Amadeus

Miloš Forman's 1984 film proceeds in the telling of Salieri, the court composer. He cannot accept his own ordinariness beside Mozart's gift. The telling looks back from an asylum. The film places the music inside the narrative; the narrative makes envy its real subject and shows that its narrator is not to be trusted. The film won eight Academy Awards including best picture, with F. Murray Abraham taking actor. It is adapted from a play. The enmity between the two composers is not historically accurate. Who it's for: those who like music and period drama. Who it's not for: viewers seeking historical accuracy; the film rests on an invented conflict.