#71 Amadeus - oh how the mighty fall...

1984. dir. Milos Forman, starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Jeffrey Jones.

Seen it before? Yes, several times

The one cool thing about being in a high school orchestra is that you get to watch films about composers' lives. We got to watch this during class on two days after a well performed concert....one thing I never forgot was the annoying laugh "heeeheheeheeheheheheeeheheee" YIKES!

Salieri tells the tale to a monsignor type guy who proves his point when he hums a tune which the guy doesn't know and then hums a Mozart tune which the man immediately identifies as Mozarts...whoops.

I loved Elizabeth Berridge as Stanzie...because she was strong (her business dealings in regards to Mozart and how he wasn't very good with money were true to the phrase "behind every great man is a great woman") and truly loved Mozart - despite all his craziness.

I felt sad for his death, and how he was buried...he was so young...35...heck I'm going to be 35 in five years! I wondered if there was a Mozart still alive today (I had looked it up when I studied Mozart a long while ago but since forgot) and sadly no Mozart exists today for his sons didn't have any children.

If you don't want to ruin your own perception of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart don't watch this movie. If you want to see something somewhat entertaining - the guy got around - with great music, then it's a must see.

Watch it again? Yes
Own it? Eh, not necessary.

#71 Amadeus: Consigned to flames of woe

1984. dir. Milos Forman, starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Jeffrey Jones.

Seen it before? No.

I really hate overstuffed costume drama bullshit like this. It's the tale of two rivals - best friends? lovers? subtext ahoy - Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) who are both composers in 1700's Austria. Salieri is simply not as gifted as Mozart, as evidenced by the scene where Salieri has written a welcome march for Mozart, and Mozart can not only play it from memory having heard it only once, but he dramatically improves it.

So the problem with Mozart is that he's a drunk, arrogant, a womanizer, unreliable, and uncouth. Salieri is none of these things, which fills him with rage and jealously, and blah blah blah, this is one of those movies that you don't have to think about very much, because they explain everything to you. Oh and it has one of those "here let me tell you my life story" narration framing devices just like Forrest Gump, which I always find lazy and annoying. At least the music is great.

Position on the list: 82
Annoyance: Mozart's laugh. You'd think it would stop when he (spoiler) dies, but you'd be wrong. HEEHEEHEEHEEHHEE!!!!