Amadeus

Milos Foreman, 1984 (8.9*)

Best Picture (AA, GG)

Although fiction, and a "danged good yarn" at that, Amadeus attempts to tell one possible theory on the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A deranged and senile court composer, Antonio Salieri, brilliantly played by F. Murray Abraham (Best Actor Oscar), claims from the asylum that he killed "the world's greatest composer", then proceeds to tell his story, which becomes this film.

He is generally angry at God for bestowing supreme talent on a "non-believer", while he languishes in mediocrity himself. Tom Hulce (the one who played Pinto in Animal House) has a star-making turn as a free-spirited 'Wolfie', which shows how brilliant and obsessive Mozart was when composing, and how superficial and irresponsible he could be when he wasn't, generally boozing and womanizing nightly like a true Bohemian. Whether you buy this theory or not, the film becomes addictive, as we witness one Mozart masterpiece after another. Best Director winner Milos Foreman's best film. 8 Oscars

Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest also won best picture and director for 1975, and is another must-see American classic.

Quote: Yes,...too many notes. Just lop off a few here and there.

[Updated 12.11.10]