Amadeus (1984)

Another all time favorite of mine. This movie excels at a particular aspect of film that really excites me. The director finds a way to put you inside the character and see what it is like to be them for a moment. Other examples (which I will probably write about soon) are Frantic, Chinatown, Regarding Henry, and Memento.

In Amadeus, music obviously plays a vital role. The whole crux of the movie is that Salieri is able to recognize music of unmatched beauty, yet cannot produce it. For him, music is more than a diversion, it is like an extra sense that requires an extra organ to perceive it with. Milos Forman gives us an idea of this in two scenes particularly. The first is when Salieri is observing Mozart's music sheets and is able to call up an orchestra in his mind and revels in the music that is only playing for him. The second is when Salieri and Mozart are working together to compose the final requiem and the as they discuss the piece instrument by instrument we hear the different parts coming together. It really is a masterful scene composition.

The other aspect of the film that is fascinating is Salieri's antagonistic stance towards God. He hates God for giving this great gift of music to such a vulgar creature as Mozart. He vows revenge against God by hurting Mozart however he can. What makes you take notice is how Salieri states it outright. I found it interesting because many people have this same position of not only rejecting God, but hating him... but no one ever articulates it. It's a scary insight into what hatred towards your Creator can turn you into.