Amadeus

1984.

#53 / Unlisted

Winner of 8 Academy Awards.

From the confines of old age and an insane asylum, Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) recalls his life as a talented musician in Mozart's (Tom Hulce) shadow.

Sarah: I had seen this film in college, but it had been awhile, so Eddie and I went to The New Bev to see it. We didn't know until we got there that we were seeing the director's cut, which is basically the same as the original except with longer opera scenes. Much longer opera scenes. Still, I was glad to see it again, because this movie is great.

The framing device is brilliant. Though you love Amadeus (and his great laugh), you also sympathize with Salieri. I mean the guy tries and tries, but he just doesn't have the natural talent of Mozart. It's this deep relationship and character development that keep the film from being just a biography. Leaving the theater, I felt awed by Mozart's genius as well as the genius of Peter Shaffer's film.

Eddie: Amazing film. Seriously, AMADEUS is one of the biggest surprises on the list. I had never seen it before, and I walked away stunned and exhausted. I love biographies and a well-made biopic from time to time, and this one surpasses them all. Hulce is a madman in the film, expressing Mozart's misunderstood genius and slow descent into insanity with laser-precision. And Milos Forman makes the music come alive! Sure, he's got the greatest composer that any director could ask for, but through the editing, we see the music, rather than simply hear it. Excellent, excellent movie.

(I'd like to point out, because Sarah neglected to mention it, that the Director's Cut also has boobs.)

Why You Should see It: The first time Salieri officially meets Mozart so perfectly demonstrates their Felix-and-Oscar dissimilarities, as well as Mozart's genius. Here is most of the scene: