# Amadeus (1984)

### reviewed by
E. Benjamin Kelsey

    AMADEUS
    (PG)

    Directed by Milos Forman
    Running Time: 158 minutes
    Originally Released: 1984

    Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey

    * * * * (out of four)

There is an excruciatingly fine line between madman and genius. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart seemed to dance along that line like a tightrope walker at a three ring circus. AMADEUS thrills it's audience with an excellent interpretation of both sides of one of the greatest composers the world has ever known.

After a suicide attempt, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham in an Academy Award winning role), winds up in a mental institution. Once the court composer for Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones), it is in this institution that the story of AMADEUS is related by Salieri to a priest. He tells how his jealousy for Mozart (Tom Hulce) led to a disdain for God, the God who put the passion but not the talent inside of him. He tells how his own cravings for what Mozart possessed led to his, and Mozart's, demise.

AMADEUS is a look at Salieri and the insane jealousy he held for Mozart. From the time he was a little boy, music consumed Salieri's soul. He wanted nothing more than to be a legacy in the musical world; a genius whose name would live on forever, synonymous with "great music". Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart seemed to ruin all that for him. Mozart's musical masterpieces tortured Salieri's own shortcomings. Salieri watched in silent rage as Mozart went on to do all the things he dreamed to do. He watched as his own work was mocked by the irreverent Mozart. Eventually it would be the passion that these two shared that would bring the downfall of each.

There isn't much more of a plot than that. It's simply a biographical film that's just as much about Salieri as it is about Mozart. What makes this film so great isn't the story line so much as the perfection in it's presentation. Abraham and Hulce are both brilliant, the costumes are fantastic, and the emotional involvement is surprisingly rich. Never would you suspect that Mozart was such a comical, improper, yet intellectual being. This is also a wonderful lesson in classical music as we get a hefty does of Mozart's work. Then there is one of the final scenes: On his deathbed, Mozart dictates the music in his head to Salieri. Words can not describe how perfect this scene is. The way it portrays Mozart's genius *is* ingenious! It is so well done that I would sit through this movie over and over again just to see it. It's truly one of the most brilliant, most moving, and well done pieces of film I have ever seen!

Sometimes it is just as hard to say why a film should get four stars as it is to say why it shouldn't. A lot of times, it's just a matter of the way it makes you feel. While AMADEUS, at times, moved at a slow but hectic pace, it is still such a well done film that it needs four stars for there to be any justice. It isn't for everyone, and, like any biography, whether it be a movie or a book, it can be technical and "boring" to the right (or wrong) people. While it is hard to pinpoint exactly *why* this film is great, it simply is. It's probably not something you'll want to sit through again and again, but it is a brilliant piece of work. Even if you only see it once, AMADEUS deserves to be seen.

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