Amadeus reviews

I've been doing some freewriting lately, for the Essay writing book I'm working from. I realized today that some of those freewrites would make interesting blog posts, so I decided to post some of them. However, these are freewrites, so there's not any coherent train of thought that runs through all of them, and they don't really have conclusions.

This freewrite was supposed to be on the different styles of movie reviews, and what sorts of writing tools they use to get their point across. I chose reviews of Amadeus to read for this, which means that in the freewrite, I kept getting distracted by the film, and forgetting that I was supposed to be writing on the reviews.

There's spoilers in here, so if you haven't seen the movie, don't read.

"Many reviews (more than I would have thought) seem to think that Mozart is portrayed as some kind of rock star. Their arguments for this are that he pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable in music and in conversation, constantly. This is sometimes thought to be one of the only redeemable, grown-up traits about Mozart, is his odd dedication to pushing the boundaries of speech and music, even if he does do so obscenely, most of the time. They also cite his rock star wigs and bizarre coats as references to rock stars. The director is also fond of stories of outsiders, like Hair or One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, so many think that he turned Mozart into an outsider who doesn’t fit into the norms of society. Mozart’s fondness of drinking and partying, and the way he stays up at all hours, is also used in the rock star allegory.
Most of the reviews, even the disfavorable ones, seem to approve of the way music is used during the movies. In most movies, music is just used to underline the emotions that are taking place. In Amadeus, the music is used on many, many layers. It is used to show Mozart’s writing process, near the end of the film, as he dictates to Salieri, it is used to show the Aristocracy’s views on music, when the Emperor says the music has too many notes, and when someone complains that there’s no suitable bang at the end of songs, so you never know when to clap. Music is used to show the differences between Salieri’s music and Mozart’s, where Salieri’s is very good, but nowhere near the same level as Mozart’s. The excess of Venetian society in the late 1700’s is shown through music, at Operas, balls, and parties, even hairdressers. There are many scenes in which there is no dialogue at all, there is just Mozart’s music. Many scenes featuring characters walking through the streets, or the countryside, have only music, not even including the sounds you would hear on the streets. Mozart’s burial in a pauper’s grave is backed up by music, as well.
The thing that made all the reviews interesting to read was the way they all viewed the movie as something different. Some viewed it is as the tale of a misunderstood rock star, some viewed is as a tale of envy and betrayal, some viewed it as a conspiracy theory film, some viewed it as an entertaining film about Mozart’s life. Almost everyone liked it, which would’ve normally made all the reviews boring to read, but since they all had a different take on it, they were still fascinating to read. Even those who didn’t like the film grudgingly agreed that the use of music in the film is exceptional, the sets and costumes are fantastic, and that J.J Abrams performance is wonderful. The things that were generally disliked were Tom Hulces performance, and the actress who played Constanze (I agree with that one). Some also thought the film was to labored and overdone, and over thought.
However, even the bad reviews would’ve made me want to see the movie, if I hadn’t already seen it. All the reviews managed to convey the grand and sweeping style of the film, and the gorgeousness of all the visuals. They also all convey the treachery and plots of the movie, the secrecy and underhanded maneuvers Salieri uses to bring down Mozart.
All the reviews were thoughtful, taking such things into account when they were writing such as directing, the fact that it is an adaptation from a stage play, the film being cast with unknown American actors, instead of well known British actors, the decision to film the whole film in natural light, and many other things."

The reviews comparing Mozart to a rock star can be found here and here, if you're interested in reading them.