Amadeus 4K review by Bobby Blakey
There are so many great stories of real-life people that when handled correctly deliver some of the best films. In 1984 One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest director Milos Foreman took on the world of Mozart with the award wining film Amadeus. The film stars F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Roy Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones and Charles Kay. Now the classic film is heading to 4K for the first time with a fully restored theatrical version.
Amadeus follows Antonio Salieri believes that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music is divine and miraculous. He wishes he was as good a musician as Mozart so that he can praise the Lord through composing. He began his career as a devout man who believes his success and talent as a composer are God's rewards for his piety. He's also content as the respected, financially well-off, court composer of Austrian Emperor Joseph II. But he's shocked to learn that Mozart is such a vulgar creature and can't understand why God favored Mozart to be his instrument. Salieri's envy has made him an enemy of God whose greatness was evident in Mozart. He is ready to take revenge against God and Mozart for his own musical mediocrity.
This was not a film on my radar when I was ten years old obviously, but I remember some of the VHS releases when I was working at a video store years later. I tried watching it back then, but for whatever reason it just never worked for me. With this new release it gave me the chance to revisit it with fresh more mature eyes and hopefully see what all the acclaim was about finally and while it is a good movie, it still isn’t anything that really connects with me.
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The film is so unbalanced for me with it walking the line between comedy and drama while never really being either. It is filled with great performances with F. Murray Abraham carrying the picture in both depth and narration. He was the most compelling aspect of the film and the only thing that really stood out for me. Tom Hulce portrayal of Mozart is manic and weird making him more annoying than compelling. He may be fully capturing the nature of Mozart or the stage version it is based on, but I was just annoyed by him throughout.
This film is one that just didn’t work for me, but the classic nature of it makes it one that should be seen by anyone that says they love movies. Its status in awards alone makes it something that will obviously connect with some so why not give it a try and decide for yourself.
In addition to the film this release offers bonus content including old and new featurettes taking fans behind bringing this classic film to life. Step up to the piano and grab your copy of Amadeus available now on 4K from Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment.