Well it's been a long time since I've been reviewing the best picture winners, especially since there aren't a whole lot left to review, so let's go back to them with the last winner from the 80's to review: Amadeus.
Plot: The film begins with an old Antonio Salieri who attempts suicide only to be stopped and put into a lunitic asylum. Later a young priest comes to take his confession, and so Salieri tells the priet his story about how he was devoted to god and music growing up to the point of becoming the court composer for the Holy Roman Emperor. But then he comes across Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who despite his criticism from the court and occasionally even the Emperor at times, is also an extremely gifted young man when it comes to music. This makes Salieri jealous and also causes him to doubt God because of how he could let someone like Mozart have so much talent. And so Salieri secretly starts a war against Mozart and against God attempting to destroy Mozart for his talent.
I first saw this film about four and a half years ago and both found it very well done but also kind of creepy. This movie was pretty well done. The acting was great, the sets and costumes were spectacular, the music helped a lot with the story with the second half of the film especially, and it's just another one of those films where so much happens and the tone goes from kind of light to really deep and dark. Considering that both F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce were nominated for best actor for this movie, I'm glad that in the end it was Abraham won as Salieri. I mean the laugh aside, Hulce did a great job as Mozart - especially when it came to how his character and everything around him were changing for the worse as the most progress. But Salieri is more the person to focus on in this story. He's the one who is fighting this war over his jealousy over Mozart's talent But it does have its issues. He's the real focus to the movie because he's the cause to a lot of things that happens and you also have to pity him. He's doubting God because someone as wild and lewd would be so much more talented with music then he is and so he's eventually fighting against not just Mozart but God himself. Part of that for me personally is because I am a Christian and so with a lot of his problems and questions, I just wish I was there and give him answers that I wish he got and would help him during all this. But unfortunately he doesn't, and so his personal war rages on resulting in what happens during most of the second half of the movie. And the second half of the movie is what creeped me out when I first saw this movie. Because everything all of the sudden turned really dark and it was really tragic and deep at how Mozart has come to really be a salve to his music and what it's doing to him on top of his other demons. The scene where the Requièm Mass in D minor by Mozart is a very dark way to conclude the film that I found to be very imitating when I first saw it. But that's my take on it the first time. I didn't get creeped watching this again, but...maybe that's because I saw it during most of the day whereas I saw it really late at night the first time...yeah I"ll stick to that. But this movie does have its problems. One is that it's a little too long. I mean I guess I can agree that it's the way its suppose to be and that there's nothing that should be taken out, but at the same time, it is 3 hours long. Another issue that some people like my brother point out is how really annoying Mozart is - particularly with his laugh. I don't hate it as much as he clearly does, but still...that can get really annoying. Also people complain that this movie is very historically inaccurate, but it's not suppose to be. In fact this movie is based on a play that is also very historically inaccurate. In fact, I've taken a Music Appreciation class a couple of years back and while some things are accurate, the story as a whole with the relationship between Mozart and Salieri is pretty fictitious. As a matter of fact, while I don't remember for sure, I fell certain that the real Mozart and Saleri never even met.
And that's my review for Amadeus. It was possibly too long, had a main character whose laugh was probably a little too annoying, and people might dislike how its historically inaccurate even though it's not suppose to be, but it otherwise is a film that had a good story, great acting, excellent music and sets, and while may be a bit creepy for me, is otherwise a very well done and enjoyable film.
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