The voice of God could not, and I repeat for emphasis, could not also have the most annoying laugh in all of Creation. Tom Hulce's laugh cannot be characterized as that of the devil's, for the devil's laugh would carry an element of horror, induce a formidable force of fear. Hulce's "Mozart laugh" is none of those. It is singularly the most annoying cinematic device ever chosen by a filmmaker. Apart from it I tell you, there is nothing in this 1984 film that would not command respect and obedience from the audience. However, it is strong enough to make you want to turn off the DVD player, now that you have the option to. The fact that this film survived the laugh to showcase its merits can only be attributed to two things that inspired the film: the music and the men behind it. Rather, the man who wanted to be responsible for it.
I would like to discuss elsewhere the wisdom of incorporating modern, colloquial speech in period dramas. It is enough to say that the American speech, though it serves the comprehension of the film-goer well, would have been sacrificed to the preference of the neutral, text-book accent of F.Murray Abraham, who plays Salieri. Peter Shaffer rightly chose to name this play Amadeus and not Wolfgang or Mozart. This story is largely religious; it is of the love of God. It is a Miltonic justification of the ways of God to men and it firmly establishes that genius and mediocrity are inherent, no matter how hard we work at them or against them. Salieri is taken to be mad, but there isn't one incoherent sentence uttered from his mouth through the course of the film. Genius is often said to be unable to comprehend its own nature, it is up to the mediocre and wanting to do the work of recognising it. Salieri does that to the T. There had never been a greater admirer and hater of Mozart, never a more verbally correct and adequate criticism of his work. Salieri is Satan to God Mozart.
With the deluge of period dramas since 1984, there isn't anything remarkably new about Amadeus that require comment. The film has been entirely shot in natural light, which is considerably rare for such elaborate cinematic pieces. It shows; so have your brightness buttons ready. The film has also been shot mostly on location, so visually it is accurate to the point of being starkly realistic.
If there is anything that can contend with the music, it is the humor. Such humor is lacking in movie scripts, it is up to the refined and tasteful craft of the playwright to infuse this understated dark humor, albeit the American accent. Salieri is the character who laughs the least and yet entertains the most, especially as the aged lunatic who narrates the story.
With so many meritorious qualities, it is sad to state that they are all antagonized by Hulce's laugh. There is no real proof that Mozart actually exhibited such a trait. Add a film that is 3 hours long and you have enough to test your patience. However, if you can endure the painful noise, there is joyous music waiting.
I would like to discuss elsewhere the wisdom of incorporating modern, colloquial speech in period dramas. It is enough to say that the American speech, though it serves the comprehension of the film-goer well, would have been sacrificed to the preference of the neutral, text-book accent of F.Murray Abraham, who plays Salieri. Peter Shaffer rightly chose to name this play Amadeus and not Wolfgang or Mozart. This story is largely religious; it is of the love of God. It is a Miltonic justification of the ways of God to men and it firmly establishes that genius and mediocrity are inherent, no matter how hard we work at them or against them. Salieri is taken to be mad, but there isn't one incoherent sentence uttered from his mouth through the course of the film. Genius is often said to be unable to comprehend its own nature, it is up to the mediocre and wanting to do the work of recognising it. Salieri does that to the T. There had never been a greater admirer and hater of Mozart, never a more verbally correct and adequate criticism of his work. Salieri is Satan to God Mozart.
With the deluge of period dramas since 1984, there isn't anything remarkably new about Amadeus that require comment. The film has been entirely shot in natural light, which is considerably rare for such elaborate cinematic pieces. It shows; so have your brightness buttons ready. The film has also been shot mostly on location, so visually it is accurate to the point of being starkly realistic.
If there is anything that can contend with the music, it is the humor. Such humor is lacking in movie scripts, it is up to the refined and tasteful craft of the playwright to infuse this understated dark humor, albeit the American accent. Salieri is the character who laughs the least and yet entertains the most, especially as the aged lunatic who narrates the story.
With so many meritorious qualities, it is sad to state that they are all antagonized by Hulce's laugh. There is no real proof that Mozart actually exhibited such a trait. Add a film that is 3 hours long and you have enough to test your patience. However, if you can endure the painful noise, there is joyous music waiting.
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