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Amadeus: Director's Cut
Warner Bros.

9.2 based on 12 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 42 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

FILM:

• Hair
• Man on the Moon
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• Ragtime
• The People vs. Larry Flynt
• Valmont

• Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: R for brief nudity

Starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Roy Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, and Charles Kay

The Director's Cut of Milos Forman's Oscar-winning 1984 film about the rivalry between composers Mozart (Hulce) and Salieri (Abraham).

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Peter Shaffer (also play)
DIRECTED BY:	Milos Forman
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 16, 1997  Video: March 13, 2001  Theatrical: April 5, 2002
RUNNING TIME:	158 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

LA Weekly F. X. Feeney

Remains the most popularly successful film ever to render the inner life of an artist.

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

It still soars, but now it seems richer, more expansive. Amadeus reminds us that movies can be lyrical as well as vulgar, ambitious as well as playful, brilliant as well as down and dirty -- just like Amadeus himself.

100

New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf

One of the finest qualities of Amadeus is that it reminds us of those rare occasions when an Oscar sweep is actually merited.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Perfect pitch.

100

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

"Amadeus is about as close to perfection as movies get," I wrote in 1984. Now, it's 20 minutes closer.

100

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

In what was indisputably his finest moment as a filmmaker, Forman summoned the absolute best work of his craftsmen -- costumes, makeup, camerawork, production design -- and merged them with his own storytelling sense and his special way with actors to create what has to stand as cinema's most successful musical epic.

90

Variety Staff (Not Credited)

Loaded with pleasures, the greatest of which derive from the on location filming in Prague, the most 18th century of all European cities.

90

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

The superbly edited original version of Amadeus used overlapping sound cues for a lively flow between scenes, and the new version breaks up some of that flow with lengthy, talky interludes. Still, Ondrícek's breathtaking images and Forman's essential craft are best appreciated on the big screen, and another theatrical run for Amadeus is a welcome gift, no matter how much this edition unnecessarily gilds what's already a near-perfect lily

88

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Except for the Mozart music and Tharp movements around the edges, Amadeus plays like a monument to mediocrity. The movie belongs to Salieri.

83

Portland Oregonian Ted Mahar

The big-screen reissue offers a rare chance to admire the marvelous production details.

75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Amadeus needs an additional 20 minutes running time like "The Magic Flute" needs a drum solo. Though the production is gussied up with more frills and decoration than a Viennese dessert trolley, Forman is generally workmanlike in his visual style and very uneven with his handling of actors.

60

Chicago Reader Dave Kehr

It binds up introductory lessons in music appreciation, Freudian psychology, and fanciful history with a pulp thriller plot.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 42 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bryan H gave it a10:
It had it all; the best acting from the entire cast including competing best actor noms, the best cinematography ever, music (of course, extraordinaire). Costuming, make-up, the finest of any film ever made and a juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy that defines drama.

Rev. Rikard gave it a10:
What a great vehicle for presenting an ancient, yet still relevant theological/existential question: Why does God give gifts of remarkable creativity and ingenuity to those who treat those gifts with such shallow reverence? Furthermore, why does God endow those who passionately desire these gifts with medicore ability? Almost everyone could identify with Salieri.

Jenny G. gave it a10:
this has always been and will forever be my favorite movie of all time. i have honestly seen this movie at least 30 or 40 times; about half of those viewings was when i was a child, not able to even follow the story line completely. i suppose most of what kept me coming back for more was mozart's brilliant compositions, which all have a certain sweetness to them that no other composer has ever been able to duplicate. as i got older and was able to understand everything that was going on in the story, i fell even deeper in love with this film. it was just about six months ago that i bought the director's cut - the deleted scenes (although strange to see after having seen the original dozens and dozens of times) shed a whole new light on the movie that i have basically memorized line for line. truly brilliant.

Fred E. gave it a5:
Great soundtrack. Great choreography. Great excuse to go out and read a decent biography on Mozart to find out that the great genius' story is far more compelling than the simpleton portrayed here. For example, his relationship with the various Weber sisters, resulting in his writing of his best aria to wed the one who was not the famed singer. The fact that he wrote Cosi based on an amusing anecdote the empoeror shared with him, only to see it closed when the empoeror died and the empress shut down the theatre. The fact that most of his major Opera's took on the power of the aristocracy head on, and that his last was in support of his membership with the Masons. And that the so-called evil Salieri tutored Mozar's son (as well as Beethoven). Really, there's a lot more here than giggles and passing gas.

Brian gave it a10:
I loved the original release of the movie, and the Director's cut is even better (yes, I have both).

Joe B. gave it a10:
Great movie that doesn't take itself too seriously...so it should be viewed in that respect. If I wanted a documentary, I'd watch the history channel special on Mozart.

Andrew M. gave it a 10:
Amadeus is an effortlessly entertaining film, to put it mildly. I won't, in fact I cannot, critique it in detail as I have only seen it the onc time, as an 8 yr old when it was first released. To be honest I can remember very little about it, other than Hulce, Abraham, Berridge and of course the music. The question must arise then: how can I rate it if my memory of it is so scant? Simple, because as an 8 yr old I was completely bowled over by this film. I was enthralled, stunned, shocked and entertained - and wild horses could not have dragged me away, not for any one of the 158 mins that it ran. While everything else may be hidden in cloudy haze of time-worn memory, I will never forget how this film captured my heart, imagination and soul. A classic.

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