Amadeus

Amadeus

The satirical sensibilities of writer Peter Shaffer and director Milos Forman (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) were ideally matched in this Oscar-winning movie adaptation of Shaffer's hit play about the rivalry between two composers in the court of Austrian Emperor Joseph II--official royal composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), and the younger but superior prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). The conceit is absolutely delicious: Salieri secretly loathes Mozart's crude and bratty personality, but is astounded by the beauty of his music. That's the heart of Salieri's torment--although he's in a unique position to recognize and cultivate both Mozart's talent and career, he's also consumed with envy and insecurity in the face of such genius. That such magnificent music should come from such a vulgar little creature strikes Salieri as one of God's cruelest jokes, and it drives him insane. Amadeus creates peculiar and delightful contrasts between the impeccably re-created details of its lavish period setting and the jarring (but humorously refreshing and unstuffy) modern tone of its dialogue and performances--all of which serve to remind us that these were people before they became enshrined in historical and artistic legend. Jeffrey Jones, best-known as Ferris Bueller's principal, is particularly wonderful as the bumbling emperor (with the voice of a modern midlevel businessman). The film's eight Oscars include statuettes for Best Director Forman, Best Actor Abraham (Hulce was also nominated), Best Screenplay, and Best Picture. --Jim Emerson

Director(s): Milos Forman
Production: Warner Bros. Pictures
  Won 8 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 14 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.3
Metacritic:
93
Rotten Tomatoes:
94%
PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Year:
1984
160
Website
8,447 Views

Share your thoughts on Amadeus's quotes with the community:

0 Comments

    Quote of the Day Today's Quote | Archive

    Would you like us to send you a FREE inspiring quote delivered to your inbox daily?

    Please enter your email address:

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this movie page to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Amadeus Quotes." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.quotes.net/movies/amadeus_quotes_285>.

    Know another quote from Amadeus?

    Don't let people miss on a great quote from the "Amadeus" movie - add it here!

    Browse Quotes.net

    Quiz

    Are you a quotes master?

    »
    What TV series is this quote from: "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!"?
    A The Simpsons
    B SpongeBob SquarePants
    C South Park
    D Scooby Doo