Wheel of Wonder Spin Win #27 AMADEUS (1984)
Added 2024-10-16 17:00:11 +0000 UTCCongrats to the Winner!!! I'm so excited to share this movie's reaction! Below are some of my thoughts, so beware of spoilers! Note: this is the Directors Cut.
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This movie has been on my mind for the past 48 hours, and my thoughts are still evolving, more like a flow of exploration. The themes have left me in a state of introspection—reflecting on myself, art, innovation, and talent. I can’t wait to rewatch it because I think it'll get richer with each viewing.
I really connected with the messiness of it all—the drive to be the best at your craft, all the highs and lows, and yes, even wishing you could be more like your idols. I totally resonate with Salieri’s feelings of never being good enough, and constantly questioning your worth. His raw, honest envy was tough to watch, but it’s what made him so compelling. The jealousy and manipulation he displayed are envy in its ugliest form, but we’ve all been there to some extent. He just let it take over, and that’s both perplexing and fascinating.
The idea of being born with a gift versus working hard to master a craft is such an interesting rabbit hole. You could find so many real-life examples of both. What’s undeniable is that both Salieri and Mozart had passion and drive, which makes them alluring opposites. That final scene, when they work together before Mozart dies, was beautiful and heartbreaking—it was the highlight of the movie for me. I just wish they’d gotten there sooner. Even though the plot isn’t historically accurate, Mozart’s death still haunts me.
I wasn’t sure about Salieri’s performance at first, especially with the aging makeup (which I didn’t even comment on— it was amazing and spooky, perfect for October! LOL). But as I got into it, I became more invested in the characters. Even Stanze surprised me—she blew me away in the end. And Cynthia Nixon as the maid? Wow, what a powerhouse! I’d only ever seen her in Sex and the City—what a talent!
I see now why this was on the AFI list, though I don’t know why it was taken off! The movie was massive in scope—the set designs, costumes, hair, makeup (those wigs!), and incredible candle-lit shots with chandeliers! The shots with them standing on the podium conducting with the crowd and chandeliers behind them were my favourite. F. Murray Abraham was sensational—I haven’t seen much of him other than The White Lotus, but his portrayal of Salieri and his character’s arc really moved me by the end. He was composed and still, yet you saw his feelings and inner turmoil in every scene. I checked the Oscars for 1985 and saw that both he and Tom Hulce went head-to-head for Best Actor. It looks like an insane year for movies, but big congrats to F. Murray on his win!
All in all, what I’m left with after this tragic story is the need to confront your insecurities and find peace with where you are. What is perfection? No one is immune to life’s struggles, no matter your background or status. Success and failure are subjective, and they affect people in different ways. And the pursuit of fame can overshadow the simple joy of creating art.
Let me know your thoughts below!
xx
love your guts!
ames
Comments
Check out this video where they show the Confutatis part of the mass actually being composed during the scene https://youtu.be/dJ0AkP_BFhs?si=333JH2mGgtlA2_GK
Paul Hess
2024-12-14 04:47:34 +0000 UTCI’m new to your channel but I really enjoyed watching Amadeus with you. I enjoyed your reaction, thanks! Before I say anything else I have to comment on the perfection of this movie. Every word, every gesture, every musical note is infused with layers of meaning. Ames I certainly hope you decided to watch this more than once the rewards are well worth the admittedly huge commitment of time. Your first comment that this movie “Must have won best score” cracked me up, because of course they had the best composer possible for this movie’s score, Mozart! As you commented afterwards, it took a while for you to get into the mindset of the 1700s society but once you did this movie captured and enthralled you. The key to Salieri is the cognitive dissonance between his two powerful drivers. On the one hand, from his youth he wanted to be celebrated and recognized as a great musician, but on the other hand he could recognize true talent as the voice of god, and he had a lifelong longing to be touched and infused by the beauty of god, in the form of music. The people around them were deaf, they were told what to like and what was great. In the movie only Salieri and Mozart could recognize true beauty. Salieri could recognize it but his obsession with being admired by others deadened his ability to produce it while Mozart’s love of music was uninhibited and he could experience the true joy of creation. The composition scene where Salieri was assisting Mozart to complete the Requiem Mass was the one time in his life he was a witness to true creation for beauty’s sake. And of course, Mozart singing the requiem as he died was god singing to Mozart, while denying Salieri the triumph of taking credit for that same Devine music after Mozart died.
Paul Hess
2024-12-14 04:43:25 +0000 UTC53:00
ravendog101
2024-10-27 00:30:27 +0000 UTCA great reaction to an amazing film, Ames! This one has always been a favorite! A great story, great acting, great costume design and set decoration, and amazing music!! ******* SPOILERS BELOW ******* The concept of envy is certainly not a new one and I thought Amadeus did a great job of showing an extreme example of what that insidious vice can lead to. Also, the film is a good case study on obsession, entitlement and bitterness. In this case, it wasn't the usual "deal with the devil" scenario. Rather, Salieri was convinced he could make a deal with God whereby, in exchange for Salieri's piety and chastity, God would give him rare musical talent. (Apparently, Salieri wasn't acquainted with the notion that God sets the terms for all of His agreements.) An amazing Oscar-worthy performance by F. Murray Abraham! I thought the film was also very thought-provoking from the standpoint of considering what separates those with a so-called "normal" or "moderate" degree of talent from those who are truly exceptional and rare. In his book, "Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else", by Geoff Colvin, the author makes a compelling case that if innate talent exists, it may not be as important as we think. Rather, Colvin believes the primary factor for world-class performance is what he calls "deliberate practice" - a focused and structured approach to training that involves identifying specific weaknesses, actively working to improve them, and receiving consistent expert feedback, rather than simply relying on natural talent or "general" practice. According to the author, other factors that lead to high-performance include a supportive environment and intrinsic motivation. I'm not completely satisfied with the author's comments on how deliberate practice leads to increased creativity (for example, I don't think it fully explains the amazing creativity which Mozart vividly displays in his many compositions), but I still highly recommend the book. In the film, Salieri highlights the lack of support that he had as a child from his father regarding his passion for music. In stark contrast, Mozart's father dedicates himself single-mindedly, to providing expert instruction in music for his son from the earliest possible age. Anyway, so much to think about! A fascinating film and a great reaction, Ames!!
John Courtright
2024-10-21 18:32:51 +0000 UTCThe scene towards the end of Mozart and Salieri collaborating on the requiem is one of my favourite scenes ever. The driving, obsessive urge to create eclipsing ever other concern, and bringing these two antagonists into a partnership at last. Even in his addled state, Mozart still hears music in a way that Salieri struggles to keep up with. It's so rich and moving. In the (largely fictionalised) story of Salieri, Peter Shaffer found an inspired metaphor for the endless struggle to achieve greatness, and how vexing it can be to see others reach those peaks so effortlessly, with an apparently God-given talent, while our best efforts only reach a plateau of mediocrity. We all dream of being a Mozart, but we are a lot closer to Salieri. Amadeus is one for the ages.
Henry Graham
2024-10-19 23:09:02 +0000 UTCA lovely reaction, as usual! Peter Shaffer wrote three plays that were successive meditations on humanity's relationship to God: The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964), which is about the necessity of the search for God; Equus (1973), which is about the enormity of what God may want or do to us; and Amadeus (1979), which is about coming to doubt God's goodness. All three of them were made into films, and all three films are worth watching. (The latter two plays are still regularly performed.) I think it's really important, in thinking of this play, to remember that Christian theology believes that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. It was not unreasonable for Salieri to believe both that God implanted the intense desire to produce great music in him, *and* that God chose to make him a mediocre composer no matter how hard he worked. When Salieri sees Mozart, whose talent was apparent as a child and who simply pours out music so beautiful that Salieri knows it must be the voice of God Himself, but who NO ONE else really understands or believes in, Salieri comes to believe that God made him (Salieri) into driven, hardworking composer only so that, when Mozart finally arrived, someone would be able to understand and recognize him for the voice of God. Salieri was supposed to be the prophet who announces the avatar of God to the world. In the play (not the film), Salieri eventually comes to see Mozart as the flute, and God as "the relentless player," ruthlessly using up Mozart so that His sound may be heard. Salieri's intense desire for his own artistic success made him unable to accept his role as acolyte, apparently the role God had in mind for him. His sin, if sin it is, is in rejecting the part God has set for him, desiring something of his own instead. I agree that collaboration scene is an incredible glimpse into what the two of them could have been as a team. It's heartbreaking. No other person on Earth could have transcribed Mozart so perfectly, so exactly, so quickly. Salieri is one of the great 20th-century dramatic roles. Paul Scofield won the Obie for the London production; Ian McKellen won the Tony for the Broadway production; and F. Murray Abraham won the Oscar for this film. It's interesting that you mentioned how you look at scripts. My first exposure to this play was in script form, which I borrowed from a library in Centerville, Massachusetts in 1981. I was immediately thunderstruck by it (especially by the end of Act One, where Salieri declares himself to be the enemy of God), and I visualized it intensely. I then saw it on Broadway a year or two later, and finally, of course, this magnificent film.
Ken Schneyer
2024-10-19 18:21:41 +0000 UTC❤️❤️❤️
Amalia Wolf
2024-10-19 08:40:15 +0000 UTCLoved this movie and your reaction! This was my first time viewing this film. After seeing Mozart's live portrayed I was reminded of the old saying "The brightest stars burn the fastest, so we must love them while we can" (Anna Todd) I definitely want to learn more about Mozart. I am fascinated to see if he really was the life of the party and as obsessed like the movie suggests.
John
2024-10-19 01:55:16 +0000 UTCWOW this is a cool tid bit
Amalia Wolf
2024-10-17 23:57:45 +0000 UTCIt’s wonderful there!
Amalia Wolf
2024-10-17 23:57:29 +0000 UTCAwww MAN ALMOST DAVID ALMOST!!
Amalia Wolf
2024-10-17 23:57:22 +0000 UTCI was so pulling for Transformers: The Movie!
David Crabtree
2024-10-17 21:49:32 +0000 UTCEnjoyed your reaction. Vienna was one of my favorite European cities. Abraham played an analogous character in "Finding Forrester" (2000). He was good in the Showtime "Homeland" TV series.
Clay F
2024-10-17 21:01:32 +0000 UTCA group of music scholars are said to have analyzed the instances where Hulce and Abraham played the piano and determined that they played exactly the notes that we hear in the score. They must have had to study like madmen to get that exact. Also, in the scene where Mozart dictates the requiem mass, it is said that Hulce intentionally skipped some lines to cause Abraham confusion and to fall behind in his dictation.
Kinokind
2024-10-17 04:30:47 +0000 UTC
