Film Reviews

Amadeus

• Rating:
• Director: Milos Forman
• Starring: Christine Ebersole
• Details: US / 188 mins / (No Cert).

This re-release of Milos Forman's audacious and vibrant selective biopic of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may clock in at an ass numbing three hours plus, but it's a splendid film, a grand epic which has few peers in the present climate. Narrated by Antonio Salieri (an Oscar winning F. Murray Abrahams) and told in flashback, Amadeus tells the story of the composer (played here in a punkish, brattish manner by Tom Hulce). It's a tragic tale as the insanely jealous Salieri plots the downfall of his infinitely more talented rival.
Adapted from the play by Peter Shaffer, Forman came in for serious criticism for his 'Americanisation' of the material, but with the passing of time; it's unlikely to provoke the same outrage as it did some 17 years ago. Another accusation that has often been levelled at Amadeus over the years is that it lacks a certain depth in terms of the complexities of supporting characters. Certainly the director's cut has dealt with this deficiency and a couple of the extra sequences add some dimension. Overall, it's perhaps a trifle too lengthy for general consumption, but this is a lavish and enjoyable epic.

Review by Garreth Murphy