Review of Amadeus

Introduction

This is a brilliant tribute to undoubtedly the best musical composer who ever lived. His story is told through the eyes of Salieri, a rival composer who wants his own music to be heard, adored, and after his death, respected. Unfortunately he doesn`t have the Midas touch that God blessed Mozart with, and wonders why God chose Mozart - a spoilt and arrogant brat - as a servant of His music, rather than himself. Salieri`s envy leads him to plot against Mozart, eventually hatching a plan that lead to his death. His guilt of destroying the "music of God" leads to him attempting suicide eventually being locked up in a mental asylum which he believes is God`s punishment to him. The story starts with him confessing to a priest.

Milos Forman brings Peter Shaffer`s screen and stage play to the big screen with a charming deftness and sensitivity in a wonderful celebration of Mozart`s music. There are some excellent performances here also. First and foremost F. Murray Abraham`s depiction of Salieri who secretly worshipped Mozart`s music, but in turn hated the man and was extremely envious of his talent. His bitterness gradually creeps in until it becomes all-consuming, however the man is intelligent enough to never reveal this to Mozart. Salieri is also the one who explains to you WHY Mozart`s music is so good.

Tom Hulce also plays Mozart wonderfully. A childlike man, innocent to all the plotting against him and ignorant of the politics which he must negotiate through in order to play his music as he wants. Unfortunately whenever he is asked to do something he doesn`t like, it leads to fits and tantrums - he is, I suppose, like a rock star of his day - his music giving him power over people, feeding his ego, and leading him to the belief he is immortal and can do exactly how he pleases.

It has been very famously noted that Mozart literally just wrote music from his head onto paper - whole orchestral movements were stored there just waiting for him to write them down! The film portrays events in his life and cuts to his face with the music literally popping into his head.

Brilliance is around every character in this film Jeffrey Jones makes a charming and delightful King, Simon Callow is wonderful as his stage friend who wants to show him a way of making money, and Elizabeth Berridge as his love and wife who supports him through everything.

Video

The picture is presented as an anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen print, for the majority of which it is excellent. The DVD effectively portrays the majesty of the Royal courts in Vienna as rich and sumptuous with a very sharp print. This shows the locations oozing with wealth with an eye-popping intensity of colour - the rich and lush reds and oranges of Royal draperies and the music hall itself. Shadow detail and more muted greys, browns and dirty blues are also effectively presented showing the squalor of the poorer and sicklier side of these towns in the 18th century.

It is not all entirely good news however. On many occasions I noticed there were speckles on the print where it seemed as though a cine-projector light had lingered too long and was starting to burn a hole. This happens quite frequently throughout the presentation, but I have to say is not enough to mar the presentation as a whole. I spotted it, but it is not annoying enough to detract from a purchase if that is your intention.

Audio

I have to confess that this was the main reason why I bought this film. To hear Mozart in 5.1 filled me with excitement, and I have to say I wasn`t disappointed. The film`s sound is basically split into two categories, speech and Mozart/Salieri`s orchestral works. So, boring bit first… the speech is always clear and well defined - there, boring bit over.

Right, onto the score! One word - Wow!

The orchestral works are mainly split between the front three channels but a lot of care has been taken in translating the score into a 5.1 mix. Orchestras are an excellent test for a system as they cover the whole range of the sound spectrum. The treble is pure and clear with violins and sopranos reaching notes of wonderful clarity and purity. This gives way to a mellow mid-range where the clarinets and oboes hang out giving the music its main life. Finally we get down to the bass (and sub-bass) categories - these give the pieces their authority and size, and during one opera you will witness scales flying up to the Gods and back down with each speaker taking its treble, mid, bass and sub-bass cues perfectly. The timing of the music is perfect, from treble to sub-bass, each range is clear without one ever over-dominating the other.

The surrounds are active but not to the point where you ever discern certain sounds coming from one of the rear speakers. They simply provide more power and depth to some of the orchestral works, making you feel as though you were sitting in the middle of the orchestra whilst it was playing - a wonderful feeling to be immersed in such a place!

So perfect is the sound of this DVD in fact that you can very clearly see that the actors are not singing/playing this music. If you look carefully you can see that Tom Hulce`s fingers are definitely not playing the piano tunes, and soprano operas are not being sung by the actresses on the stage, there`s something about the shape of their mouths and their breathing which gives it away.

In a way this speaks volumes about the quality of the picture and sound portrayed on this DVD. I had an old VHS copy of this film for a long time, and never noticed this until I shoved this disk in the DVD player.

Features

Not too much to go on here - the most outstanding of the extras will be the Alternate Music-Only Track showcasing Sir Neville Marriner`s scoring of Mozart and Salieri music. It is a joy to hear the music on its own rather than with the foley and dialogue track, however if there isn`t any playing or singing on screen then don`t expect to hear anything. Also this track is only in Stereo, which the purists might like, but I prefer my scores in 5.1!

Conclusion

A great film celebrating the life of probably the best musician that ever lived. The treatment of his biography is excellent and the characters really bring these people to life. Obviously the music is the best celebration and it is heartening to see the 5.1 mix that has been given to his work.

Another down point to note here I`m afraid. This disk was one of the first DVDs to be released, and so is a flipper. Many people gasp at this, and for most films so would I, however this is a very long film, clocking in at 153 minutes. I don`t know about you but I have difficulty sitting for two and a half hours in my sitting room straight. I was actually glad of the enforced break to go and get a drink from the fridge. I do realise however that that won`t be to all people`s taste and so thought I should point it out here.

But I want to end on a high note… this really is a fantastic film with a good picture and, for any fan of Mozart`s music, the sound is a must if you have a 5 or 5.1 channel system. It costs a tenner in most places. Buy today, you have no excuse.