Who Is Milos Forman's Amadeus?

Milos Forman’s Amadeus is a 1984 historic drama that tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as seen through the eyes of his lesser-known rival, Antonio Saleri. This gives the audience a unique, insightful look into the life a Mozart. The film strategically switches between the narration of Saleri and flashbacks of his story (Forman). Paired with the exceptional filming, acting, and music, Forman and his crew make a patchwork masterpiece.

Antonio Saleri, played by F. Murray Abraham, is portrayed as a godly man devoting his life to good deeds in the hopes of becoming an adored musician. On the other hand, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, played by Tom Hulce, is portrayed as an immoral, obnoxious fool of a man. The two musicians meet at one of Mozart’s concerts in the court of Vienna, Austria, where Saleri is the beloved court composer (Forman). Saleri takes an immediate disliking to Mozart and questions how such an immoral man could be so talented when he, who only did good, was only mediocre (Forman). At the same time, Saleri deeply admired Mozart’s work and aspired to be more like him (Forman). As Mozart stayed in Vienna, gaining popularity, Saleri acted his friend, only to discredit him wherever he could without Mozart knowing (Forman).

The filming is masterfully done. The camera seems to hit just the right angles in every scene. It gives the beautiful contrast between the bright, colorful scenes, to the dull, dark