NAME — Alex Williams
AGE — 11
Amadeus (1984) |
Director: Milos Forman; Length: 2 hours, 38 minutes; List Price on DVD: $19.97 |
PG for mild profanity, some sexual references; director's cut is rated R for brief nudity |
On a scale of 1 to 5 YPs, Y-Press recommends: YP YP YP YP YP |
Amadeus combines musical and acting beauty and puts them into one movie.
The movie, based on mostly facts, is about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life, 1756-1791, shown through Antonio Salieri’s growing jealousy and hatred. Salieri was a court composer in Vienna from 1788 to 1824.
Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) tells of Vienna in 1781, when Mozart was in his 20s. As Mozart’s fame grows, Salieri’s diminishes. Salieri feels that God has betrayed him. He finally resolves to eliminate Mozart (Tom Hulce) by any means necessary. Mozart soon succumbs to poverty, but his ego gets in the way of him accepting jobs he feels are beneath him, such as teaching 13-year olds. He also likes to spend money on parties.
The next step in Salieri’s evil plan is to dress in the same costume Mozart’s now-deceased father wore years ago at a costume party in Vienna. Mozart is terrified when the costumed Salieri confronts him. Combined with a desperate need for money and the conviction that he's been visited by his father's ghost, the unsettled Mozart agrees to compose a requiem for this spirit in only a few weeks' time. The work is so intense that it devastates the already fragile composer.
Indiana’s own Twyla Tharp is the choreographer and opera stager for Amadeus. Her staging of the dance scenes were extremely realistic to the time period, and her opera staging was true to Mozart’s original dramatic ideas. Amadeus includes many pieces such as Mozart’s requiem, many Operas, piano compositions, orchestra compositions, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and many others.
Tom Hulce portrayed Mozart’s immaturity, shrill laugh, and improperness perfectly. F. Murray Abraham does an excellent job of portraying Salieri’s hatred and jealousy through his ability to look menacing and full of hatred, but also to show admiration for Mozart all at the same time.
Amadeus is an excellent way for children to learn about Europe in the 18th Century. It shows accurate clothing, architecture and culture of the era. The rich could be decadent, and liked to party. The medical field was not advanced, and the city scenes showed dirt roads and 18th Century buildings.
One of the most interesting and educational parts of this movie, especially for young musicians, is being able to see how Mozart composed his music and to hear it performed. Some of his music was influenced by real life experiences and feelings. Mozart's scores were amazingly free of mistakes, and he didn’t make copies.
Amadeus won eight Oscars, 32 other awards and 13 nominations. In addition to best picture, it won Oscars for director, actor in a leading role (Abraham), best art direction, costumes, makeup, sound, and screenplay writing.
For kids -- and adults -- who are history buffs or musicians, this movie shouldn't be missed.
Copyright 2008 Y-Press