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''Amadeus'' is a 1984 American period biographical
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...
directed by
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
and adapted by Peter Shaffer from his 1979 stage play '' Amadeus''. Set in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, Austria, during the latter half of the 18th century, the film is a fictionalized story of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
from the time he left Salzburg, described by its writer as a "fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri". Mozart's music is heard extensively in the soundtrack. The film follows a fictional rivalry between Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri at the court of Emperor Joseph II. The film stars
F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he w ...
as Salieri and Tom Hulce as Mozart. Abraham and Hulce were both nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The ...
, with Abraham winning. ''Amadeus'' was released by
Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...
on September 19, 1984, thirteen days following its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 6, 1984. Upon release, it received widespread acclaim and was a box office hit, grossing over $90 million. Considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time, ''Amadeus'' was nominated for 53 awards and received 40, including eight Academy Awards (including the
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...
), four BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Directors Guild of America award. , it was the most recent film to have more than one nomination in the Academy Award for Best Actor category. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it 53rd on its 100 Years... 100 Movies list. In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


Plot

In the winter of 1823, Antonio Salieri is committed to a
psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...
after a suicide attempt, during which his servants overhear him confess to murdering
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
. The young priest Father Vogler approaches Salieri for elaboration on Salieri's confession. Salieri recounts how, even in his youth in the 1760s, he desired to be a composer, much to his father's chagrin. He prays to God that if He makes Salieri a famous composer, he will, in return, promise his faithfulness. Soon after, his father dies, which Salieri takes as a sign that God has accepted his vow. By 1774, Salieri has become court composer to Emperor Joseph II in Vienna. Seven years later, at a reception in honor of Mozart's patron, the
Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (german: Fürsterzbistum Salzburg; Erzstift Salzburg; Erzbistum Salzburg) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops ...
, Salieri is shocked to discover that the transcendentally talented Mozart is obscene and immature. Salieri, a devout Catholic, cannot fathom why God would endow such a great gift to Mozart instead of him and concludes that God is using Mozart's talent to mock Salieri's mediocrity. Salieri renounces God and vows to take revenge on Him by destroying Mozart. Mozart's
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
deteriorates his health, marriage, and reputation at court, even as he continues to produce brilliant work. Salieri hires a young girl to pose as Mozart's maid and discovers that Mozart is working on an opera based on the play '' The Marriage of Figaro'', which the Emperor has forbidden. When Mozart is summoned to court to explain, he manages to convince the Emperor to allow his opera to premiere, despite Salieri and the advisers' attempts at sabotage. When Mozart is informed that his father has died, he writes ''
Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...
'' in his grief. Salieri recognizes the dead commander in the opera as symbolic of Mozart's father and concocts a scheme; he leads Mozart to believe that his father has risen to commission a ''
Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
''. He then plans to kill Mozart once the piece is finished and premiere it at Mozart's funeral, claiming the work as his own. Meanwhile, Mozart's friend
Emanuel Schikaneder Emanuel Schikaneder (born Johann Joseph Schickeneder; 1 September 1751 – 21 September 1812) was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer, and composer. He wrote the libretto of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera ''The Magic Flute'' and was ...
invites him to write an opera for his theatre. Mozart obliges despite his wife Constanze's insistence that he finish the ''Requiem'', as the opera is a riskier venture financially. After arguing with Mozart, Constanze leaves with their young son,
Karl Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
. The opera in question, ''
The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...
'', is a great success, but the overworked Mozart collapses during one performance. Salieri takes him home and persuades him to continue the ''Requiem'', offering to take the bedridden Mozart's dictation; the two lay down the opening of the ''Confutatis'' together. The next morning, Mozart thanks Salieri for his friendship, and Salieri admits that Mozart is the greatest composer he knows. Constanze returns and demands that Salieri leave immediately. In her guilt, she locks the unfinished ''Requiem'' away in a cabinet, keeping it away from both composers; as she and Salieri argue, Mozart dies from exhaustion. Mozart is taken out of the city and unceremoniously buried in a mass grave. Back in 1823, Vogler is too shocked to absolve Salieri, who surmises that the "merciful" God preferred to destroy His beloved Mozart rather than allow Salieri to share in the smallest part of his glory. Salieri promises, with bitter irony, to both pray for and absolve Vogler along with all of the world's mediocrities as their "patron saint". As Salieri is wheeled down a hallway, absolving the hospital's patients of their own inadequacies as he passes by, Mozart's laughter rings in the air.


Cast


Production

In his autobiography ''Beginning'', Kenneth Branagh says that he was one of the finalists for the role of Mozart, but was dropped from consideration when Forman decided to make the film with an American cast.
Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...
, who replaced Tim Curry as Mozart towards the end of the run of the stage play on Broadway, recalled in an interview that he read with many actresses auditioning for Mozart's wife Constanze and after the reads, Forman decided to not cast him because of his association with the character of Luke Skywalker, believing that the audience would not believe him as the composer. Tom Hulce reportedly used
John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beh ...
's mood swings as a source of inspiration for his portrayal of Mozart's unpredictable genius.''The Making of Amadeus''. DVD. Warner Bros Pictures, 2001. 20 min. Meg Tilly was cast as Mozart's wife Constanze, but she tore a ligament in her leg the day before shooting started. She was replaced by Elizabeth Berridge. Simon Callow, who played Mozart in the original London stage production of ''Amadeus'', was cast as
Emanuel Schikaneder Emanuel Schikaneder (born Johann Joseph Schickeneder; 1 September 1751 – 21 September 1812) was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer, and composer. He wrote the libretto of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera ''The Magic Flute'' and was ...
, the librettist of ''The Magic Flute''. The film was shot on location in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and Kroměříž. Notably, Forman was able to shoot scenes in the Count Nostitz Theatre in Prague, where ''
Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...
'' and '' La clemenza di Tito'' debuted two centuries before. Several other scenes were shot at the Barrandov Studios and
Invalidovna Invalidovna (French ''"hôtel des invalides"'') is a building in Karlín, a district of Prague. History Invalidovna was built in 1731–1737 as a dormitory for war invalids (veterans) by Kilian Ignac Dientzenhofer. Its model was Les Invalides, ...
building, former "hôtel des invalides", built in 1731-1737. Forman collaborated with American choreographer
Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...
.


Reception


Critical reception

''Amadeus'' holds a score of 89% on review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The site's consensus states: "''Amadeus'' liberties with history may rankle some, but the creative marriage of Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer yields a divinely diabolical myth of genius and mediocrity, buoyed by inspired casting and Mozart's rapturous music." Giving the film four out of four stars,
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
acknowledged that it was one of the "riskiest gambles a filmmaker has taken in a long time," but added "(here is the genius of the movie) there is nothing cheap or unworthy about the approach," and ultimately concluded that it was a "magnificent film, full and tender and funny and charming". Ebert later added the film to his Great Movies list. Peter Travers of ''
People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' magazine said that "Hulce and Abraham share a dual triumph in a film that stands as a provocative and prodigious achievement." Stanley Kauffmann of ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...
'' put it on his list of films worth seeing. In one negative review, Todd McCarthy of '' Variety'' said that despite "great material and themes to work with, and such top talent involved," the "stature and power the work possessed onstage have been noticeably diminished" in the film adaptation. The film's many historical inaccuracies have attracted criticism from music historians.


Box office

The film grossed $52 million in the United States and Canada and by November 1985, while still in theaters overseas, had grossed over $90 million worldwide to date.


Accolades

The film was nominated for eleven
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, winning eight (including Best Picture). At the end of the Oscar ceremony,
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...
came on stage to present the Oscar for Best Picture. As Olivier thanked the academy for inviting him, he was already opening the envelope. Instead of announcing the nominees, he simply read, "The winner for this is ''Amadeus''." An AMPAS official quickly went onstage to confirm the winner and signaled that all was well, before Olivier then presented the award to producer Saul Zaentz. Olivier (in his 78th year) had been ill for many years, and it was because of mild
dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
that he forgot to read the nominees. Zaentz then thanked Olivier, saying it was an honour to receive the award from him, before mentioning the other nominees in his acceptance speech: ''
The Killing Fields A killing field is a concept in military science. Killing field may also refer to: * Killing Fields, a number of sites in Cambodia where collectively more than a million people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule o ...
'', '' A Passage to India'', '' Places in the Heart'' and ''
A Soldier's Story ''A Soldier's Story'' is a 1984 American mystery drama film directed and produced by Norman Jewison, adapted by Charles Fuller from his Pulitzer Prize-winning '' A Soldier's Play'', an adaptation of Herman Melville's novella ''Billy Budd''. It ...
''. Maurice Jarre won the Oscar for Best Original Music Score for his scoring of ''A Passage to India''. In his acceptance speech for the award, Jarre remarked "I was lucky Mozart was not eligible this year". The film along with '' The English Patient'', ''
The Hurt Locker ''The Hurt Locker'' is a 2008 American war thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce. The film follow ...
'', '' The Artist'', and '' Birdman'' are the only Best Picture winners never to enter the weekend box office top 5 after rankings began being recorded in 1982. The film peaked at No. 6 during its 8th weekend in theaters. Saul Zaentz produced both ''Amadeus'' and ''The English Patient''.


Historicity

From the beginning, writer Peter Shaffer and director Miloš Forman both were open about their desire to create entertaining drama only loosely based on reality, calling the work "fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri". The idea of animosity between Mozart and Salieri was popularized by
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
in 1830 in his play '' Mozart and Salieri''. In it, Salieri actually murders Mozart on stage. The play was made into the opera '' Mozart and Salieri'' by
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
67 years later, which in turn had its first screen adaptation by silent-film director Victor Tourjansky in 1914. Another significant departure in the film is the portrayal of Salieri as a pious loner trapped in a vow of chastity, when in reality he was a married family man with eight children and at least one mistress. Mozart was indeed commissioned to compose a Requiem Mass by an anonymous benefactor. In reality, the patron turned out to be Count
Franz von Walsegg Count Franz von Walsegg (January 17, 1763 – November 11, 1827) was an aristocrat, living in Stuppach Castle near Gloggnitz, who is best remembered for having commissioned a requiem mass from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791 following the death o ...
, who was grieving after the death of his wife.


Alternative version

''Amadeus'' premiered in 1984 as a PG-rated movie with a running time of 161 minutes. Director Miloš Forman introduced an R-rated version with nearly 20 minutes of restored footage. This version was released by the studios as a ''Director's Cut'' on September 24, 2002. Forman justified why those scenes were cut in the first place in the 1995 supplemental material for Pioneer's deluxe LaserDisc. However, he explains why the scenes were eventually restored in a subsequent 2002 interview with '' The A.V. Club'':


Music


Film credits

* Music conducted and supervised by Neville Marriner * Music coordinator: John Strauss * Orchestra: Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner * Choruses ** Academy Chorus of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by
László Heltay László Istvan Heltay (5 January 1930 17 December 2019) was a Hungarian-born British conductor and choral director. Heltay is best known for contributing to the establishment of the Brighton Festival Chorus, the Chorus of the Academy of St Mart ...
**
Ambrosian Opera Chorus The Ambrosian Singers are an English choral group based in London. History They were founded after World War II in England. One of their co-founders was Denis Stevens (1922–2004), a British musicologist and viola player who joined the BBC M ...
, conducted by John McCarthy ** The Choristers of Westminster Abbey, conducted by Simon Preston * Instrumental soloists ** Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482:
Ivan Moravec Ivan Moravec (9 November 1930 – 27 July 2015) was a Czech concert pianist whose performing and recording career spanned nearly half a century. Media and critics worldwide often called Moravec "a poet of the piano" or "pianist supreme". He is cons ...
** Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466:
Imogen Cooper Dame Imogen Cooper, (born 28 August 1949) is an English pianist. Biography Cooper was born in North London, daughter of the musicologist Martin du Pré Cooper and Mary Stewart, artist. She grew up surrounded by music through her parents and ...
** Adagio in C minor for Glass Harmonica, K. 617: Thomas Bloch with The Brussels Virtuosi, conducted by Marc Grauwels * Parody backgrounds:
San Francisco Symphony Chorus The San Francisco Symphony Chorus is the resident chorus of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS). Background Established in 1972 at the request of then-music director Seiji Ozawa, the chorus first performed in the 1973-74 Symphony season. The SFS Chor ...
* "Caro mio ben" by Giuseppe Giordani: Michele Esposito, soprano


Original soundtrack recording

The soundtrack album reached No. 1 in the Billboard Classical Albums Chart, No. 56 in the Billboard Popular Albums Chart, has sold over 6.5 million copies and received thirteen gold discs, making it one of the most popular classical music recordings of all time. It won the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Classical Album in 1984. * Disc 1 # Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183, 1st movement # Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: '' Stabat Mater:'' "Quando corpus morietur" and "Amen" # Early 18th Century Gypsy Music: ''Bubak and Hungaricus'' # Mozart: Serenade for Winds in B-flat major, K. 361, 3rd movement # Mozart: ''The Abduction from the Seraglio'', K. 384, Turkish Finale # Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201, 1st movement # Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major, K. 365, 3rd movement # Mozart: Great Mass in C minor, K. 427, Kyrie # Mozart: Symphonie Concertante in E-flat major, K. 364, 1st movement * Disc 2 # Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482, 3rd movement # Mozart: ''The Marriage of Figaro'', K. 492, Act III, "Ecco la marcia" # Mozart: ''The Marriage of Figaro'', K. 492, Act IV, "Ah, tutti contenti" # Mozart: ''Don Giovanni'', K. 527, Act II, Commendatore scene # Mozart: ''Zaide'', K. 344, Aria, "Ruhe sanft" # Mozart: Requiem, K. 626, Introitus (orchestral introduction) # Mozart: Requiem, K. 626, Dies irae # Mozart: Requiem, K. 626, Rex tremendae majestatis # Mozart: Requiem, K. 626, Confutatis # Mozart: Requiem, K. 626, Lacrimosa # Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, 2nd movement All tracks on the album were performed specifically for the film. According to the film commentary by Forman and Schaffer, Marriner agreed to score the film if Mozart's music was completely unchanged from the original scores. Marriner did add some notes to Salieri's music that are noticeable in the beginning of the film, as Salieri begins his confession. The aria "Ruhe sanft" from the opera '' Zaide'' does not appear in the film.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


''More Music from the Original Soundtrack''

In 1985 an additional album with the title ''More Music from the Original Soundtrack of the Film Amadeus'' was issued containing further selections of music that were not included on the original soundtrack release. # Mozart: ''The Magic Flute'', K. 620, Overture # Mozart: ''The Magic Flute'', K. 620, act 2,
Queen of the Night aria "" ("Hell's vengeance boils in my heart"), commonly abbreviated "", is an aria sung by the Queen of the Night, a coloratura soprano part, in the second act of Mozart's opera '' The Magic Flute'' ('). It depicts a fit of vengeful rage in which the ...
# Mozart: Masonic Funeral Music, K. 477 # Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, 1st movement # Antonio Salieri: ''
Axur, re d'Ormus ''Axur, re d'Ormus'' ("Axur, king of Ormus") is an operatic dramma tragicomico in five acts by Antonio Salieri. The libretto was by Lorenzo Da Ponte. ''Axur'' is the Italian version of Salieri's 1787 French-language work ''Tarare'' which had a l ...
'', Finale # Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G major), K. 525, 1st movement, arranged for woodwind octet by
Graham Sheen Graham Sheen AGSM (born 1952) is a British bassoonist, teacher, composer and arranger. He is principal bassoonist of both the BBC Symphony Orchestra (since 1983) and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (since 1976). From 1979 he has been profe ...
# Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major, K. 299, 2nd movement # Mozart: Six German Dances (Nos. 1–3), K. 509 # Giuseppe Giordani: "Caro mio ben" # Mozart: ''The Abduction from the Seraglio'', K. 384, Chorus of the Janissaries (Arr.) and "Ich möchte wohl der Kaiser sein" ("Ein deutsches Kriegslied"), K. 539 (Arr.) The '' Masonic Funeral Music'' was originally intended to play over the closing credits, but was replaced in the film by the second movement of the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor (included on the Original Soundtrack Recording).


Director's Cut soundtrack

In 2002, to coincide with the release of the Director's Cut of the film, the soundtrack was remastered with
24-bit Notable 24-bit machines include the CDC 924 – a 24-bit version of the CDC 1604, CDC lower 3000 series, SDS 930 and SDS 940, the ICT 1900 series, the Elliott 4100 series, and the Datacraft minicomputers/Harris H series. The term SWORD i ...
encoding and reissued with the title ''Special Edition: The Director's Cut – Newly Remastered Original Soundtrack Recording'' on two 24-karat gold CDs. It contains most of the music from the previous two releases, but with the following differences. The following pieces were added for this release: * Salieri's March of Welcome turned into " Non più andrai" from '' The Marriage of Figaro'' (includes dialogue from the film) * Adagio in C minor for Glass Harmonica, K. 617 (from a new 2001 recording) The following pieces, previously released on ''More Music from the Original Soundtrack of the Film Amadeus'', were not included: * Masonic Funeral Music, K. 477 * Six German Dances (Nos. 1–3), K. 509


Notes


References


External links

* * * * *
Analysis of ''Amadeus'' – the play and the film


* {{Authority control 1984 films 1980s English-language films 1984 drama films American drama films BAFTA winners (films) Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners Best Foreign Film César Award winners Best Picture Academy Award winners Fiction with unreliable narrators Films about classical music and musicians Films about composers Films based on plays by Peter Shaffer Films directed by Miloš Forman Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films produced by Saul Zaentz Films set in 1774 Films set in the 1780s Films set in the 1790s Films set in 1823 Films set in Vienna Films shot in Vienna Films that won the Academy Award for Best Makeup Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award Films about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Cultural depictions of Antonio Salieri Cultural depictions of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Films shot in Prague United States National Film Registry films 1980s American films