1984 Amadeus

1984 Amadeus


"But they showed no corrections of any kind.  Not one.  He had simply written down music already finished in his head.  Page after page of it as if he were just taking dictation.  And music, finished as no music is ever finished.   Displace one note and there would be diminished.  Displace one phrase and the structure would fall."

A good movie, and it forced me to watch opera -a tricky feat.  It's about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (quite a name).  I'm curious why they chose to call it Amadeus.  I have no reason to believe he ever went by Amadeus.  Why not Mozart?  Or Wolfgang?  There must be a reason.  It's an enigma.

Tom Hulce as Mozart.

Portrait of the real Mozart.

It centers on the last decade of Mozart's life, while he is living in Vienna.  Mozart (Tom Hulce) is depicted as a rather unusual character.  Somewhat childlike, with a crazy sounding laugh, who is nevertheless a musical genius.  He lacks social graces, is bad with money, womanizes, is irreverent and arrogant, but he is able to create brilliant music with what seems like minimal effort.  As he says, "Forgive me, Majesty.  I am a vulgar man!  But I assure you, my music is not."

His talent inspires jealousy in rival composer, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), who becomes enraged with God for granting such a gift to a man he deems unworthy.  Upon first viewing one of Mozart's compositions, he is shocked: "I was staring through the cage of those meticulous ink strokes -at an absolute beauty."  Envy quickly takes hold.  He feels that he, as the more pious and moral of the two, is more deserving of God's favor: "From now on we are enemies, You and I.  Because You choose for Your instrument a boastful, lustful, smutty, infantile boy and give me for reward only the ability to recognize the incarnation.  Because You are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block You, I swear it.  I will hinder and harm Your creature on earth as far as I am able."

Antonio Salieri

This leads him to declare war on God's will, and decide to ruin Mozart, and find a way to get credit for his work: "My plan was so simple.  It terrified me.  First I must get the death mass and then, I must achieve his death...His funeral!  Imagine it, the cathedral, all Vienna sitting there, his coffin, Mozart's little coffin in the middle, and then, in that silence, music!  A divine music bursts out over them all.  A great mass of death!  Requiem mass for Wolfgang Mozart, composed by his devoted friend, Antonio Salieri!   Oh what sublimity, what depth, what passion in the music!  Salieri has been touched by God at last.  And God is forced to listen!  Powerless, powerless to stop it!  I, for once in the end, laughing at him!"

In the end, though Mozart dies, Salieri never gets the "justice" he seeks.  Mozart is the one remembered, while his music is forgotten: "I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theater, conferring on all who sat there, perfect absolution.  God was singing through this little man to all the world, unstoppable, making my defeat more bitter with every passing bar."  Salieri later recounts, "Your... merciful God.  He destroyed His own beloved, rather than let a mediocrity share in the smallest part of His glory."

Salieri propositioning Constanze Mozart.

Mozart's wife is a likable gal, trying to help her husband in spite of his stubborn behavior, which is leading to the dissolution of their finances.  She is even willing to debase herself and sleep with Salieri, when he tells her that he will get Mozart a position in exchange for sexual favors.  Once she reluctantly agrees, out of desperation for their welfare, he backs out, leaving her humiliated.  She feels like the real victim of the movie.

Basically, Salieri is a total heel.  He has a good position at court, is well respected, well off.  He is completely petty.  So you're not a prodigy?  It sucks.  It's not fair.  Get over it!  Most of us are not geniuses.  Most of us have to work hard.  Just deal with it.  So Mozart thinks you're a hack?  Who cares?  The Emperor of Austria thinks you're great -you can't win 'em all.  Talk about a self-pitying dork.