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Amadeus takes the artistic liberty of reimagining Mozart’s life to deliver a powerful melodrama: The screen bears nothing but the image of a dark, snowy street on a gloomy night. All of a sudden, an outburst of Mozart’s dissonant opening chord of Don Giovanni, followed by a scream of anguish. When the camera finally brings sound and image together, we are shown the esteemed classical composer Antonio Salieri. The dramatic opening scene of Amadeus, marked by Salieri’s false confession to murder, sets the fictional tone of the following c.160 minutes. Released in 1984, Amadeus — which earned eight Oscars — is a film that fabricates a ferocious one-sided rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, who is gripped by the chasm between the divinity of Mozart’s musical abilities and the lack of his own. A blend of drama and dark comedy, the film is packed with historical inaccuracies, such as the depiction of Mozart as a naïve, childlike goofball who is undeservingly bestowed with effortless musical dictations, or Salieri as a moralist turned villain. The two were, in reality, professional yet formidable competitors whose relationship was marked by mutual respect and admiration. Ultimately, the movie departs from history to explore profound universal human issues, like man’s sense of injustice and the pursuit of fame. You can watch Amadeus on demand on Amazon Prime.

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