Hello, this is Jake Winters with Eye on the Triangle with your weekly movie review. This week will be a review Amadeus. Amadeus is a historical fiction on the life of Amadeus Mozart. Even though many are familiar with Mozart’s famous works, many do not have an understanding of where the genius got his inspiration and drive from. The film is from 1984 and was very well received in its time. It won best picture at the Academy Awards during the year of its release. Since this film is old many have already reviewed and commented on it. The main reason I chose to review Amadeus is that it is a film that is well known but there are many who have not seen the film. It is a 3 hour long film (if you watch the director’s cut) and every second seems important. If any particular scene was removed or replaced something would be lost from the film.

The film is told from a rival of Mozart’s viewpoint, Antonio Salieri. Salieri was in reality interacting with Mozart on a day to day basis as the film portrays it, Though the film inserts drama to make what is historically known of Mozart’s time in Vienna more interesting for an audience. This is my main problem with the film. The story is captivating and the characters seem real, probably because they are based on real people, but there are times when the characters say certain things that just don’t fit. There is a scene where Mozart is speaking with an actor about producing some music for him and his wife interjects and is called Mozart’s manager. The phrase is common to the modern ear but during this time periodgoogle it is unlikely this would have been said about Mozart’s wife. This is not the only instance where modern diction is inserted into the films classical setting. I would not say that this ruins the film but the scenes with this use of language certainly stood out to me. The film is in English and the language they would have been speaking to each other would have been German. So it is very possible that they could have said something with a meaning that had the same effect but the way in which it was presented seemed cheesy.

Watching this film gives perspective to what we may assume about history. You may know that Mozart was a child prodigy that was taught by his father but you may never have thought how such a life could affect someone. Amadeus gives us a view of what writer Peter Shaffer was able to glean from writings about Mozart. The history of Mozart’s life is complicated and the story stays true to what historians know while also intelligently filling in the gaps left out of history. This story is meant not only to entertain but also to inform. From watching this film it is safe to say that anyone can gain a deeper appreciation for Mozart as a composer and as a person. Even with his talent people still stood in the way.

Historical fiction will always have a place in film. It allows the audience to experience a version of what history could be like in a way that textbooks never can. It is important to realize that even while people that are famous in history are extraordinary they are still only people. Movies like Amadeus are great for sparking interest in history as well. The composer Salieri’s music likely would not have been played for years to come if not for the movie Amadeus. His music is played in many parts of the film as well as going on to be played in music halls in the United States.

Almost all of the recordings that can be found of Antonio salieris works have been recorded recently. This is most likely due to the Movie Amadeus bringing his work to light

If you have listened to my previous reviews you will know that this is slightly different from the rest. It had a much larger budget and followed a more straightforward plot. I like to review movies that I feel are important for the public to take notice of. Whether it is remembering a movie and comparing opinions or finding something entirely new I hope to give the public a different movie each week that will be unique from what is being shown in the theatres. With that being said Amadeus fits the criteria. It is an older movie that many have likely forgotten and with new generations many have never heard or seen the film. I enjoyed the film myself and hope that you will do the same.

Thank you for listening to this week’s edition of the movie review. You can contact me with suggestions or comments through email at jmwinte3@ncsu.edu. This is Jake Winters for Eye on the Triangle have a good night.