The bitter rivalry between salieri and mozart was fictional. His jealously soon turns into revenge as he confesses to the murder of wolfgang amadeus. Amadeus is not only about as much fun as youre likely to have with a movie, it also is disturbingly true. Mar 06, 2020 basically, this famous rivalry comes from the movie amadeus, which was inspired by a theatre play which is at the same time based on a pushkin novel and korsakov. Movies that were based on a true story hold a lot of appeal to audiences. It did more to bring his music into everyday life than a thousand concerts and compact disks. Thanks for the a2a i have combined some of my previous answers about this subject.
The beloved film triumphed at the oscars 30 years ago. Amadeus won eight academy awards, including best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, and best actor for f. Amadeus isnt meant to be a biography of the composers life, but a bawdy, black fantasy, a fiction based on a few curious facts. Im a stickler for historical accuracy myself but i dont complain unless the movie is bad in its own right or is activly offensive. Based on a true story the podcast comparing hollywood. They can feel more highbrow because, unlike other movies, these ones actually happened to real people, and that makes them so much more important to the cultural zeitgeist. The emperor, a major patron of the arts, immediately commissioned mozart to write an opera in german, rather than the customary italian. Apr 23, 2019 to determine the best movies based on true stories, 247 tempo ranked movies within the biography genre and those tagged on imdb as being based on a true story. When i watch a movie that is based on a true story or inspired by true events or something like that, i always make a point to do a bit of reading into how it differs from what actually happened. In 2002, the film received a theatrical rerelease as amadeus. It is not a screen biography of mozart, and was never intended to be. Despite or perhaps because of the many historical liberties. Feb 24, 2009 the true story in which the film was based upon involved an austrian couple who were murdered by three teenagers in their vacation home in the czech republic1unreliable source. The number of killers, action setpieces, and followup information at the end of the film were fabricated by the filmmakers.
To its credit, amadeus never claims to be a true story. The film amadeus went on to win the best picture oscar for 1984. Amadeus is a 1984 american period biographical drama film directed by milos forman and adapted by peter shaffer from his 1979 stage play amadeus. Aug 11, 2010 the movie amadeus made mozart a household name. Fact means, the movie had this in it, fiction means, the movie either made this up, or. It is 30 years since amadeus swept the board at the academy awards. Lets face it, hollywood historical dramas are never 100% accurate. Based on the play, amadeus looks at the story of wolfgang mozart, from the point of view of another composer named antonio salieri. It tells of how antonio salieri plotted to defeat mozart. Top 10 new good based on true stories movies 2017 list. Peter shaffers screenplay is an inspired piece of storytelling. The play upon which amadeus is based on, and movie script itself, is written by peter shaffer who also left his heavy mark upon us with equus a decade before amadeus and then again for the film script in. I know of amadeus from the tv series midsomer murders where the muder was based around a production of amadeus.
Placed in a lunatic asylum for the action, salieri is visited by a young priest who seeks to take his confession. Claiming to have murdered the composer wolfgang amadeus mozart, the elderly antonio salieri recounts to a priest his dealings with the brilliant composer. And now we come to that famous line that starts the events of the film mozart, forgive. For example, when salieri describes mozarts work as remove one note and there would be diminishment, remove one phrase and the structure would fall, it brings forth to the viewer the craftsmanship and intricacy with which mozart crafts his music. Mozarts juvenile humor, as depicted in the film amadeus, accurately reflects what we find in his reallife letters. Everyone says its bunk, but how much of the classic movie is real and how much is false. Sir peter shaffer said of his play amadeus and the screenplay for the 1984 motion picture, amadeus is a fantasia based on fact. No child of mine 1993 full movie lifetime movies based on a true story by rodney gooch. Mar 03, 2017 jordan peeles new film, get out, currently holds a rare 99 percent approval rating on rotten tomatoes, and for good reason. Incidentally, the soundtrack albumcd for the movie is arguably the best selling classical music album of all time in terms of units sold. My favorite movie about opera since no one asked is topsy turvy. He is not a great composer, but he is a good enough composer to know greatness when he hears it. Considered one of the best films of all time, amadeus was nominated for 53 awards and. The film includes an attempted suicide, disturbing images of mentally ill men kept chained and naked in a sanitarium, and some sexual hankypanky.
No, mozart wasnt a giggling moron, as peter schaffer wrote him and tim hulce played him. The creator of amadeus, peter shaffer, also admitted in at least one interview that he purposefully dramatized i. Find out where amadeus is streaming, if amadeus is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. When you consider that 98 percent of the american public never listens to a classical music station, it is astonishing that mozart became for a time a bestseller, and not only to women assured by talkshow gurus that his music boosted the iqs of embryos. Peter shaffer adapted the screenplay from his own stage play. By the end of the evening, however, he was determined to turn amadeus into a movie. The story is set in vienna, austria during the latter half of the 18th century, and is a fictionalized biography of wolfgang amadeus mozart, described by its writer as fantasia on the theme of mozart and salieri. Jan 31, 2016 the tony awardwinning play and oscarwinning film amadeus boasts all the trappings of a superhit. Eric bana, daniel craig, mariejosee croze, ciaran hinds. This is based on a rumour spread by ludwig van beethovens nephew, karl.
He is not a great composer, but he is a good enough composer to know greatness when he hears it, and that is why the music of mozart breaks his heart. Based on the true story of the black september aftermath, about the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day. To a mozart piece, eine kleine nachtmusik, film footage is shown. How accurate is amadeus 1984 film at depicting the. True story movies gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the production of movies based on actual events that first aired on cbs, abc, and nbc. Murray abraham, director milos forman and adapted screenplay sir peter shaffer, amadeus tells the story of vienna court composer, antonio salieri abraham and the envy that consumes him. Based on a true story is a podcast that explores the true stories behind your favorite movies. Amadeus is a psychological drama about wanting salieri vs actually having mozart talent. In this post, i recall some scenes from the film and compare them to facts of the composers life. The movies based on true stories database by traciy curryreyes was the first to compile a list of movies based on true stories and was the first site to coin the term movies based on. Is the movie amadeus based on a true story answers. Based on what ive read, much of the story that amadeus is based on is nothing new, but centuriesold rumors and gossip. Despite or perhaps because of the many historical liberties taken in the film, it was nominated for fiftythree. The 1984 film amadeus as well as the play upon which it was based gives a dramatized account of the relationship between mozart and salieri, two classical composers who lived and competed for attention in vienna in the 1700s, and the events leading up to mozarts death in 1791.
In the film, a priest arrives at the hospital to hear his confession, and gets an earful. Milos formans 1984 film of peter shaffers 1979 play, took home eight statuettes that night, including best film, best. The movie was adapted by british playwright peter shaffer from his own play of the same title, which opened in london in 1979 and won a tony award in 1981. The directors cut, a version that includes 20 minutes of additional footage. He claims he killed mozart because he was jealous that such talent had fallen on what appeared to be a giggling, dirty delinquent. The plot of the natural 1984 may seem like something only hollywood could invent, but as they say, the truth is often. It is based off of an 1897 oneact opera by nikolai rimskykorshakov, mozart and salieri, which is in turn based on an 1830 drama of the same name by alexander pushkin. With the financing in place from producer saul zaentz, forman and shaffer spent four months writing the screenplay, intending for the motion picture to focus more on mozart tom hulce and less on his rival, antonio salieri f. Apr 14, 2002 amadeus 1984 swept the academy awards and had a considerable popular success. How accurate is the film amadeus 1984 based on the. Despite or perhaps because of the many historical liberties taken in the film. The story is set in vienna, austria during the latter half of the 18th century.
Amadeus is a film account of mozarts life but that doesnt mean that. The 12 best movies about music, musicians, and the industry. Amadeus for a time increased the popularity of mozarts music, and the soundtrack album won the grammy award for best classical album in 1985. Example in the movie of mozarts genius was a child prodigy 2. Apr 23, 2019 based on peter shaffers tony awardwinning play of the same name, this account of the life and successes of wolfgang amadeus mozart told through the eyes of his rival, antonio salieri.
The truth enters in the character of salieri, who tells the story. The czechborn oscarwinning director was also known for his screen adaptation of peter shaffer. Based on a true story is more of a marketing tool rather than actual, literal fact. Actually, mozarts personality was not much like the character in the amadeus film and play, according to most records and accounts. I wont go so far as to say that this movie is a pet peeve of mine, because sheerly as a movie and not as history i quite like it.
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