Amadeusz

An incredibly impressive film about a genius whom God favored, but the world did not. About mediocrity that couldn't accept its role. About an emperor who had no musical ear. About Amadeus, Salieri, Constance. Thanks to the extended version, Amadeus is truly a well-crafted and timeless piece of work. Watching it in its entirety is a bit tiring and takes away the energy for the rest of the day, but it is definitely worth it for the audience until the very last minute. (02.04.2006)

If this were Mozart's biography, Amadeus would have failed, but Forman was interested in something quite different from a historically based picture from the life of a genius. His Amadeus is a riveting story of a conflict of exceptionalism and mediocrity, the perfect typology of such a conflict, which unfortunately always takes place in a similar way, regardless of time and place. Tom Hulce's performance is one of the greatest acting performances that has ever taken place before my eyes, but acting generally works in Amadeus as in few other films. A huge compliment goes out to Forman for the perfect connection between music and storylines, the scenes with the conducting Amadeus are magnificent, not to mention the "Requiem", which Mozart dictates in a fever to the incomprehensive Salieri (Confutatis Maledictis... that scene always fills me with a lot of emotion!). This is a moment that fulfills the meaning of the word "drama". The new director’s version may slow the film down a bit, but at least the character Constance deserved more space. Miloš Forman – a brilliant composer of form and content! (31.01.2004)

It can essentially be said that the filming of Amadeus by Western production had a similar significance for Prague in the first half of the 80s as the production of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand two decades later. Amadeus is not only a psychological study of the fateful clash of an exceptionally gifted individual with an average-thinking environment, but also the beauty of Prague's palaces, costumes from Barrandov film studio's collection, and the excellent work of Barrandov studio employees. After years of isolation from normalization, the Czech film world intersected with the world. Witnesses recall the atmosphere during filming in superlatives. Music also played a significant role in the film. With Mozart's help, Forman was able to convey to today's audience the experience of top classical music and the process of creating a musical work. A film about classical music and its creators, which is not intended for a narrowly defined group of viewers, is an art in and of itself. Forman lived up to his reputation as a creator of great human dramas, showing us heroes with controversial natures. As mentioned multiple times, the story is not based on historical facts. If anyone from Mozart's circle contributed to his tragic end, it was his young wife, a person perhaps even less responsible than the great creator himself. Overall impression: 95%. (04.10.2013)

The clash of genius and mediocrity in a thrilling narrative whirlwind of emotions. Forman's film is sometimes accused of historical inaccuracies, but unfairly so. Amadeus is not a biopic, but a film about the clash of two different worlds – the world of gifted talent and the world of stubborn striving – and about the toll that an incredibly gifted man must pay to be "the one on top". Tom Hulce overacts quite a bit as Mozart, but I can't imagine any other actor in the role, and F.M. Abraham as Salieri is simply stunning, it's a shame he didn't get any other big roles. It's no wonder that sales of Mozart records increased by 50 percent in the U.S. after the film's premiere. Summary: Well deserved 8 Oscars and in my opinion, Forman’s best film. (17.07.2002)

Lo and behold. America provided Miloš Forman with the honor of filming the story of probably the most famous composer of all times, and he made up his mind that he wouldn’t do it anywhere else but in his homeland. That’s how it came to be that the film takes place on the streets of Prague or in the Estates Theatre in the middle of the worst times of the communist oppression in the 1980s. Hats off. I, however, naturally mustn’t forget about the fact that everything about this movie is perfect. Perfect! I’m curious – how many movies do you know about which you could say the same? (07.07.2013)