Amadeus (1984) (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

This movie won so many awards for good reason, an absolute classic.

Greatest movie definitely worth the wait. Excellent movie about Mozart.

While I have always appreciated classical music, I always prefer to listen to rock stations while driving. While I love movies of all kinds, the period drama has never exactly been my favorite genre. I've never really been a fan of theater or opera either. So how did Amadeus, a movie that combines all of these things, become one of my favorite films? Directed by Milos Forman (director of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"), Amadeus is a comedy-drama based on a 1979 play of the same name (which itself is a variation of an earlier play). Unlike most movies of this kind, the story of Amadeus is based on rumors and urban legends surrounding the life and death of the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in particular the rumor that he was murdered by rival musician Antonio Salieri. The story is not historically accurate but makes no attempt to be, something to keep in mind while watching. Like Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, Amadeus is simply using history as a backdrop for a fictional story.As a child, Antonio Salieri begged God for a chance to be a composer, promising to dedicate his entire life to music in return. When his prayers are answered, Salieri keeps his promise. Years later, after becoming court composer for the Holy Roman Emperor, Salieri finally meets the man who's success had inspired him and made him the man he is; Mozart. But the man he meets is far from what he expected. As it turns out, the great Mozart is a childish, arrogant, and extremely unprofessional man. Feeling that the God he had dedicated his life to had betrayed him by choosing someone like Mozart as his instrument, Salieri dedicates his life to ruining Mozart's career which, by extension, will mean triumphing over God himself.The story of Amadeus is absolutely brilliant, and one of the greatest I have ever seen in film. The way the film seamlessly blends comedy and drama while telling the story of these two great men is incredible. The pacing and writing are both flawless and there is not a single moment where I am bored. The cinematography and sets are both fantastic, especially when portions of Mozart's operas are shown. The soundtrack is among the greatest I have ever heard in a movie, although this is hardly surprising considering it consists entirely of Mozart and Salieri's work. The music isn't just tossed into scenes carelessly either, it always suits the scene and mood perfectly. Tom Hulce is great as the obnoxious yet brilliant Mozart. Hulce did an excellent job of showing Mozart's transformation from carefree rockstar to overstressed and on the verge of madness. The supporting cast was great as well, in particular Jeffery Jones as the musically ignorant Emperor. However, the real show-stealer is F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri. Abraham's performance remains the greatest I have ever seen in a film. He plays the character so well that I kept forgetting he was acting. Like Gregory Peck's role as Atticus Finch or Robert De Niro's role as Travis Bickle, this is a character that nobody but Abraham could have played.The film looks fantastic on blu-ray, and I had no problems while watching it. Like many other people have said, I was disappointed that the original cut of the film could not be watched. I have only seen the director's cut and I would have liked to see the original version. Personally I think the pacing is great even with the extra scenes, so this is a minor issue for me, but it is still disappointing. I haven't watched the "Making of Amadeus" documentary yet but I look forward to when I get the chance. I was hoping to see some behind the scenes extras and interviews, but I assume they are all included in the documentary. I will update this review once I have watched the documentary.Amadeus is an absolute masterpiece that more people need to see and at such a low price, there's no excuse. Of course not everyone will love it, but Amadeus is one of those films that every movie fan needs to see at least once.

One of my all time favorite movies. This version/collection was the best. I would definitely recommend it

First of all, this is a Hollywood product so is not a true story. Mozart's life was not at all as described in the movie. The movie is based on a play in which they first portrait Salieri as a bitter, untalented, and malicious character. This may be motivated by the fact that during the 18th century, the opera was dominated by Italians. So perhaps is out of National pride and rumors that someone (I can't remember who), came with a play. Actually as far as I know I think it was the producer of Amadeus who saw the play in modern times and decided he will make a movie.So not historical at all, however very entertaining, in Hollywood's favor the fact that they don't stick to the facts and instead give you a dramatized, twisted version makes for a much more entertaining movie. So for this one just pretend you know nothing about the story and enjoy the plot as just fiction.Production is excellent as to be expected from Hollywood, acting is very good too as well as direction and photography. This is an old movie so no political issues here nor glorification of poor values.If you are watching with minors the nudity warning refers only to a short scene of a woman without a top. In my opinion, the scene is not necessary and the particular fact leading to the scene is insulting to the real historic character. I guess they applied typical Hollywood values to a historical character of a very different era and place. Still, the scene is not shocking in any way, again is just maybe one or two minutes of a young, and very beautiful lady topless. Really the reason for the nudity is what is offensive, not the nudity itself, you can see more nudity on many beaches around the World.On and one a very good movie, the music is just great, and like I mentioned before it is very entertaining. Some of the facts on the movie are real including Mozart's sense of humor and general personality. I will watch this movie with kids over 12, not so much for the brief nudity but because younger kids may find it boring.

This has been one of my most favorite movies since its original release. I was so excited when I learned that the studio was finally putting it on 4k, & it was the original theatrical version. The picture quality on this 4k transfer is absolutely gorgeous. This movie, strange to say, is the movie that started me building my surround sound system. Yes, there’s no explosions or car chases, that are fun for surround sound systems. The music becomes the third character of this film. A good surround sound system will grow & shrink your room depending on where the music is being played. In a small room plunking on a piano, in large opera halls, or in the mind of Salieri or Mozart. In all this, this 4k shines.

Although not historically on point, it still makes for a great story. Great cast, costuming…. Enjoyed it as much as I did when it came out decades ago