710. Amadeus

Amadeus
1984
Directed by Milos Forman

I am not a big fan of classical music.  It's embarrassing, but I have never even seen an opera and therefore, have never had my Pretty Woman moment.  I went to a symphony a couple of years ago with my brother, but we left during intermission when it was clear we weren't supposed to have candy inside.  It's important to have priorities.  Anyway, I obviously don't know anything about the subject matter but actually ended enjoying myself quite a bit.

After an attempted suicide, Antonio Salieri recounts to a priest his bitter rivalry with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which ended with the latter's death.  Of course, Mozart is out of Salieri's league talent wise (and, let's face it, looks wise and laugh wise too) that it's like if I declared Keira Knightley my nemesis.  Which, after looking at her husband, I might just do.

Okay, I have to complain about the length first.  It was three hours long and I can point to at least forty minutes that were dispensable.  All right, I had to get that in.  Was anyone else reminded of Barry Lyndon watching this film?  I loved how Kubrick never took the "period drama" genre too seriously (which is probably the only thing in his life he didn't take too seriously) and Forman brought me back to that.   And the score delighted even me, which was probably because I didn't feel overly pressured to praise its brilliance.

Still, not without its dead time and if I watch it again I might just skip the middle hour.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

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

There is some circumstantial evidence that Salieri was sleeping with Mozart's wife.