Amadeus: The DVD
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
A Little Madness Might Lead to Genius
Was composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart really a bit off his rocker? This epic film directed by Milos Forman tries to answer that question, while recreating the story of Mozart's adult life, told through the eyes of his competitor, Antonio Salieri.
Tom Hulce plays a suitably bawdy Mozart, while F. Murray Abraham won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the often bitterly jealous Salieri. Amadeus also won Best Picture for 1984, thanks in part to Saul Zaentz's lavish production. The sets and costumes in this film are richly detailed, giving a glimpse into the courtly world of 1781 Europe. The music is wonderful, too, and the DVD gives much better depth and clarity to both music and picture, making it a much more enjoyable experience. The lavish scenes that highlight Mozart's comic opera "The Magic Flute" are priceless, and give an excellent look into the theater and opulence of the 18th century operatic experience.
DVD Features
Fans of classical music will find the enhanced score with remastered Dolby 5.1 sound is much improved over the video release. Presented in a widescreen format, the picture and detail of the scenes is also vastly improved over the video version. This DVD celebrates the music of the men, and also strongly highlights the scoring of Sir Neville Marriner.
DVD Additional Features
While the remastered sound is a premium feature on this DVD, and an enjoyable highlight, the rest of the extra features don't include nearly as much. You'll find production notes, a theatrical trailer, interactive menus, and little else. Language and subtitle options are available in English and French.
The Good News
As with many of the older DVD releases, this film has been re-released with both a Director's Cut and 3-disk version. These additional disks hold a behind-the-scenes documentary "The Making of Amadeus" and many other features of interest to the classical or Mozart fan.