1984--Amadeus, Milos Forman

1984—Amadeus, Milos Forman

Nominated: The Killing Fields, A Passage to India, Places in the Heart, A Soldier's Story

Should have won: Amadeus

Be sure to see: Beverly Hills Cop, Cloak and Dagger, Ghostbusters, Karate Kid, The Neverending Story, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Stop Making Sense, The Terminator, Toxic Avenger

“I am endowed with talent and you with money. If I offer mine you should offer yours.”--Wolfgang Mozart

     One of the great things about movies and televisions and plays is the concept of acting. It is unfortunate that actors can get typecast but when you act you play various roles; it is the nature of the profession. I bring this up because in this deep and elegant film you will find the lead who was in Animal House, the lead female part who was in The Funhouse a movie made by the man who brought you Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and the role of the Emperor who is played by the principal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Though they portrayed quirky characters separately in other roles, together, along with an extremely talented behind-the-camera crew, they produce this gorgeous pictorial of a timeless composer.

     The winner of an octet of Academy Awards, Amadeus follows the genius composer's life through the telling of his peer and rival Antonio Saleri, who is now in an insane asylum. Brilliant makeup by The Exorcist makeup wizard Dick Smith aged Saleri magnificently. Fittingly, for a movie about one of the greatest composers in history, the music drives the story. Director Milos Forman says it is possibly the first movie to have music as its leading character. I like this idea but I'm sure it wasn't the first. American Graffiti comes to mind, though that is soundtrack and not score. But the score is fantastic and the settings in Vienna are extremely authentic to the times. In fact, nothing even had to be changed because the locations look like they are right out of the era.

     It is mentioned that Mozart wrote his fist concerto at the age of four, symphony at seven and full scale opera at twelve. Pretty impressive for such a goofball. Or so Tom Hulce's performance would have us believe. I'm no history major so I'm not sure what Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was really like. In this pictorial of him, his laugh and demeanor are, well, downright silly.

     All the performances are stellar but Jeffrey Jones as Emperor Joseph II and Elizabeth Berridge as Constanze Mozart were my favorites. The best scene was when Mozart, bedridden after collapsing at an Opera, begins dictating The Requiem to Salieri. Amadeus is a curious title. I'm wondering why they didn't call it “Wolfgang”; Amadeus isn't even Mozart's middle name. It means “loves God”. Add it to Monster's Ball and The Jerk to movies where the title doesn't make sense. But the movie is completely deserving of the award and a monumental achievement. But I feel like other people might appreciate it more than I did. It was a very stimulating film to the eyes and ears but it just isn't my type of story, I suppose. But that doesn't mean I don't have a lot of appreciation for its accomplishments.