Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Viennese composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
F. Murray Abraham
Antonio Salieri
Tom Hulce
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Elizabeth Berridge
Constanze Mozart
Simon Callow
Emanuel Schikaneder
Roy Dotrice
Leopold Mozart
Christine Ebersole
Katerina Cavalieri
Jeffrey Jones
Emperor Joseph II
Charles Kay
Count Orsini-Rosenberg
Kenny Baker
Parody Commendatore
Lisbeth Bartlett
Papagena
Barbara Bryne
Frau Weber
Martin Cavani
Young Salieri
Roderick Cook
Count Von Strack
Milan Demjanenko
Karl Mozart
Peter DiGesu
Francesco Salieri
Richard Frank
Father Vogler
Patrick Hines
Kappelmeister Bonno
Nicholas Kepros
Archbishop Colloredo
Philip Lenkowsky
Salieri's Servant
Herman Meckler
Priest
Jonathan Moore
Baron Van Swieten
Cynthia Nixon
Lorl
Brian Pettifer
Hospital Attendant
Vincent Schiavelli
Salieri's Valet
Douglas Seale
Count Arco
Miroslav Sekera
Young Mozart
John Strauss
Conductor
Karl-Heinz Teuber
Wig Salesman
Miro Grisa
Figaro in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Samuel Ramey
Figaro in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Helena Cihelníková
Countess in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Felicity Lott
Countess in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Karel Gult
Count Almaviva in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Richard Stilwell
Count Almaviva in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Zuzana Kadlecová
Susanna in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Isobel Buchanan
Susanna in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Magda Čelakovská
Cherubino in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Anne Howells
Cherubino in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Slavěna Drášilová
Barbarina in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Deborah Rees
Barbarina in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Eva Šenková
Marcellina in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Patricia Payne
Marcellina in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Leoš Kratochvíl
Basilio in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Alexander Oliver
Basilio in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Gino Zeman
Don Curzio in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Robin Leggate
Don Curzio in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Jaroslav Mikulín
Dr. Bartolo in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
John Tomlinson
Dr. Bartolo in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Ladislav Krečmer
Antonio in 'The Marriage of Figaro'
Willard White
Antonio in 'The Marriage of Figaro' (singing voice)
Karel Fiala
Don Giovanni in 'Don Giovanni'
Richard Stilwell
Don Giovanni in 'Don Giovanni' (singing voice)
Jan Blažek
Commendatore in 'Don Giovanni'
John Tomlinson
Commendatore in 'Don Giovanni' (singing voice)
Zdeněk Jelen
Leporello in 'Don Giovanni'
Willard White
Leporello in 'Don Giovanni' (singing voice)
Suzanne Murphy
Cavalieri in 'Axur' (singing voice)
Suzanne Murphy
Constanza in 'Abduction from the Seraglio' (singing voice)
June Anderson
Queen of the Night in 'The Magic Flute' (singing voice)
Milada Čechalová
Queen of the Night in 'The Magic Flute'
Brian Kay
Papageno in 'The Magic Flute' (singing voice)
Lisbeth Bartlett
Papagena in 'The Magic Flute'
Gillian Fisher
Papagena in 'The Magic Flute' (singing voice)
John Carrafa
Dancer
Sara Clifford
Dancer
Richard Colton
Dancer
Shelley Freydont
Dancer
Anne Glasner
Dancer
Barbara Hoom
Dancer
Mary Ann Kellogg
Dancer
Raymond Kurshals
Dancer
John Malashock
Dancer
Jennifer Rawe
Dancer
Tom Rawe
Dancer
William Whitener
Dancer
Hana Brejchová
Memeber of the Emperor's Family
Miriam Chytilová
Sophie Weber
Karel Effa
Leporello
Radka Fidlerová
Soprano
René Gabzdyl
Pasha
Karel Hábl
Emperor's Spy
Aťka Janoušková
Dwarf
Marta Jarolímková
Princess Elisabeth
Gabriela Krčková
Singer
Vladimír Krouský
Dwarf
Jiří Krytinář
Dwarf
Jan Kuželka
Salieri's Chef
Radka Kuchařová
Blonda
Jiří Lír
Salzburg Man
Lenka Loubalová
Singer
Dagmar Mašková
Singer
Ladislav Mikeš
Dwarf
Jitka Molavcová
Actress
Jana Musilová
Dwarf
Vojtěch Nalezenec
Musician
Pavel Nový
Emperor's Spy
Jiří Opsatko
Jan Pohan
Emperor's Aide
Tereza Pokorná-Herzová
Actress
Ivan Pokorný
Man
Milan Riehs
Hofmarschall
Iva Šebková
Dwarf
Zdeněk Sklenář
Dwarf
Renata Vacková
Lady-in-waiting
Jiří Vančura
Dwarf
Dana Vávrová
Josefine Weber
Petra Vogelová
Lady-in-waiting
Josef Zeman
Dwarf
Viktor Maurer
Wig Salesman (uncredited)
Zdeněk Mahler
Cardinal (uncredited)
Vladimír Svitáček
Pope Clement (uncredited)
Karel Engel
Mental Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Antonín Kramerius
Mental Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Zbyněk Bruthans
Gravedigger (uncredited)
Lubomír Havlák
Pedrille (uncredited)
Director
Miloš Forman
Screenplay, Theatre Play
Peter Shaffer
December 20, 2020
8
_**Lively costume biography about Mozart’s last nine years in Austria**_
Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is a competent but mediocre composer in Vienna, Austria, in the late 1700s. He recognizes the God-given genius of the younger Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and struggles with bitter envy. The story is told in flashback as Salieri shares it with a cleric decades later at an asylum.
“Amadeus” (1984) is an entertaining costume drama that successfully takes you back to Vienna from 1783-1791. Mozart was basically the rock star of the era and some of his dynamic music even evokes certain modern rock styles. Giving the main characters personality helps bring the events alive and the flashback structure makes for compelling storytelling.
On the feminine front, Elizabeth Berridge plays Amadeus’ cute & feisty wife, Constanze, while Christine Ebersole is on hand as a ravishing opera singer, sorta reminiscent of Tina Root of Switchblade Symphony (albeit taller).
The original Broadway play concentrated on character motivation with music in the background while the movie focuses a little too much on it. Unless you’re an opera aficionado, the extensive scenes of Mozart's and Salieri's operas being performed become tiresome after a while and unnecessarily bloat the film, somewhat muting the story. When the Emperor yawns during a performance of “Figaro” I could relate because a lot of opera music sounds the same to me. Nonetheless, this is an informative and amusing biography of Wolfgang’s last nine years; very well done.
The movie runs 2 hours, 40 minutes and was shot mostly in the Czech Republic.
GRADE: B+/A-
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$18,000,000.00
Revenue:
$90,007,557.00