Amadeus (1984)

The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was insanely jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Peter Shaffer (original stage play), Peter Shaffer (original screenplay)

Stars:

F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge

Top Rated Movies #83 | Won 8 Oscars. Another 34 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
F. Murray Abraham	...	Antonio Salieri
Tom Hulce	...	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Constanze Mozart
Roy Dotrice	...	Leopold Mozart
Simon Callow	...	Emanuel Schikaneder
Christine Ebersole	...	Katerina Cavalieri
Jeffrey Jones	...	Emperor Joseph II
Charles Kay	...	Count Orsini-Rosenberg
Kenneth McMillan	...	Michael Schlumberg (2002 Director's Cut)
Kenny Baker	...	Parody Commendatore
Lisbeth Bartlett	...	Papagena (as Lisabeth Bartlett)
Barbara Bryne	...	Frau Weber
Martin Cavina	...	Young Salieri (as Martin Cavani)
Roderick Cook	...	Count Von Strack
Milan Demjanenko	...	Karl Mozart

Storyline

Antonio Salieri believes that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music is divine and miraculous. He wishes he was himself as good a musician as Mozart so that he can praise the Lord through composing. He began his career as a devout man who believes his success and talent as a composer are God's rewards for his piety. He's also content as the respected, financially well-off, court composer of Austrian Emperor Joseph II. But he's shocked to learn that Mozart is such a vulgar creature, and can't understand why God favored Mozart to be his instrument. Salieri's envy has made him an enemy of God whose greatness was evident in Mozart. He is ready to take revenge against God and Mozart for his own musical mediocrity.

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Plot Keywords:

opera | composer | classical composer | 1800s | female stockinged leg | 

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Taglines:

The man... The music... The madness... The murder... The motion picture...

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

F. Murray Abraham was in the make-up chair for an average of 4.5 hours each day he played the old age Salieri.

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Goofs

During "The Abduction from the Seraglio" performance, we see Kappelmeister Bonno watching from the box seat with two ladies flanking him. Milos Forman had the actors, including the extras in the adjacent box seat, remain in their positions to film a brief shot for a scene later in the movie (during "The Marriage of Figaro" opera, where we see Kappelmeister Bonno tapping his nose and smiling because the Emperor yawned). The result of this economical use of equipment and actors is that Kappelmeister Bonno, flanking ladies and extras all appear to have attended both operas sitting in the same seats and wearing the exact same clothing, wigs, jewelry and makeup.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The producer, screenplay writer and director thank the following for their boundless assistance in our effort to present the physical authenticity and aura you have seen and felt in "Amadeus": -The National Theatre of Czechoslovakia and Prague's Tyl Theatre management for allowing us to film in the Tyl sequences from the operas: "Abduction from the Seraglio," "The Marriage of Figaro," and "Don Giovanni." It was actually in this magnificently preserved theatre that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premiere performance of "Don Giovanni" on October 29, 1787. -His Eminence Cardinal Frantisek Tomasek for his kindness in permitting us to use his beautiful residence headquarters in Prague as the Emperor's palace. -The Barrandov Studios and CS Filmexport for their help in filming "Amadeus" in Prague and in castles and palaces throughout Czechoslovakia.

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Alternate Versions

The 1997 DVD release of this film contains the theatrical cut. All subsequent releases including the Blu-ray format contain the director's cut.

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Connections

Referenced in Zilch (2002)

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Soundtracks

Axur, Re d'Ormus: Act IV: Son Queste Le Speranze
(uncredited)
Written by Antonio Salieri

User Reviews

The Movie That Made Me Appreciate Mozart

Before I saw this movie, I respected Mozart's genius, but his music wasn't my cup of tea. Beethoven was more to my taste, I tended more toward heavier classics. But this movie moved me to tears, especially at the end when they did Mozart's REQUIEM while he was working on what was to be his last piece of music. Now, I'm a Mozart fiend. This was a great movie. True, there are some historical inaccuracies. Anyone who has studied music history knows that Sallieri did not help Mozart with his Requiem. It was a student of his named Sussmayer. But it does make this story ironic, that the man who was so dedicated to the ruination of Mozart ended up helping him in the end. (I question the historical accuracy of that as well.) I recently bought the director's cut to this movie. Until I saw the director's cut, Sallieri seemed like a more sympathetic character, someone who just couldn't buy a break. Who can't identify with that? But after seeing the director's cut and seeing what I think is an important scene between Sallieri and Mozart's wife, he seemed more like a jerk. You also understand why Frau Mozart was so rude to Sallieri at the end of the movie, whereas before, you see the next to the last scene and you think, "Whoa! Where did this come from?" This was a great movie, for entertainment value only. If you want historical accuracy, watch a documentary or read a biography from the library or something. Because of this movie, I am now a rabid Mozart fan. If the movie can make Mozart converts, then it can't be bad at all.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA France Czechoslovakia Italy

Language:

English Italian Latin German

Release Date:

19 September 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amadeus: The Director's Cut

Filming Locations:

Tyl Theatre, Plzen, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$505,276, 23 September 1984

Gross USA:

$51,973,029

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$52,066,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

AMLF, The Saul Zaentz Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min 180 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1