Can a movie be too perfect? This is a strange thing to think while watching a film. But that thought kept nagging at me while watching Miloš Forman's Amadeus. This dramatized story of the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri astonished me from beginning to end with its effortless simplicity and consummate craftsmanship. In a way, I'm glad that I put off watching this film for so long. By doing so, I was able to take several classes in screenwriting where I learned how to construct films from the ground up. Armed with this knowledge, I was blown over by Amadeus' presentation. I could give a long, in depth analysis of all of the things that Amadeus did correctly from a writer's perspective, but this is a site for MINI reviews. So I must try to encapsulate the greatness that is Amadeus in a few sentences. Allow me to try. Amadeus did something that I thought impossible: it made a story of old, classical composers interesting and engaging. Ever since his days as an architect of the Czech New Wave, Forman excelled in tight, character driven films. Here in Amadeus, he never loses sight of the inherent human drama that drives the events. We initially side with Salieri not because we favor his music, but because he is presented as the eternally cheated underdog. Then, as Mozart falls ill and begins his downward spiral of self-destruction, our sympathies shift so naturally that Salieri becomes a horrific villain. The entire film is filled with such subtleties: an audience half-heartedly clapping at the end of a magnificent opera, an Emperor dooms a production with a yawn during opening night...The music is as much a character as Mozart or Salieri, so much so that it becomes like an old friend by the end. Ah, but I see that this review is already getting too long. All I can say in conclusion is that Amadeus is a triumphant film of epic proportions. Don't be surprised if after watching you feel an inclination to download a little Mozart or, God-willing, Salieri, to your iPod.
10/10
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