Mozart is spongebob with that laugh
This is a YTP waiting to happen.
Damn.
Ever since someone told me that Mozart is Spongebob and Salieri is Squidward I've never been able to watch this movie the same way again. It just makes too much sense XD
I’m a classical musician, and despite the historical inaccuracies, I love this film and consider it one of the greatest films ever.
The assumption that Mozart simply couldn't have been the childish party-animal he's portrayed as in the movie kind of reminds me of the Anti-Stratfordian theory - The idea that Shakespeare couldn't have been the true author of his plays because he wasn't a cultured aristocrat.
There's alot more to it than that. Including that for many of his contemporaries we can find remnants of their written works actually written in their own hand but not such artifacts exist for a man who ostensibly wrote 37 plays. Also it's just more the fact that only the wealthy and the nobility tended to have the broad education the works display.
@@oxtheunlikelycontemplator2682 Shakespeare's education actually was pretty broad. Grammar school education for children of Shakespeare's class was quite extensive, even teaching classics in Greek and Latin. Alongside his education, Shakespeare pulled from a variety of sources and history books for his plays that were already available to him and other playwrights. A number of his works were clever theatrical reworkings of already established stories, histories, and some plays. While we consider Shakespeare's plays to be high-art classics back in the day, at the time, his plays and the plays of his contemporaries were viewed more like sensational soap operas. Some have argued that only a noble could write his plays, except that his plays have a high degree of theatricality: most nobles of his time were not very theatrical. It takes an actor and someone who understood the theater business to pull off the kind of theatricality Shakespeare wrote.
Shout out to ANYONE who types Anti-Stratfordian on UA-cam
Always fun to see Critic battle his dangerously fractured psyche.
The voices won't ever stop, Critic. Trust me.
QUIET, GRANDMA!
+Masterxl MVs keep trying buddy
Fat Grandma?
to the land of oz
I think the critic has tulpas
Maybe Salieri was not delusional, but knew that if he could take historical credit for Mozart's death, his fame would be directly tied to Mozart's fame. can you imagine what kind of legacy that would be?
karsten69 well it was more so the fact that he is close to death and he believes after all those years that he was responsible for the death of a great composer, and that God laughed at him for trying to take Mozart's fame
Mozart wasn't as famous as Salieri at the time so that wouldn't make much sense.
note to self: when on the death bed claim to have killed kanye
That seemed like the interpretation the version of the play I saw went with.
Barello Smith It’s not necessarily that Mozart was more famous than Salieri was, but that he saw in Mozart’s work more resonance as a pure art form than his own(as he saw it, from his building envy and self consciousness).
His anger at God for giving such talent that he, and he alone, recognizes(especially in a society that, as pointed out, was highly unappreciative of the new angles Mozart’s work was tackling) to that of a giggling and perverted man child, was founded on the rage over how God’s Chosen instrument can be easily be dismissed by the same public who praised Salieri for being lesser and “unchosen”.
m.ua-cam.com/video/DsMIcwY4jtI/v-deo.html
This new awareness terrify’s him, and in his rage he lashes out at the only one he can truly blame, God, and “does all he did(at least, that’s what he believes at his old age)” to make it not so, knowing that he can never truly lie to himself of the truth. The truth that, in his own mind and spirit that is, he’s nothing but a mere mortal who only wants the full recognition(from both God and society) that he can never have, and is forced to watch another with the opposite excel in memory beyond both of their own lives.
At the end of the play/movie, he acknowledges that his mediocrity truly was only ever appreciated in the time he lived as a member of the court, and that he essentially had it made, while knowing that Mozart’s will forever get more and more recognition throughout history and ever changing cultures that will be more welcoming and adjusted to what Mozart has in store than the time he lived in did.
History Buffs compared Mozart to Michael Jackson. Both prodigies with overbearing fathers who pushed their music careers from a very young age, depriving them of their childhoods which led to them growing into man-childs.
Their difference between them is that Mozart was a pure genius.
@@themsous yes Mozart was a prodigy, so was Michael Jackson in his own way! He's loved by millions, around the world so is Mozart.
@@Zeldarw104
Yes but they cannot be compared...dancing with good moves doesn't make you a genius, you just have agility, but composing such masterpieces like Mozart's, do make you a pure genius.
vre a kai oust
Not that much of a difference if you ask me.
They're 'man-children' because they're both probably on the autistic spectrum and have never had to deal with the social pressure to mask their natural behavior. Hard to say if Mozart was on the spectrum (could have been ADHD or Tourette's too), but interviews with Michael Jackson definitely give me that vibe.
That's a genre, it's called "secret history", it's way popular here in Chile.
The idea is to take what's historically known and expand upon what is unkown. Those details that tie the story together but nobody wrote because, technically, nobody saw them. So, literally speaking, anything could have happened. That's where the creative freedom comes and that's what people that like this genre want to see.
Kind of like the Assassin's Creed series?
Not exactly. Assassin's Creed has science fiction on it, that's historical fantasy. But you're close, both are subgenre of historical fiction.
Secret history is based on historical events and stays as realistic as possible. It's about filling the gap that the historical records have, most of the time because the story got so spread out with so many different versions that the actual history is lost on those tales. Or, like in this case, the facts exist, but not the details.
Putting this movie as an example, Mozart was childish and worked hard on his music, fact. But how hard? What childish behavior did he have? vague. Only those who knew him could answer this questions and everyone would answer them differently, so historians have no choise but add only those parts that maintain constant.
The secret history plays with the ambiguity of history and tries to make you believe that what you're reading (or watching), is how it actually happened.
In short, secret history is trying to answer the questions "How all those events came to be? And how are them related to one another?"
I love those games. :D
no one else was in the room where it happened
Kinda like the HBO/BBC tv series (masterpiece) Rome
Classically trained musician here; mom made me study Mozart's life before she let me watch the movie. Mom and I both still love the movie.
Now if you want a _proper_ shit musician movie, it's called Immortal Beloved ;)
seen parts of it. Was friends with a girl who may of been related to beethoven and was obsessed with him.
It is over-romanticized with the relationship trifecta of bullshit love aspect that is nothing more than speculation, but the Oldman interpretation of Beethoven was excellent and really makes that film worth the watch alone! b^^
I really loved his portrayal of Beethoven. Even the expressions fit perfectly!
verdatum I've seen both
only shit is coming out of your mouth and fingers too I bet
What's 100% true is that *AMADEUS* is a fucking incredible film. It is one of the greatest movies ever made.
I knew about Mozart long before I knew that this movie existed, and I looked up a lot on him. From what I've read, a lot of Mozart's personality quirks came because he had a crappy childhood. As soon as his father realized that Mozart was a musical prodigy with a natural gift for music, he turned him into a cash cow, micro-managing his life and forcing him towards that career path, never letting up for an instant, which led to him never quite developing a stable, mature personality. As for the part of his relationship with other composers, Mozart was the Orson Welles of his day and his music was like Citizen Kane; it had vision and style so unlike anything else of the time that his contemporaries disliked it because they had no idea what they were experiencing. While Mozart's music did get praise when it first came out (like how Citizen Kane was nominated for 9 Oscars even though it only won 1), it was in retrospect that it became recognized as truly great. As for the part about the person stealing the Requiem, I knew that an anonymous person commissioned Mozart to create it and that the production of this piece so consumed Mozart's life that he died before it was entirely finished, but I either forgot or missed the part where a person actually tried to steal it. Finally, as the Critic pointed out, it's a very clever twist in figuring out that Salieri is an unreliable narrator.
As a total know-it-all, I really appreciate being put on the spot and educated by this video. Now, with my new gained pieces of knowledge, I can be _even more_ insufferable in the future. >:D
A man/woman after my own heart💛
I’m glad you like this.
*Snorts in emphasis*
Mwahahaha!
Hay look at that look at that......................................................NO SHIT ps this is a joke
I love that this movie ages beautifully. I had no idea this movie was even made in the 80s until recently. And I don't believe it's just because it's a period piece, I think it's just that well made.
There's something oddly familiar about That guy with the glasses, something about that pipe, could it be? NAH he doesn't have a robe.
OMG, yes! That could be so hilarious and clever. What's your premise: Watson secretly solves all the cases while helping Sherlock not die from his drug addictions and frequent STD's? I can't help thinking that, if someone like Sherlock (not the people who inspired him) existed in real life, he would likely be diagnosed as mentally ill, not just "eccentric".
We kind of already have that; it's called Mr. Holmes. It's about a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes who's trying to recall his final case, with the help of his caretaker's son. It's really good.
I watch that movie, it's the saddest thing I've ever seen.
On another note, I do miss when Doug used the other characters.
+Aaron Rush yeah!! With Ian McKellen! Good stuff, really charming
Dude its obviously Naggy McNitpick's cousin, Snobby McKnowitall!
Fun Fact, Tom Hulce was in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I remember that xp
That is the reason why Quasimodo is one of my favorite Disney characters of all time!
Second fun fact, he was also in Animal House.
And Pinto from Animal House.
I'm sad that he's not into acting anymore. He was such a genius.
Oh no, a movie based on a historical figure isn't 100% accurate, god forbid! That will totally ruin how entertaining the movie is.
Green book
I mean... look at rocketman, bohemian rhapsody, wolf of Wall Street, notorious, the dirt, and the founder which everyone knows are pretty great but aren’t fully accurate either.
Same with Braveheart
If someone did a film where Mozart was the murderer people would be less upset, because the general understanding about Mozart's life would supersede the lie. No one knew who Salieri was when the play came out, then the movie was hugely successful and his reputation was tarnished forever. Even in this video the Nostalgia Critic exaggerates the basis for the claims, saying there were interviews, that Salieri had doubled down and expanded upon his words. The only passing reference we have is a letter from one of Salieri's deathbed witnesses who heard Salieri cry 'Mozart, I killed you!' among many other nonsensical ravings. This became the inspiration for the story, but there is no record to suggest that Salieri held this delusion about Mozart in any persistent way.
@Quick Dry It made him famous for being mediocre, petty and venal. The last two aren't true, the first is debatable.
I'm a musician and history major and I don't give 2 f*cks if this is historically accurate or not. It's one of the best movies ever made.
SPOILER ALERT
There's a spoiler alert.
Lol
SPOILER ALERT
This guy's gonna tell you that there's a spoiler alert in the video.
Hey! I didn't see that one yet. Thanks a lot for spoiling it for me.
: O
This comment is simple, yet paradoxical
Fun fact, the Emperor in this movie is the dean from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
i knew he looks familiar
I knew he looked familiar.
Wow; Joseph Hapsburg really got around
And Howard, the Duck.
and also looks more like the real Mozart
Nikki Fears You'd think he hates kids when he played Rooney. It turned out that he actually liked kids a bit too much.
It's funnier when people talk about how historically inaccurate films like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter are.
How dare you. I believe that movie covers my life story really well!
They seriously did that? I'm genuinely at a loss for words
Where did they even come up with that?
These editorials are another reason to love the Nostalgia Critic. One week, he can talk about how an Oscar-winner like Amadeus perfectly balances fact and fiction to create a compelling and respectful story, and the next week he can rant about the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.
The blending of fiction and reality was super fun. I had no idea the movie was going to be like that. It was hillarious and filled with amazing performances
Actually me: "Instead of getting your information from movies, why don't you try knowing everything...like I do."
This movie looks like it'd be highly entertaining. I was impressed to find it's over 30 years old now.
It really is a great film! I'd suggest watching it without any other distractions going on, and a nice cup of tea. Even while being comedic, the dramatic bits are so perfectly done, intense and emotional.
Gameplay and Talk it is quite possibly the best film ever made. Perfect pacing, acting, drama, direction, editing... just about anything. Although I'd suggest watching the theatrical cut first, as the director's cut slows down the pacing of the film
If you watch it once, in the decades ahead you'll probably watch it again, and again, and again... no movie is perfect, but Amadeus is close enough.
Entertaining film. If you get a chance to see the play, do so. It is much better. (Not denigrating the film! A good film but the play IS better.)
Fantastic film
Well it's awkward now because we know Mozart died from strep throat which led to kidney failure. Even though these two started out as distrusted rivals, these two later on became genuine friends, who sincerely admired each other's work. It's kinda sad now to think, we dragged this poor soul's name Salieri through the mud, us thinking he killed Mozart.
What I find interesting about this movie is that even though Salieri is clearly an evil antagonist, Salieri is played as a sincere and genuine towards Mozart, getting a weird sense they could be good close friends, even though Salieri is trying to kill him lol.
So here's a thought, I like to think Salieri and Mozarts friendship was so sincere, that even though folks tried to Villainize Salieri, Salieri's love and admiration for Morzats still comes pouring through, because they were friends who admired each other. Both composers visited the other's show. Salieri even have a standing applause. Good for thought guys.
Well as the Nostalgia Critic points out the film is narrated by Salieri post mental breakdown and suicide attempt. So very much an unreliable narrator.
But hey, we got a 3 Star Avenger
"Your music simply has too many notes!"
Amazing movie, who cares if it's true or not? It's a movie.
I'm surprised he didn't bring up Mozart's "Lick me in the arse", a concrete proof for his immaturity.
what??
Yeah, he composed a canon called "Leck mich im Arsch" (translated: Lick me in the arse) which was publicated after his death.
+Gamer's Kitchen ohh dude, yea he definitely had a peverted side.
While the direct translation is "lick me in the ass/arse", I believe a more accurate comparison is actually "kiss my ass", which sounds much less sexual and perverse.
Or the follow up to that song, roughly translated, the title is: "Lick my ass, lick it clean."
I love this movie. Tom Hulce owns it as Mozart. And F. Murray Abraham was great as Salieri
I knew about this movie for years. Never had a reason to watch it until now. Thanks, Doug!!! This is why he's so good. Not only does he talk about movies and shows that we loved or hated, he brings up things that we may or may not have heard of and sparks our interest in them.
Rock me rock me rock me rock me rock me Amadeus *music*
Falco sucks
Thank you for stating the obvious :/
YES! LOVE THAT SONG
For years before I actually watched the film, I was under the impression that the film was a musical and that was the main theme. I'm an idiot 😂 But sometimes I do feel like Amadeus has the potential to be a...not bad musical.
I thought the Affair With the Diamond Necklace conspiracy in Rose of Versailles was too crazy to have actually happened... it actually happened.
This has to be one of my favorite editorials yet.
Go on. Mock this film. That was not the know-it-all's laughing, Critic. That was God!
That comment gets a 10/10
Gravitynaut Is it the best comment of the year, all years?
It is if you read it in Mr House's voice.
Deus Irae plays
Do not worry friend, for I get the reference. Family Guy, when they lose their hair and stewie pretends to be mozart. Playing through a few chords before peter asks in a serious voice "play peter griffin." Stewie proceeds to play like he is mentally impaired, and ends with a fart to roaring laughter from the family. Doing a quick scene change it goes to an elderly victorian era looking peter talking with a man saying "Go ahead! Mock me! But it wasn't stewie who was laughing! It was god!" Then opera music plays and he dies.
Either way! I love the reference!
wow you make me want to see Amadeus.
It's one of the great movies, imo. Especially the way it depicts the way music works (any "real" music, anyway : harmonics, melodies and such all follow the same rules no matter which style).
Go watch it, you won't regret it. :)
I know right? Rewatching my Amadeus Bluray now as we speak lol
+Ronnie Derrell
The "regular" cut is all you need, in my opinion. If you really love the movie, give the director's cut a try a few months/years/later.
It's just not really necessary, the good bits are all in the normal version, the longer one just Explores a few details... quite a bit. :)
buckfifty90
Hehe !
As they say, everybody has 50 movies in their top 10... but to me, that one definitely is on the podium. The real one. :)
I don't know what the other two are, but I don't care.
After a bit of google-fu, it seems like the last time a "theatrical version" (the Oscar winning one) was released was ... in 1997 on laserdisc. Damn, I feel old.
Seems like the guys who did the Star Wars despecialized editions are on the case, though... Maybe there's a short version floating around (well, it'd be around 2.5 hrs anyway, if memory serves), I'll keep an eye on it, out of curiosity (talking about curiosity, i'll check, but I think I have an old divx burnt in 2001... time to snoop around).
Anyway, well worth it even at 3hrs. Added scenes drag a bit, but... There's worse than that in life ^^
this is my favorite video of yours because it’s incredibly well-researched. i loved your interpretation because it’s really what i’ve been saying all these years. i really hate when people take the “historical” aspect to full-value as well, because it takes away the nuances of salieri’s retelling and how he told his story in a literal mental hospital (he was there for a reason, y’know!). amazing movie, great analysis
We are forgetting that the play is not intended to be historical but is touching upon universal human themes. Why are some people talented? Where does that talent come from. Is it fair that some are blessed with such great skills even if there personal integrity and morality is wanting? This is what the play and movie are about. It seems even the question of of historical accuracy is beside the point.
I have an idea for another editorial: Does the rating system matter anymore? You complained about how Frozen and Finding Dory have no reason to be PG, yet they feel like they need to because people tend to translate G to stuff like Barney. You also said Mask of the Phantasm realizes that PG means more than what others think. At the same time, it feels like a requirement for horror films to be rated R. Plus you have more and more kids going to see R rated films, especially Deadpool, that people are caring less and less about what their kids are watching. Is our rating system neglected or is it obsolete?
Honest question: what's the last rated G movie you can remember? It's all PG now. The rating system is both neglected AND obsolete.
Most movies that are rated G usually ends up being box office bombs, so in order to make a profit as well as sell more tickets, they need to be PG. PG does stand today for Practically G. I grew up with real PG movies like Return to Oz and Watership down. That was PG then. PG movies now: Inside out, Kung fu Panda and Frozen
I see more PG-13 horror movies these days than R rated ones, because they feel they need to hit the teenage demographic, and most teenagers can't walk into an R rated film unaccompanied.
I think we are still a long ways away from rating systems being obsolete, but you are right - as cultural norms change, so too do ratings. I also remember the good ol' days when PG films were edgy and PG-13 films were...really edgy. We didn't need to see 'R' rated films because we got to feel 'cool' and 'adult' just with the PG-13s. *sigh*
kim daniel thorkildsen
I understand Kung-Fu Panda, but Inside Out? They forgot PG stands for Parental Guidance and G stands for General.
They really need to do more films about composers, there are many who had much more interesting lives than Mozart (eg: Shostakovich) or were even more unusual creative figures.
Have you seen All The Mornings of the World, about Saint-Colombe? Almost all of the music in the movie is performed by Jordi Savall. It's one of the most wonderful movies I've ever watched.
I don't think directors of this age are capable of such a thing.
Check out Immortal Beloved. It's a Beethoven film. It got mixed reviews, but I personally like it. It's DEFINITELY based on speculation rather than actual Beethoven history.
Shos already got one with Ben Kingsley from '87 (saw bits of it on Ovation one time)
Have you seen Ken Russel's "song of summer" about the composer Delius?
Never saw this one before. I'm glad found it. Looks like Mozard was a mix between the Genius of Dr. House and the mental instability of Tony Stark...all focused to music. A mad man genius both delighted and tormented by his gifted talent.
He mostly just House, a genius, yet not socially adept and prone to saying things he really shouldn't. He was also just a pervert who cracked innappropiate jokes all the time despite living in High Society.
This is one of the best movies about music EVER. The passion the characters have for music is just awesome.
This has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. A few years ago, I stumbled upon the director's cut version. I would recommend it. It has about 30 minutes additional film (which I know, it a lot when it's already a long movie) which fleshes out the relationship between Salieri and Mozart's wife a bit more. It has a few more scenes depicting Mozart's fall into financial ruin. It's not necessary, I suppose, but I really appreciated the additional scenes. This isn't always the case. Often times, less is more, but for anyone who enjoys the film, check out the director's cut (if you haven't already, of course).
Fun Fact: One of Mozart's known works is a little number titled "Leck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauber". Yeah, try looking up the translation of that song. And while you're at it, a performance of it by some elementary school girls is on UA-cam.
"Lick my ass fine pretty clean"?
WTF?!?!
areasevenpro it means "lick my ass clean"
Lick my ass and clean!? Oh my God it encourages analingus. What a sick fuck he was!
"Lick me in the arse, nice and clean."
As a classical musician, I appreciate this film for bringing one of the greatest composers in the history of this planet into more of the public eye. Even though it certainly has inaccuracies, it is a delightful and deep film, saluting a great god of music.
I actually wrote a paper on this exact subject, if you care. Which you... don't.
give a summary on what you said please
I gave three similarities and differences between the film and reality that I totally thought up myself and didn't just use a five minute Google search.
***** i was obsessed with mozart and watch the movie and thought the movie was pretty accurate at points
BassSinger97 from some things i read they say that mozart actually laughed with like a high pitch or somewhat like the way he laughes in the film
I'm interesting
[SPOILER WARNING] Before watching this video, I know the things they got right were:
-Mozart's genius talent
-The fact he didn't handle money very well
-He was buried in a mass grave (was a law passed by the Emperor; Mozart wasn't THAT poor)
-He actually did have a dirty sense of humor (his letters to family)
-A basic rivalry with Salieri (the movie exaggerates it quite a bit)
Honestly, Mozart's personality in the movie seems rather endearing to me. Yes, he's pretty much a giggling idiot, but he is committed to his work. Work that is practically perfect in every way.
The one thing that makes me really like Amadeus, is the fact that my opinions on the two most prominent characters completely switched the closer it got to the end. At first, I kind of liked Salieri, and rolled my eyes at Mozart. Mr. Salieri seemed kind enough, and suddenly the cocky Mozart walks in and unknowingly makes himself a hindrance to Salieri's talent. I hated Mozart, and sympathized with Salieri. When Salieri first spread that rumor (that Mozart wasn't to be trusted alone with a woman or younger girl), I was just like *well this'll probably teach Mozart a lesson, then he'll eventually get a job*, but then Salieri just goes too far to make Mozart suffer, because he used Mozart's grief for his fathers death to his advantage. And it's because of him that Mozart overworks himself to death (LITERALLY). Then, I realized that Mozart was suffering for no reason, and Salieri was becoming a deranged sadist obsessed with Mozart's work yet also full of seething and unreasonable hatred towards Mozart. Soon, I began to hate Salieri, and sympathize with Mozart.
Crap, that comment took too long to write, and I gotta get back to homework. *Puts video on Watch Later*
I watched the movie after seeing this. It's on Netflix, and it's amazing.
The end is what really got me
the music is what got me
In Germany you can't watch it on Netflix, or maybe I'm jst blind. Noone knows
I actually watched this movie in my middle school music class
me too!
Same here. Thou.. We were class with special subject being music. So it was big part of our learning of composers and keeping it interesting.
You watches an R-rated film in middle school?
I can't remember was it in 7th, 8th or 9th grade.. But here the rating is not_under_12_years_olds for that movie. You're at least 12 when you go to 7th grade.
Depends how late you have born or did you go year earlier to school. Most children are already 13 years old.
We probably watched it 8th/9th grade anyway.. It wasn't scary or anything and we did understand it. So I don't see any problems.
everyone did
For a long time, I didn't like this movie. I only started to like it as an adult. Why? Because in elementary school/junior high band, when our band teacher was out for whatever reason, his substitute would always put this on. So I watched it dozens of times against my will. I can probably quote entire scenes from this movie, but hand me a clarinet and I'll have no clue how to play it... and I played it for THREE AND A HALF YEARS.Thanks for that, Mr. Lancaster...
Impressive how Mozart's life is poorly known. The man is one of the biggest names in music history and lived only 200 years ago. An anonymous person might have all of his/her life forgotten within a generation, but not a person whose work is so lively praised and well known even centuries later. And when you think that we assume history books are so accurate about antiquity empires and their rulers who lived millenia ago, it's weird that there's so much mystery about the life of someone who lived during the enlightenment era, among the elite, where writting was rather commonplace. It makes me think that we actually know very little about history, with most of the gaps filled by assumptions or by our imagination. WHo was the first king of Rome? What caused Magnus Alexander's death? Who were the celtic peoples? The German peoples? All we have are pieces of pottery, the story of some people about another people, a poem, a myth... and a handful of reliable accounts in between. Thus, history is the novel we write by putting the pieces together and by assuming a lot of things. WE know nothing, actually
Extremely well said Maximilian Dumglscnvnonv22838 nkjr
Wow, so well said!! 😁✌
You are a genius in a comedian's costume. All these years I am still in awe of your skills and knowledge and sheer power through words. You are probably one of the only people I can think of that could keep up with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
Spoilers!
He makes good music
Good analysis Critic. "Amadeus" is a best musical experience I had ever seen. This is Doug's 2nd favorite film of all time in "Doug's Top 20 Favorite Films of All Time." Also, "Amadeus won several Academy Awards including Best Picture of the Year in 1984.
'How true is Amadeus'
...
*Rises slowly from behind wine counter*
'That's a very good question-'
So the impression of this film is like how a UA-camr makes only one 10 minute video so that's how long they spent making that video, and in no way did that 10 minute video take hours or even days to get onto the screen.
Yep.
That's accurate, yes.
The Boss Stage1
There's a common idea held by a lot of people who both don't understand how video making works and don't really respect it, and that idea is that video making is extremely easy and quick. So, they believe that a very short video took a very short amount of time to make. This is, of course, true in some cases if the video has very little editing, but depending on the subject of the video, a 10 minute video can take hours if not days if the creator really puts the effort into making the best video they can.
You bad. You go away!
*****
What?
I am a pleb in movies unlike you, but I thought I knew music and this blew me away. This is amazing, thank you.
I'm sure you learned long ago to keep your distance from the comments, so you'll likely never hear this, but I saw Amadeus after seeing it in your top 20 favorite films, and I can't thank you enough. It is such an unbelievably good movie. I'm not informed at all when it comes to classical music, but in terms of full albums just listened to from start to finish, I think the Amadeus soundtrack is probably the one I've listened to most since seeing the film. The music is incredible, and having it anchored to the film just makes it so much more enjoyable for me. Thank you thank you thank you :)
You know, I'm surprised that no one's ever made a major motion picture about Ludwig van Beethoven. I mean, we all know about his deafness, but how many know that it may have been a symptom of a wider disease or disorder, possibly an auto-immune disease? Or that he may have also had bipolar disorder, causing him to be very irritable and have numerous fallouts and make-ups with friends and family members? The guy was a proto-rockstar, a musical genius with numerous problems. The story could almost write itself!
Oh... there are Beethoven movies. They are just not pretty. The most well known are Immortal Beloved and Copying Beethoven. They are both awful.
There was a major motion picture about Beethoven actually. Immortal Beloved. Gary Oldman plays Beethoven. Though I would not recommend it. It really mostly focuses on the part of his life with the immortal beloved issue and the ending was pretty awful. I personally felt that they didn't really capture Beethoven's spirit in the film. Rather than focusing on a vague part of his life, I feel that the film should have been more about Beethoven and his work, not about his love life. Especially since it was unsuccessful for the great composer. Beethoven is my favorite composer and it disappoints me that there is not an amazing film about him. His life was fascinating!
There IS a Beethoven movie out there... It's called A Clockwork Orange. Check it out!
Copying Beethovan is pretty bad, but Gary Oldman in Immortal Beloved does capture Beethovan somewhat well from the letters and discussion written about him at the time. The love story, on the other hand, is like Doug talking about Salieri, it is an over-romanticized piece of hogwash and it is more interesting to see Gary Oldman play the roll and his interpretation of said persona, ignore the love hexagon of shit, and love it for the acting towards the mythos surrounding the composer.
Copying Beethoven had potential, but it wrote itself into a corner. They couldn't come out and say at the end that Anna became a respected composer (because we'd know it wasn't true IRL), so they just had her walk off at the end with no closure, which made the story fall flat.
SO FUCKING HYPED FOR CHIPMUNKS REVIEW!!! Who's with me!!
I! Wait... am I doing it wrong?
Cinema Snob better show up in it.
I hate those Alvin films so much (and this is coming from someone who was never a fan of the cartoon at all), and I can't wait to see goodol' Dougie rip those squeakshitfests a new one.
YASS!
Me
I'm a huge history buff. But people need to stop criticizing historical movies for inaccuracies. There are documentaries for that. In my opinion, history based movies' role is to make the viewers interested in the past enough to go and research the facts on their own.
I don't really mind historical fiction cause it at least engaged me to understand what happened
Also, most people don't seem to be aware that biographies have a weird sister: so -called hagiographies. Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" is an example of one. Hagiographies aren't about the precise depiction of someone's biography, but an idealisation of it.
Been a while, but I once listened to the piano works of Salieri, followed by those of Mozart, and that's when it struck me: they were flip sides of one coin. Mozart, even though knowing about the dark, twisted, sad things happening in the world, at his deepest core was still a happy, joyous person, whereas Salieri not only embraced, but lived and expressioned himself through said tristesse. Again, this is just what listening to their individual music styles lead me to believe; I have nothing to back it up
"Yeah, and the guy from 'Animal House' was in it!"
I loved Amadeus, I was expecting to have a fun time talking to others in the comments... instead I see the top comments going to someone talking about pokemon, and the rest with how excited people are for Alvin and the Chipmunks... FML.
I watched this movie on Netflix yesterday after having watched this editorial the week before. Take that big media companies who say using footage hurts sales of what's being reviewed
Fun fact if you didn't like the movie the historical inaccuracies are all you would talk about
"Simply tell them your reason for liking it simply has too many notes for them to understand." Perfect. Using that one. ;)
Duet was written after a three-day drinking binge on a hangover. that just adds to how awesome Mozart is.
I feel like I’m the only child who actually understands and loves Amadeus
Absolutely. A great flick. It has been in my own personal top ten since I first saw it. The magic of Amadeus is in how it lifts classical music (not just Mozart's) out of the realm of the dry and the dusty and into a place where it can be loved as something truly dynamic and vital. A point my own mother tried to make to me for many years but it still took this wonderful film to finally drive it home. I think I will pull it off the shelf and watch it agian this evening.
Amadeus is a lovely movie. Even if it was a bit historically inaccurate, which it really isn't, I would still love it.
Many artists hate being called talented. But Mozart really shows he did have talent. He was terrible at many things and immature so he most likely didn't care much of other's opinion or learning. But this only makes his talent more true since he was an amazing composer regardless of his upbringing
My favorite fact about Mozart is that he wrote a song called "Leck mich im Arsch" which roughly translates to "Kiss My Ass," and honestly I think it's the best thing ever.
Yea what the fuck, the movie said like 6000 times that motzart worked hard, and the only person who said salieri was mediocre was salieri
God, this movie is so good. I need to go watch it again now.
damn I haven't seen this movie in years.
As of writing this reply, it's currently on Netflix streaming. Maybe you should re-watch it?
Tyler Tourk perfect!
I saw Amadeus with a live orchestra last week and it was AMAZING! It's such a phenomenal movie! Thanks for making this vid!
You should totally do a series like this. How true is schindlers list, or lincoln, or the imitation game
Being that the movie was a comedy/satire about being the second best guy in anything, I would imagine much was changed for the sake of the punchline.
For all of us who pray at the shrine for "The Patron Saint of the Mediocre", It was hilarious.
I don't think I really trust Doug with factual accuracy. He did think that Notre Dame was a town, after all.
We'd probably think that too at first {its the bell tower right, I think its the belltower}
+EeveeParty97 it's a football team.
It's Paris in the 1400s and they said it was Paris 8 times.
We all know what will be in the next top 11 fuck ups
+Wuffleluv If Douchey ever gets out of the Plot Hole.
Watch the HistoryBuffs review. Trust me on this one.
Thanks Christina :)
Oh hell yeah! How you doin man? Hey, did you already reveal the next movie you'll review or is it still pending?
Crap, you beat me to it!
It's Saving Private Ryan :)
elfofiron Awesome! Thanks!
I love this movie, one of the best ever made. Sadly Peter Shaffer, who wrote the original stage play as well as the screenplay adaptation, passed away a month ago. RIP
For me the video started buffering at 5:02 and that creepy mask was constantly staring at me.
Great, now I have two of my favorite channels are dissecting the historical accuracy of this movie.
history buffs
Knew it
Come on critic, you didn't even touch on how the idea of "Saliari killed mozart" started out as basically a proto- German-nationalistic rumor that had no basis in reality, or that Saliari was still popular up to his death
I’m interested
The movie is not perfectly historically accurate, but there is a lot of accuracy. The film is art, that romantasised his story.
The most impressive thing about this movie, is that it evokes deeply nuanced emotions. The emotions of amazing talent, being overcome by contempt Mozart recieved ,and the downward spiral of self indulgence and self torture. It is a movie which does what a great wok of music is supposed to do. It captivates your fascination. It captures you, and forces you to experience it. It drowns you in it's expression. This movie has the power and effect, of a great work of music. It overwhelms you.
This film by Miloš Forman is an absolute and undeniable chef-d'œuvre. If we should ever encounter an alien race from outer space, Mozart's music should represent us all.
History Buffs anyone?
Oh, he's in the comments
Right above you actually
I love Amadeus. It's on Netflix if anyone wants to see it. I give full marks!
Seeing a Balding man's thinning hair spiked up is never not hilarious.
This is one of my favorite movies and it really inspired me to study more of Mozart's music
Doug- thanks for talking about this movie. As a music teacher, I have to agree with you on most everything that you discussed. You pretty much hit every single nail on the head regarding the historical accuracy of the movie.