Amadeus (1984)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Peter Shaffer (play)
Peter Shaffer (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Amadeus. The man. The music. The magic. The madness. The murder. The mystery. The motion picture.

Plot:

The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum.

Plot Keywords:

Envy | Flashback | Musician | Asylum | Catholic Priest

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 32 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

F. Murray Abraham	...	Antonio Salieri
Tom Hulce	...	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Constanze Mozart
Roy Dotrice	...	Leopold Mozart
Simon Callow	...	Emanuel Schikaneder / Papageno in 'The Magic Flute'
Christine Ebersole	...	Katerina Cavalieri / Constanza in 'Abduction from the Seraglio'
Jeffrey Jones	...	Emperor Joseph II
Charles Kay	...	Count Orsini-Rosenberg
Kenneth McMillan	...	Michael Schlumberg (2002 Director's Cut)
Kenny Baker	...	Parody Commendatore
Lisabeth Bartlett	...	Papagena
Barbara Bryne	...	Frau Weber
Martin Cavina	...	Young Salieri (as Martin Cavani)
Roderick Cook	...	Count Von Strack
Milan Demjanenko	...	Karl Mozart

Also Known As:

Amadeus: Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Amadeus: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Peter Shaffer's Amadeus: Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief nudity. (director's cut)

Runtime:

160 min | 180 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (director's cut) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (also director's cut) | Sweden:7 (director's cut) | Germany:12 (director's cut) | Iran:(Banned) (director's cut) | Malaysia:(Banned) (director's cut) | Philippines:X (director's cut) | Czech Republic:15 (director's cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (video rating) (cut) | Brazil:Livre | New Zealand:PG (director's cut) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) (director's cut) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) (director's cut) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-7 (re-rating) | Finland:S (original rating) | France:U | Hong Kong:II | Iceland:L | Mexico:C (director's cut) | Netherlands:AL (director's cut) | Norway:12 (original rating) | Norway:15 (director's cut) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All (director's cut) | Spain:T (director's cut) | Sweden:11 (original rating) | Taiwan:PG-12 | USA:PG (No. 27396) | USA:R (director's cut) | West Germany:12 | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Kromeríz, Czech Republic

Company:

The Saul Zaentz Company

Trivia:

Mel Gibson, Mick Jagger, Sam Waterston, and Tim Curry all auditioned for the role of Mozart.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Schikaneder has Mozart play the party theme in the style of Johann Sebastian Bach, which the Viennese party crowd clearly recognizes. Although the historical Mozart knew of Bach's work through his friendship with the composer's son, Bach's name and music would have been wholly unknown in the Vienna of the 1780s. Bach only became famous when Felix Mendelssohn promoted and popularized his work, nearly forty years after Mozart's death.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Salieri: Mozart! Mozart, forgive your assassin! I confess, I killed you...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Laserblast (#8.6)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Lachrymosa

A tale of talent, jealousy and tragedy

F. Murray Abraham portrays Salieri, a hard working but mediocre composer driven mad by the arrival of a ``natural'' talent, Mozart (played by Tom Hulce) in a highly political environment. The movie provides some crucial insights into the motivations of the characters, and shows both a superficial image and reveals deeper truths (e.g. Mozart appears to party all the time, but is actually a very diligent worker). I am uncertain as to the historical accuracy, but this movie (i) was entertaining, (ii) inspired a greater love and knowledge of Mozart's Music, (iii) dramatized the undoing of a great talent by both external forces and his own weaknesses (iv) has great costumes and music and (v) has a great supporting cast.