Amadeus: Director's Cut (1984)

Somehow Milos Forman’s Oscar laden film based on a fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and fellow composer Antonio Sallieri had completely passed me by until now. Winner of eight Oscars, Forman’s magnum opus is deserving of all of them, most notably F. Murray Abraham for best actor as Sallieri. That’s certainly not to play down Tom Hulce’s performance as Mozart himself; his transformation from adolescent womanizer to worn out drunk at such an early age is made more heartbreaking by the way the film plays this downward spiral off against the self inflicted jealous lunacy of Sallieri. The film constructs a rivalry between Sallieri and the young Mozart; but it’s only a rivalry that Sallieri seems to acknowledge. For the most part, Mozart seems eager to please Sallieri, while Sallieri himself almost invents the conflict and hatred, blaming God himself for burdening him with the genius of the young man; that for all Sallieri respects Mozart’s miraculous music, Mozart’s haphazard approach to the high life means he isn’t deserving of the talent handed to him from on high. I wouldn’t be interested in watching the theatrical cut after watching this extended version; I’m aware of bits that were chopped and in my opinion, they enormously add to the story, especially a certain scene fairly early on which cements Sallieri’s attitude to Mozart, ensuring his actions mean there’s no going back for him. The film is astonishing in scope and scale, and it sounds almost foolish to say it but the use of music is on a pedestal of perfection like that of the music itself. We know the music is the work of genius, but the way in which it’s edited and attributed in the film borders on the remarkable, ensuring you almost want to stand and applaud at the end of each musical sequence. Towards the very end there is a scene in which Sallieri and Mozart are combining to compose a requiem (I won’t say why) but the bouncing rapport between the two characters is masterful, turning the sequence into a thrilling, yet chilling experience. As I say, I haven’t seen the theatrical cut, but if you have the option, you should without doubt track down this version. 8.6/10