Watched this for the first time today, which is odd because I'm a massive classical music fun, and I have to say I was really impressed. It's pointless going on about the portrayal of Salieri vs. the actual historical facts (him being best buds and subservient to Mozart would make a very boring film) but I loved the way that the film used different people in Mozart's life to try and explain, at least on a surface level, how the man worked.
All historical records suggest that Mozart was something of a Savant, a simpering dullard with an amazing talent for music and with absolutely no social graces whatsoever, and as such I really liked Tom Hulce's central performance. He plays Mozart like an 18th Century rock star and it manages to convey both the dynamism of Mozart's music and the vague banality of the man himself.
Abraham is astounding as Salieri, in particular his mournfully playful older incarnation is amazing, and his scenes together with Hulce are amazing. The final scene they share together is just amazing, and heartbreaking, with Salieri failing to even transcribe Mozart's work.
Jeffery Jones is great as Joseph II, although given his personal circumstances it's always a bit off putting when he shows up in films now, and I really liked that he played the character as someone utterly in love with music on a base level. The issue with Mozart's work having 'too many notes' tells you a great deal about the temperament of the character but Jones really sells the idea of a character who is theoretically enraptured by music but only really understands it on a base level.
The music is amazing, naturally, but it's the way it's used which is amazing. Mozart transforming Salieri's march into something extraordinary is amazing to see and Salieri's descriptions of the power and beauty of Mozart's work is just amazing.
What's odd is that despite never seeing the film I felt I already had scene a number of scenes, it feels like a film where it's sort of thematically seeped into the collective conciousness somehow.
All historical records suggest that Mozart was something of a Savant, a simpering dullard with an amazing talent for music and with absolutely no social graces whatsoever, and as such I really liked Tom Hulce's central performance. He plays Mozart like an 18th Century rock star and it manages to convey both the dynamism of Mozart's music and the vague banality of the man himself.
Abraham is astounding as Salieri, in particular his mournfully playful older incarnation is amazing, and his scenes together with Hulce are amazing. The final scene they share together is just amazing, and heartbreaking, with Salieri failing to even transcribe Mozart's work.
Jeffery Jones is great as Joseph II, although given his personal circumstances it's always a bit off putting when he shows up in films now, and I really liked that he played the character as someone utterly in love with music on a base level. The issue with Mozart's work having 'too many notes' tells you a great deal about the temperament of the character but Jones really sells the idea of a character who is theoretically enraptured by music but only really understands it on a base level.
The music is amazing, naturally, but it's the way it's used which is amazing. Mozart transforming Salieri's march into something extraordinary is amazing to see and Salieri's descriptions of the power and beauty of Mozart's work is just amazing.
What's odd is that despite never seeing the film I felt I already had scene a number of scenes, it feels like a film where it's sort of thematically seeped into the collective conciousness somehow.
