Amadeus
November 2002 Reviewed by: Anthony Di Marco Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

I love films that delve deep into the human condition. Amadeus is not simply about music -- though the film’s characters live and breathe it. It is about relationships and how hate can psychologically blind, and ultimately destroy, a human being.

In this pseudo biopic, Antonio Salieri, the court composer, is not a particularly bad man; rather, he is a pathetic, bitter character whose self-hate builds when he discovers his flaws as a musician. Despite having devoted his life to his art, Salieri realizes that the inner voice needed to create truly beautiful and memorable work does not exist in him. The voice does, however, exist in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- a young man Salieri grows to hate and, in turn, gradually attempts to destroy.

What is so interesting in Amadeus is how Salieri respects Mozart’s music in spite of loathing the man himself. He constantly questions why God would speak through a person like Mozart, but he never once considers that true inborn talent could be at work. Salieri’s deceitful behavior toward his young rival is based on fear and a lack of confidence. His consuming hate succeeds in slowly transforming him into a decrepit old man who appears to be rotting from the inside -- the result of a life lived in hate and jealousy.

The most impressive characteristic of Amadeus -- beyond its first-rate acting, costume design, set design, and direction -- is the way original music, by both composers, is blended seamlessly into the narrative. The audience is given profound insight into the personality and mental state of both Salieri and Mozart through their music. Subconsciously we feel and hear the creative and emotional constipation of Salieri contrasted against Mozart’s free-spirited and joyful temperament. Where Salieri’s "March," welcoming Mozart, stays in firm step with traditional composition, Mozart’s improvisation pulls more color, texture, and energy from the same tune. Salieri’s work grows more dissonant and drives him deeper into the abyss, while Mozart finds joy and love in his work and life -- that is, until Salieri’s scheming poisons the young maestro. From here we feel the adversity of Mozart’s life playing counterpoint to his free spirit as it struggles to get air.

For me the most heartbreaking moment in Amadeus is during a satire of Mozart’s beautiful Don Giovanni. As an audience we don’t know whether Mozart is trying to be a good sport for his family’s sake, or is simply a fool laughing at his own failure. It is a scene, I feel, that perfectly captures the tragedy of Mozart’s character.

I could watch Amadeus on a 13" screen. It is one of few films where story and emotional impact transcend any medium. That said, the DVD version of the film does a decent job at capturing the color and vibrancy of the film sets as well as Miroslav Ondrícek’s beautiful cinematography. The new digital transfer does fluctuate between moments of great color and clarity to instances where MPEG artifacts become distracting.

By comparison the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is consistent, if a little overblown at times. I felt that orchestral crescendos were processed through an artificial gain, rather than relying on the natural dynamics of the original recording. Rear surrounds serve to add more pronounced ambiance to venues and musical reinforcement while the front channels serve up the majority of the action. Vocal intelligibility is excellent.

A well-produced, hour-long documentary is the only one of Amadeus’s special features that I enjoyed. It is done in a similar fashion to other retrospective documentaries (e.g., The Exorcist) and offers interesting insight into the production as well as some behind-the-scenes stories. My favorite has Tom Hulce recounting how the concluding scene between Salieri and the dying Mozart played out. It turns out that much of Hulce’s reaction was triggered by botched audio cues through an earpiece he was wearing!

The commentary with writer Peter Shaffer and Milos Forman was less interesting. Boring tangents about communist Prague and the secret police were fascinating at first, but quickly grew tedious (I actually fell asleep halfway through the commentary). It did not help that a good deal of information was duplicated from the documentary.

Although the jacket and associated artwork showed nice attention to detail, the cardboard sleeve containing the DVD booklet immediately began showing signs of wear. Does Warner think that collectors only watch films once? No. More than likely the studio was thinking about ways to cut costs. Personally, I’d rather be charged a few dollars more for a durable package rather than a case that reeks of cost-cutting measures. Coating the cardboard packaging with plastic would have probably done the job. If you ask me, though, a nice leather-bound package would be fitting for this classic masterpiece. If you do not already own the film, go out and buy it.

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