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| F.
Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Jeffrey Jones |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Emperor:
Well, I mean, occasionally it seems to have... How shall one say...
How shall one say, Direktor?
Direktor: Too many notes, Your Majesty?
Emperor: Exactly! Very well put. Too many notes.
Mozart: I don't understand. There are just as many notes, Your
Majesty, as are required; neither more nor less.
Emperor: My dear fellow, there are in fact only so many notes
the ear can hear in the course of an evening. [hesitates] I think I'm
right in saying that, aren't I, Court Composer?
Salieri: Yes. Yes. On the whole. Yes, Your Majesty.
Mozart: [indignant] This is absurd!
Emperor: My dear young man, don't take it too hard. Your work
is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes,
that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.
Mozart: Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?
A
composer jealous of Mozart's talent believes he caused his death.
An
unusual stage hit is made into an unlikely but utterly compelling movie
that manages to avoid the many traps of the cinematic stage adaptation.
Director Milos Forman manages to bring eighteenth century Vienna to
vivid life and fills the courts and concert halls with magnificent detail
and lively design. The cast also performs admirably, making it all the
more unsettling that most of these fine actors, two of whom were nominated
for Best Actor Oscars, have now long been residing in the Where Are
They Now? files. A modern classic that uses Mozart's music to the greatest
dramatic effect. |
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The Region 1 release is a two-sided 'flipper' disc that
features an isolated music track and production notes and
cast biographies. The Region 2 disc available in the UK
is identical.
The Region 2 release available in the rest of Europe is
a dual-layered RSDL disc that has the movie on a single
side but is missing the isolated music track and other extras.
It does include a booklet with information on the production,
cast and crew. The movie transfer and audio mix are identical
on all releases.
A two-disc Special Edition release featuring a longer cut
of the film and various new extras has been announced for
a fall 2002 release for Region 1 and Region 2.
The anamorphic widescreen image
is framed at 2.35:1. Although there is occasional evidence of dirt and
scratches on the source print, the picture shows remarkable detail and
well-defined colors. There is a slight softness to the image but this
is a feature of the movie's original cinematography.
The soundtrack is presented in a very strong Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that
does an outstanding job of creating an integrated sound field. A new
DTS mix of this soundtrack might be even more impressive, as it would
add detail and vibrancy to the marvelous musical performances, but this
mix is already more than satisfactory.
The
Region 1 release includes an isolated music track. The only other extra
feature is a collector's booklet with production information on the
film.  The
static menu screens are unremarkable but quite functional.
Dan Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Amadeus.
Click here
to return to the front page.
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