Amadeus

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Amadeus

PG,

1984,

2h 40m,

Biography/

History/

Drama

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Watchlist

90%

159 Reviews

Tomatometer

95%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

159 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri. Resenting Mozart for both his hedonistic lifestyle and his undeniable talent, the highly religious Salieri is gradually consumed by his jealousy and becomes obsessed with Mozart's downfall, leading to a devious scheme that has dire consequences for both men.

Critics Consensus

Amadeus' liberties with history may rankle some, but the creative marriage of Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer yields a divinely diabolical myth of genius and mediocrity, buoyed by inspired casting and Mozart's rapturous music.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

The Times (UK)

Jul 29, 2025

5/5

It may be titled simply Amadeus but this hugely fun 1980s classic didn’t win eight Oscars for being a straight-up biopic. What made it an enduring cultural touchstone is the framing.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Jul 23, 2025

5/5

Amadeus really is mesmeric (as well as deliciously exciting) and watching it again I went into exactly the trance I experienced the first time.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Feb 23, 2025

Amadeus is one of the greatest film portraits of an artist for capturing the essence of their work.

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Mar 13, 2026

One of my favorite best picture winners ever made

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Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 29, 2025

3/5

If the movie never had any intention of actually portraying Mozart’s life—or his music for that matter—then this begs the question: was it even worth making this about Mozart at all?

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Jul 11, 2025

Forman and Schaffer’s film (based on Schaffer’s play) uses the lives of Mozart and his suggested historical rival, Salieri, to create a biting, decades-spanning treatise on the nature of genius and creating art.

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Ron W

Apr 18, 2019

What should be a love letter to classical music and a man who is arguably the greatest musical composer of all time, ends up being just another trib@l exercise in the dec0nstruction of Eur0pe@n culture and the demoralization of Eur0pe@n people. This movie - while admittedly well made - has an over-arching sard0nic tone which mocks the f@!th, tr@dition, and cu1ture it should be celebrating. This is what happens when those with an innate cu1tural b!as produce media discussing cu1ture other than their own.

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Luke S

Mar 18, 2019

Works on the grandest scale visually and emotionally. The movie is perfection.

Theodore W

Feb 5, 2019

Gorgeous film adaptation of Peter Schaffer's play anchored by exquisite performances by F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce as the rival composers; expertly directed by Milos Forman.

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Luke R

Jan 13, 2019

A masterpiece of a movie. I just finished watching the Director's Cut, which I had never seen before. It may be 3 hours long but so worth it. It's rare for me to like this type of movie, even less for so many scenes to get strong emotional reactions from me; so it's no surprise that it always makes the lists of best movies of all time. It may or may not be historically accurate but it is an amazing story nonetheless. I am not familiar with the rest of the 2 main actors' careers but I am willing to bet they never came close again to the magnificent performance they give here. As a note, I am also willing to bet that if this movie was made now, everyone would have some sort of silly fake British accent. I don't know why this is the trend these days and this movie clearly shows how unnecessary it it.

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Dec 29, 2018

Utter perfection. This is an absolute must see. It is mandatory to watch this film.

Han R

Dec 22, 2018

Amazing film well worth the watch i didn't care much for classical music until I watched this film, this is up there with the greats!

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Milos Forman

Director

F. Murray Abraham

Antonio Salieri

Tom Hulce

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Jeffrey Jones

Emperor Joseph II

Elizabeth Berridge

Constanze Mozart

Simon Callow

Emanuel Schikaneder

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Synopsis

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri. Resenting Mozart for both his hedonistic lifestyle and his undeniable talent, the highly religious Salieri is gradually consumed by his jealousy and becomes obsessed with Mozart's downfall, leading to a devious scheme that has dire consequences for both men.

Director: Milos Forman
Producer: Saul Zaentz
Screenwriter: Peter Shaffer
Distributor: Orion Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: AMLF
Rating: PG
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 18, 2016
Runtime: 2h 40m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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