Viewed in
2010
Premise
The genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is witnessed through the jealous eyes of his colleague and rival, Antonio Salieri.
Loved
Beautiful classical music, fantastic acting, the "Requiem" scene.
Thoughts
A fantastic musical and cinematic experience.
I am probably an average fan of classical music. Yet I loved every song in this film. This film gave me a deeper appreciation for the intricate depth and layers in Mozart's works. I wanted to pump up the volume, just to soak every note and chord. In addition, I have never heard Mozart with vocals, so the operas were quite interesting. Imagine how much more vibrant and engrossing for my ears had I been watching this in a 5.1 sound system.
Though I was a little sad to discover that the plot was too good to be true, it was really, really good. To see Mozart through a mortal's eye was ingenious and an excellent method to care for Mozart's character. After all, most of us cannot relate to such a genius. In addition, I was able to empathize with Salieri, who was technically the antagonist.
The acting was as wonderful as the music, especially F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce as Salieri and Mozart, respectively. Abraham owned his character, masterfully showing us the joy of listening to artistic greatness, and at the same time being eaten alive by his own mediocrity. Hulce, on the other hand, got the flashy job of being a rebellious, crude, and child-like genius. And that laugh! Oh, so delightful.
This film was before his time, but Hulce's performance actually reminded me of Michael Jackson. Both were former child prodigies deprived of normal childhoods, thus had a distorted child-like need as adults.
My favorite scene was Salieri attempting to dictate "Requiem" while Mozart was bed-ridden, gravely ill. Music, story, acting, and director Milos Forman's execution converged to create greatness. I loved how easily the genius flowed from Mozart, how Salieri set aside his internal conflicts for the sake of art. Plot-wise, Mozart had to explain each each section, piece by piece for Salieri to understand, but at the same time, the film exposes to the audience the inner workings of a masterpiece. As the pieces of the puzzle assembled, a cinematic crescendo rose like a tidal wave of movie magic. Sometimes words cannot accurate describe the joy of basking in great art. Such is one example.
The movie length of two hours and forty minutes was intimidating, but the time needed for the audience to listen and appreciate the music as well as Abraham and Hulce's performances. I would have preferred less scenes in the madhouse, Salieri narrating the story, but it really was a joy to see Abraham's acting, as his character indulged in his memories of Mozart's music.
My only complaint was camera technique. My cinematography knowledge is lacking, but I assumed they used wide lenses. In any case, there were numerous scenes, in which images on the sides were distractingly distorted. Not sure if it was the camera's fault or the lenses' fault.
As a movie and music lover, I adored this film, and it deserved its accolades. It will forever belong in my pantheon of memorable and re-watchable films.
What I would change
Nothing.
