Amadeus (1984), directed by Milos Forman and written by Peter Shaffer from his own stage play, is told as the confession of aging court composer Antonio Salieri who claims responsibility for Mozart's death — his mediocrity tormented by his proximity to one of history's supreme geniuses.
Why It Matters
- Won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham as Salieri
- Tom Hulce's Mozart — giggling, vulgar, divinely gifted — is one of Hollywood's most liberating performances
- Forman's staging of the operas and orchestral sequences make a film about music that actually conveys why music matters
Shaffer's conceit — Salieri as the voice of mediocrity jealously observing genius — creates a film about creativity, God, and the cruelty of talent distribution that transcends its historical inaccuracies entirely. It is one of the most purely entertaining Best Picture winners in Oscar history.
Reference:
TaskLoco™ — The Sticky Note GOAT
