Amadeus (1984)
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An aging composer struggles with his jealousy of the prodigious talent of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The story
Set in 18th-century Vienna, the film depicts the intense rivalry between the established composer Antonio Salieri and the brilliant, albeit erratic, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri, haunted by his perceived lack of divine favor compared to Mozart's effortless genius, finds himself in a state of spiritual and professional turmoil. As he watches Mozart's career soar despite the composer's scandalous behavior, Salieri becomes consumed by a desperate need to understand why God would favor a 'reprobate' over a devoted servant. The narrative explores the psychological toll of artistic competition and the thin line between inspiration and obsession in the high-stakes world of classical music.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1823, Antonio Salieri is committed to a psychiatric hospital where he claims to have murdered Mozart. Through a series of flashbacks, the film explores their lives in 18th-century Vienna. Salieri, a court composer, views Mozart as a divine anomaly who requires no effort to create masterpieces. Salieri's resentment grows as he watches Mozart navigate the musical establishment, eventually leading Salieri to vow to destroy Mozart's career as revenge against God. The plot follows their intertwined paths through various commissions, including the works of Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Salieri eventually poses as a patron to trick a debt-ridden Mozart into composing a Requiem Mass, intending to claim the work as his own at Mozart's funeral. However, as they work together on the piece, Salieri realizes the depth of Mozart's genius. The film concludes with Mozart's death and Salieri's realization that God chose to destroy his beloved masterpiece rather than let it be shared by a man of lesser talent.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 161
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Miloš Forman
- Writers
- Peter Shaffer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- F. Murray Abraham · Antonio Salieri; Tom Hulce · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Elizabeth Berridge · Constanze; Simon Callow · Emanuel Schikaneder; Roy Dotrice; Christine Ebersole; Jeffrey Jones; Charles Kay
- Genres
- drama; biographical
- Themes
- artistic rivalry; jealousy; divine inspiration; mediocrity vs. genius
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; somber
- Premise and plot tags
- historical drama; musical; biographical
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer, inspired by Alexander Pushkin's 1830 play Mozart and Salieri.
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim and was a box office success, praised for its performances and score, though it faced criticism from music historians regarding its historical inaccuracies.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 87 · scale: out of 100 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · win; Academy Award · Best Actor · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2019.; The pink wig worn by Mozart is in the permanent exhibition of the Acadian Museum.; The soundtrack album won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Album in 1984.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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