Amadeus: Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

This has been one of my most favorite movies since its original release. I was so excited when I learned that the studio was finally putting it on 4k, & it was the original theatrical version. The picture quality on this 4k transfer is absolutely gorgeous. This movie, strange to say, is the movie that started me building my surround sound system. Yes, there’s no explosions or car chases, that are fun for surround sound systems. The music becomes the third character of this film. A good surround sound system will grow & shrink your room depending on where the music is being played. In a small room plunking on a piano, in large opera halls, or in the mind of Salieri or Mozart. In all this, this 4k shines.

Como buen fanático mozartiano ( y teniendo el bluray video del corte del director hace varios años) , decidí adquirirlo en 4k. Y no me arrepiento!!!

Great 👍🏾 movie

Well done conversion to 4k. Love this movie!

Movie 3 of 1984 and 113 overall in my journey through films of my lifetime.Everyone around me seems to have very diverse tastes in music. I have a monolithic ear with some branching interests, or even sounds for the sake of utility. For example I will seek out and take the time to listen to all different kinds of metal music. I've loved that genre since the first time I heard it. My friends all "grew out of it" but not me. I still love it. Metal takes me to heights, it makes me feel important or what I'm doing has great meaning. I do also enjoy classical but I won't seek it out like I do metal. Rather it's useful to me like when I'm studying or falling asleep. With all of this it may come as little surprise that I never sought out to see "Amadeus."Recently two efforts in the entertainment industry have been very instructive. First is the movie "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" where it tried so hard to subvert audience's expectations that it actually threatened the canonocity of itself and any subsequent entries into the series. The second is the final season of "The Game of Thrones" which suffers a similar fate. "Amadeus" also subverts expectations but it's subtle unlike the two former examples. Where our two examples went over the top to give grand twists to the point that we were barely even being told a coherent story "Amadeus" was subtle. For instance: at the beginning we think the story will be seen from the perspective of a priest that may be seeking a confession from a man that might be Mozart himself. Of course music is used very effectively to demonstrate that this man is not Mozart. It's jarring in a wonderful way. Later, another example of toying with audience vision, we discover that the narrative is running through the rival of Mozart (which itself is brilliant). His condemnations are reasonable, his objections to Mozart make perfect sense as this kind of a man is not worthy of such greatness. Where the surprise comes is the objection to Mozart isn't actually directed at him at all but at God. This level of talent can only be provided to an instrument of God. This introduces us to the theology that permeates and informs the ethos of the culture. An astute viewer should have been very surprised by this turn of events. The best part is that while it "drops the other foot," so to speak, it shifts the story in a way that could not be forecast. No writer or filmmaker today has anywhere near the sense to tell a story this way. Additionally we should grant that this is a unique story and required a deft hand to write.Aside from the incredible twists, we actually need them because the story has the challenge of presenting Mozart as not only a once in a generation genius, but as a socially awkward baffoon. The efforts accomplish their goal and it's quite a treat.The second half slows the pace down, it also spends a little more time showing Mozart doing his work. What doesn't slow down is its continual efforts to demonstrate his genius. The joy of watching "Amadeus" truly is its expression of the gifts of this man and it ultimately accomplishes its goal in its own ingenious way. This was the best movie of this retrospective so far!Pros-as genius as its subject-brilliant use of the expected use of music-wardrobe and set pieces immerse you-all elements of the cast and crew are flawlessCons-some may not like this period of history and it is seeped in it.

With a name like "Amadeus," you probably know that the music in this is going to be GREAT. This is also a very good film if you don't mind the tragic tone of a man who has already fallen into insanity narrating it. There is a depressing tone throughout, and the end isn't exactly uplifting.It basically starts with Salieri (rival to Mozart and the soon to be narrator) attempting to kill himself. Naturally, his attempt fails, and he is taken to a mental hospital. When a priest comes to visit, Salieri begins the whole story of what happened. So naturally, the story is based on Salieri's memory. I will admit there is an interesting and creepy Edgar Allen Poe style there.Salieri becomes the court composer for the Emperor of Austria. And all seems well UNTIL Mozart comes into his life. We've all heard the stories of musical rivals before. But Salieri has to deal with not only knowing that while he is a good musician and teacher, Mozart is a genius, but he has to deal with Mozart's rudeness (to say the least) as well. The rivalry between them starts when Salieri makes a song to welcome him, and then Mozart decides to criticize it, embellish it, and laugh at Salieri. (Let's be honest. Salieri didn't deserve that, and anyone would have been hurt there.)Needless to say, the rivalry doesn't get better. It only gets worse, until Salieri decides to arrange Mozart's death somehow.One of the most depressing things about this film is the tragic paradox.. Salieri is pious, socially graceful, and skilled as far as a businessman in music. But it's his very knowledge that is driving him mad. Because he is the one who can see just how much Mozart's skills exceed his: "I spent all this time praising a sound that I alone seemed to hear." So he has enough knowledge to be hurt by Mozart's skills, but not enough to come close to them. To make it even worse for Salieri, not only is Mozart's music driving Salieri insane, but poor Salieri becomes addicted to the very music that is driving him insane.The other depressing thing is that Mozart is a musical genius. But he has little if any social grace. He can create masterpieces, but he can't fit it into the needs of the people who could offer him money and a living. He looks like he's going to fly into insanity when the Emperor explains that his works are just too long. ("There are too many notes.") It's as if Mozart considers himself subject only to the music without understanding that if you want to sell the music, you have to take (at least to some extent) into consideration the people you expect to win approval and wages from.In a sneaky way, the film does hint that if they hadn't had so much animosity towards each other, they probably would have been an unstoppable team. But it was not to be. What we can see from the film is that Salieri (despite falling short of being a musical genius) knew how to please the people and keep himself employed, whereas Mozart, despite being the musical genius that he was couldn't understand that the audience he played to was not at the musical level he was. (Thus they couldn't really appreciate his over the top work.)Very quick comparison of the Theatrical vs the Director's Cut. The DC has 20 extra minutes, but in my opinion, these extra 20 minutes don't help the film. (1) Salieri's conversation with the priest goes on a bit longer,(2) There is a scene in a dressing room where Salieri has a discussion with the woman he loves, and with Mozart present as well, he realizes she slept with Mozart, (3) Salieri prays for God to relocate Mozart for both of their sakes, (4) Costanza asks Mozart to be more cooperative with certain powers who could get him a teaching job, and he basically tells her to shut up. (5) Salieri at one point demands an 'R rated favor' from Costanza in return for helping Mozart get a job, (6) Salieri pleads to Christ to give him some inspiration for in which return, he will give Mozart a job, (7) Costanza takes off her to top to Salieri, but he can't bring himself to perform the act, (8) Salieri tells Emperor Joseph II that Mozart has been molesting his students, (9) Mozart asks Salieri for a loan, (10) Mozart tries to give a young girl a teaching lesson, but is unable to do so because of the noise her father's dogs are making. (I'll admit I thought that scene was funny.) Moving on,(12) Salieri discusses Mozart's declining financial status with the Baron, and (13) Mozart in a desperate state goes to borrow money from the father of the woman he tried to teach in the 10th scene I mentioned.The restored scenes (while interesting to see), in my opinion really don't add much to the film. If anything, they slow it down and restate things that we already know from footage in the theatrical version. My opinion is that you're better off with the theatrical version.Summed up, it's a great film with excellent music, and a creepy Edgar Allen Poe type narration. It is however depressing in that we have a genius who can't learn, and we have a man with good knowledge which doesn't allow him to create beyond a certain point, but it does allow him to see what he's lacking. Possibly the best thing about this film is that more of us can probably identify with Salieri, and while we might be disturbed by his fall into insanity, and his desire to 'end' Mozart, we might find ourselves wondering just how different we may have been given the same circumstances.In a chilling irony Salieri decides to start Mozart's undoing by (in disguise) asking Mozart to write a requiem for a man who died and didn't get the requiem he deserved. Perhaps Salieri on a subconscious level is talking about himself. Mozart did (in a way) kill the man Salieri was.(But if it's any comfort, Salieri did win an award for his role in this film, and when he accepted the award, he said good things about Mozart.)If I do have a complaint about the film, it's the tragic hopelessness of it. But then of course, history does show that Salieri ended his life in an institution and was screaming (even if in insanity) that he killed Mozart. Though of course, no signs of foul play were found when Mozart died, despite dying at a young age. It follows a very Cliff Marlowe style. By that I mean, its been said that "Marlowe isn't quite sure why man was put on the earth. But he did seem sure that the arrangement didn't work." And that is the kind of concept we have here in this film.However, even if the story is depressing and hard to take, the music is great.

I was surprised why this movie was not 4k for so long. Its a great restoration, and getting the digital copy is a plus

This is a great movie from the 80s now in 4k