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Features: DVD
Editor's Note
In a lavish 18th century parlor in Austria, an elderly man is found, by his servant, with his throat slashed. The wound is self-inflicted, and the man is the little-known composer Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), contemporary and adversary of the now-famed, but once reviled, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Later, from his cell in an insane asylum, Salieri tells a priest (Herman Meckler) the story of his association with Mozart, confessing that he actually killed the brilliantly gifted but troubled young man. Based on the award-winning play by Peter Shaffer, Milos Forman's riveting, brilliant, Oscar-winning AMADEUS is a fictionalized account of the real-life mysterious death of Mozart. Abraham, in the role that won him the Best Actor Oscar, is the celebrated court composer to Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones)--his confidence and religious dedication shaken when he meets the boorish 26-year-old Mozart as he chases his future wife (Elizabeth Berridge) around a party while making obscene remarks. Furious that this clownish boy can produce such beautiful music, Salieri determines to keep Mozart's talent from lasting recognition and sets himself on a course for Mozart's destruction that leads to his own as well. Mozart continues to mount beautiful, moving operas (incredibly staged in the film), but becomes obsessed with writing a Requiem as his friends, family, health, and resources waste away, Salieri's manipulating presence always there. It is hard to imagine anyone--whether they are knowledgeable about classical music or not--who would not be held captive by this superb feast for the eyes and ears, a film whose excellence can be felt in every detail.
| Features | Region 1 | | Audio:
| Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English, French | | Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French | | Subtitles - English, French |
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 11/3/2009 |
| Running Time: 160 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1984 | | UPC: 00883929089024 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Academy Awards (1984) |  | Winner, Best Art Direction - Set Decoration | | Winner, Best Costume Design | | Winner, Best Picture | | Winner, Best Sound | | F. Murray Abraham, Winner, Best Actor | | Milos Forman, Winner, Best Director | | Saul Zaentz, Winner, Best Picture | | Dick Smith, Winner, Best Makeup | | Peter Shaffer, Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...An unexpected and strangely moving spectacle..." 03/01/1985 p.142-3New York Times
"...[Hulce] gets better and better....[Forman] has preserved the fascinating heart of [the play]....Well done." 09/19/1984 p.C23 Variety
"...AMADEUS is loaded with pleasures....[Abraham] is quietly excellent..." 09/05/1984 Total Film
"...Milos Forman's opulent drama is sheer quality..." 07/01/2000 p.114 Uncut
"A class act." 08/01/2000 p.130 |
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