Sometimes, it's hard to be a retired history teacher. After all, when I see many historical films, I see the errors in the script--where the writers take HUGE liberties with facts. As a result, you would NOT want to go to certain movies (such as "Pocahontas") with me, as I invariably complain about the crappy writing and lack of historical accuracy. While "Amadeus" is a gorgeous film to watch, it is also a film you would probably not want to watch with me! While vaguely following the events of the adult Mozart's life, so much of the film is wrong--terribly, terribly wrong. And, in the process, the film does a terrible disservice to the memories of the folks portrayed in the film. To me, history is like a holy book--you don't just change it to meet your needs--but here in "Amadeus", facts just aren't particularly important. In the film, Antonio Salieri is a bitter, nasty no-talent. It's easy to urinate on his memory today--it's not like he has family members who will defend him after 200 years! And even worse is the portrayal of Mozart who is shown to be a two-dimensional man. On one hand, he's a musical genius. On the other, he's a blithering idiot whose laugh makes your skin crawl--and there's absolutely no evidence that this aspect of the character is the least bit like the real Mozart.

Now if you completely ignore history, the film is good---very good. The sets and costumes are lovely and it looks as if you have been transformed back to the 18th century. It certainly deserved Oscars for Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, Direction, Sound and other technical categories. F. Murray Abraham is great as the conniving Salieri--even though he's very fictional. Tom Hulce, on the other hand, is so annoying at times with his horrid and piercing laugh that I could see why this film didn't result in him being catapulted into stardom. Without this laugh, he would have been MUCH better.

Why couldn't they have just created a story about FICTIONAL characters instead of fictionalizing real peoples' lives? If this had been done, the film would have been exceptional in every way. As it is, it's a severe irritant to anyone wanting to know about the real life characters portrayed so badly in this film. And that laugh...that HORRIBLE laugh has got to go!

I adore classical music, and Mozart is one of my favourite composers. When I came across Amadeus in my local charity shop, I knew I had to buy it. I watched it, and I loved it from start to finish. It is true it is not necessarily a true depiction of Mozart's life, but I was so blown away by the quality of the acting, sets, costumes and music that I forgot about that. The film is just gorgeous to look at, Vienna in the film (Prague in real life) looks beautiful, but the sets and costumes are colourful and lavish. The music is utterly majestic, from the Marriage of Figaro, Queen of the Night(brilliantly sung in what is one of the most difficult colouratura arias ever),Requiem in D minor to Don Giovanni, it was a feast to the ears. The script I thought was of exceptional quality particularly during the finale of Marriage of Figaro(one of the most beautiful tender moments in any opera is where the countess forgives her husband),and the direction was very fine. As many reviewers have pointed out, this is more about the mediocrity and envy of Salieri than it is of the eccentric genius of Mozart, thus the story was compelling and intriguing. The acting is wonderful; Tom Hulce is excellent as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, yeah his laugh is a tad grating, but I loved the manic and eccentric interpretation Hulce gave. Elizabeth Berridge is suitably petite and alluring as wife Constanze while Jeffrey Jones is delightful as Emperor Joseph II. For me though, F Murray Abraham gave the film's best performance, for he was absolutely outstanding as Salieri. Overall, brilliant film, gorgeous to watch, amazing music and essentially a must see! 10/10 Bethany Cox

Long after his rival died at a young age and his world essentially obliterated by the Napoleonic wars, Antonio Salieri as played by F. Murray Abraham looks back on his life from the confines of an insane asylum. Everywhere the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is played and hummed familiarly by even the masses. Scholars study Salieri, the people from all walks of life listen to the notes that Amadeus put down for posterity.

Amadeus is a wonderful recreation of the court at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna during the age of reason. The Hapsburgs have now become the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine as a result of Maria Theresa becoming the first female monarch of their empire. The empire and the court are now ruled by her son Joseph as played by Jeffrey Jones.

What I liked about the film is that author Peter Shaffer obviously researched with great care the period this rivalry between Salieri and Mozart takes place. Jones remarks on more than one occasion about letters he got from his sister Antoinette from the French court and what she's observing, but not quite understanding.

Mozart is played by young Tom Hulce and in one of the few times that two actors from the same film got nominated in the same acting category, Hulce and Abraham were both up for Best Actor and Abraham won as opposed to both of them canceling each other out. It really would be hard to live on the difference in their performances, without a good Mozart and an equally good Salieri, the film would not be the masterpiece it is.

And it did win for Best Picture, Best Director for Milos Forman and a flock of other Oscars, all well deserved. Besides those already mentioned I think you will enjoy Elizabeth Berridge as Mozart's long suffering wife and Roy Dotrice as his more staid and settled father who can't cope with a mercurial genius of a son any better than Abraham can.

And Amadeus brought a revival of interest in the old classical masters and that's always a good thing.