Amadeus also won Oscars for Best Actor (F. Murray Abraham),
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Director,
Best Makeup, Best Sound, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material
from Another Medium. The film is adapted from a play by Peter Schaffer,
which won the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play.
As the movie begins, we meet Salieri, in the midst of a nervous breakdown,
feeling guilty about something he had done to Mozart when he was young.
Through flashbacks, we get that story.
Since this is Salieri's tale, we follow things from his point of view.
We see how he had loved music from a young age but been raised in a
poor family that could not afford and did not value music enough to
allow him to focus on it like Mozart did. In Salieri's mind, that's
the reason that he didn't achieve the same amount of fame. Yet, it soon
becomes clear that he's competing with somebody who has a natural ability,
whereas Salieri has to work hard for everything he does.
Salieri becomes a court composer for a very officious nobleman played
by Jeffrey Jones, a man who understands he should appreciate culture
but really doesn't get it. He once, for example, critiq ues a new composition
by complaining there are "too many notes."
From afar, Salieri has admired Mozart due to his reputation. When he
first meets him, however, he is shocked to discover the man behind the
beautiful music is crude, silly and ridiculous. In Salieri's mind, Mozart
does not value or deserve the gifts he has received from God. Of course,
Mozart knew nothing else from a very young age, performing in lavish
homes.
As portrayed in this film (I'm not sure how much is true), Mozart was
one of the first child stars, who fell victim to exactly the same sort
of excesses that plague young stars today. I think the contrast between
him performing in front of a drawing room full of people, while Salieri
is playing with friends, is striking. It shows us how little grounding
Mozart would have in normal behavior.
Telling this story from Salieri's point of view is a brilliant move,
because it is far easier for most viewers to identify with him. I'm
sure we've all found ourselves in a position where we envied those in
our field who seem to have enormous success gifted to them, as if by
God. In this film, Salieri takes that envy to the extreme, allowing
it to consume him. While, in a sense, he blames his mediocrity on the
fact that Mozart is stealing the light, he's really stealing his own
light by focusing on his jealousy instead of learning from Mozart and
improving his own craft.
That's one of the reasons this movie, I believe, did so well. Yes,
it's got beautiful costumes, dramatic music, and fantastic locations.
But it's also got complicated characters and a great story that holds
lessons modern viewers can appreciate.
The attention to detail on the sets was fantastic, including shooting
in some of the actual theaters where Mozart's operas had been performed.
In addition, the costumes were based on sketches made for the original
operas. The entire film was shot with natural light, which helped to
give it a more authentic feel. Much of it was shot in Prague, a good
stand-in for Vienna because it had escaped modernization under communist
rule. Careful attention was paid to the filming so that the keys struck
on the piano match up with the music. In fact, Hulce practiced for four
hours a day to appear convincing. It's truly no wonder that Amadeus
won so many awards.
The most fascinating thing about this movie is its exploration of how
creativity works. It's true that there are always going to be people
who seem graced by God with a divine gift that seems to come effortlessly,
while the majority of people in the creative arts have to work and labor
hard to learn their craft. Since the majority of us are Salieris, it's
easy to look at the Mozarts of the world and despair, to be jealous
of their success. Really, we should do what Salieri failed to do: be
inspired by them and learn from them. Continue to perfect your own craft.
Rating: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
