Lavish and opulent, yet quite contemporary, Milos Foreman directs Peter Shaffer's fictional account of the life and death of Mozart.
Mozart is portrayed here as a vulgar, brattish young man. Tom Hulce's performance in a brash American accent and plenty of the US slang all the more emphasises this. I'm pretty sure Mozart never said "kiss my ass!" The giggle Hule adopts is beyond annoying, but I assume that it's meant to be as nothing about the portrayal of Mozart is endearing.
F Murray Abraham's Oscar winning performance as court composer Antonio Salieri, is magnificent. The story is basically him confessing his role in Mozart's death to a priest visiting his in an asylum. There isn't an ounce of regret and he's just telling a story.
I watched the director's cut of the film. It's considerably longer and does explain Mozart's wife's dislike of Salieri, but it does dag on a bit and I prefer the pace of the original release.
The film is an enjoyable romp, but can't help but think that it would be better if Mozart was played/written a little more sympathetically. This story is told from Salieri's viewpoint and his jealousy is reflected in the Mozart portrayal, I suppose.
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