Amadeus (1984)

Amadeus is a gripping period drama that follows the bitter rivalry between two towering musical talents: the devout, disciplined court composer Antonio Salieri and the brilliant, irreverent prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Told mainly through the haunted, confessional voice of an elderly Salieri who claims to have destroyed Mozart, the film traces Mozart’s meteoric rise, his outrageous behavior, and the growing, corrosive envy that drives Salieri from admiration into obsession and revenge. Watching Amadeus, you’ll experience a powerful mix of soaring music and intense human drama: sumptuous period detail and operatic set pieces contrast with intimate, often cruel psychological maneuvers. The score and performances put Mozart’s genius front and center while the story explores faith, jealousy, artistic rivalry, and the moral ambiguity of a man who cannot accept that God’s gift may have chosen someone else. Emotionally rich, darkly ironic, and ultimately tragic, the film is both a celebration of music and a devastating portrait of one man’s ruinous envy.

Actors: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge

Director: Milos Forman

Runtime: 160 min

Genres: Biography, Drama, Music

7.7 /10 87 /100 8.4 /10 8.3 /10