Amadeus Movie Analysis

First of all, the Mozart’s music in Amadeus is used to illustrate vividly the overall life of Mozart and the situation in which Mozart’s was in when he composed his music. The film Amadeus is based on the play of the same title written by Peter Shaffer which is created depending on the rumor floating around Vienna in the 1820s that Salieri poisoned Mozart. Even though it is clearly revealed that the rumor saying Mozart’s death is deeply related to Salieri is not true by several historical research, still, the movie Amadeus depicts the fictional life of Mozart in a realistic way with appealing and enthrallment that the plot has. In addition to the narrative’s high level of immersion, the works of Mozart, which are properly placed with the plot

By arranging Mozart’s music in Amadeus in the order of composition with the important episodes of his life, the movie shows that how Mozart who was once praised as the musical prodigy eventually leads to death at the early age throughout some substantial events on his life. Mozart’s witty and bright music played in the early part of the movie shows his unique composition style in the period when he received lots of attention and compliment from all over Europe. For example, in the early part of the film, the song “Serenade No. 10 in B Flat Major ‘Gran Partita’ K.361” floats out in the scene that Salieri encounters Mozart for the first time. The serenade of Mozart is beautifully played in the film as much as Salieri describes it as the “music that I have never heard” and “the voice of God.” (Amadeus) The delight and peaceful melody of Mozart’s serenade seem to effectively display the appearance of young Mozart who was admired as a new great composer with a promising future. Besides the serenade, a cheerful tune of the Mozart’s operas “the Abduction from the Seraglio” and “the Marriage of Figaro” echoing from the background of the film also helps to demonstrate the Mozart’s early smooth and blithe life. After all, however, as the plot of the film enters a new phase of Mozart’s life with the death of

For real, Mozart’s “Requiem” which is known as a Mass for dead – the music offered for the repose of the soul of one or more deceased persons in the context of a funeral – is the left work unfinished at the Mozart’s death. Although Mozart’s Requiem was composed for Franz von Walsegg to commemorate his dead wife in real, the work played in Amadeus seems to be used to describe the Mozart’s miserable final years and his death caused by Salieri vividly. In other words, “Requiem” in Amadeus is an important musical symbol regarding the death of the great composer. (J.H. Kim 127) The music firstly flows in the scene that Salieri wearing a black mask which reminds Mozart of his father visits Mozart’s house to request composing a Mass for dead. By continuously arranging “Requiem, K. 626, Introitus,” the first part of Requiem, in the scene of Salieri’s confession of his plan to murder Mozart followed by Salieri’s commission for Requiem, the director suggests that the requiem for the anonymous client is actually for Mozart himself and also the narrative about Mozart’s death will be developed in earnest. After all, before the scene of Mozart and Salieri work on the “Requiem” together at the last moment of Mozart, the second and third part of the music flows out in the