The film clip I'm using this week has a lot to do with my username. It's the film that really made me realize the brilliance that was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I'd always been a fan of classical music but I never preferred one composer over another. That is, until I saw Milos Foreman's 1984 Best Picture winner, "Amadeus."
The scene I chose is at the very end of the film, when a dying Mozart lies on his deathbed, too weak to write his final composition, "The Requiem Mass." He enlists the help of Italian composer Antonio Salieri, thinking he is a loyal friend, when in fact Salieri is insanely jealous of Mozart's talent and wants to pass the Requiem off as his own, once Mozart is dead.
This scene is just so incredible. It shows Mozart's genius, in the way that he can make up something on that grand a scale, right on the spot, with little or no editing. This was an actual fact about Mozart, who very rarely had to edit his work. He was naturally brilliant. I love how Foreman chose to have Mozart vocalize the music he wants to Salieri, while the soundtrack translates it into actual music. I love how they play over top of one another. If you don't want to listen to the dialogue part of the scene at least skip forward to the two minute mark of the clip because you'll see how dialogue and the score combine Mozart's final work. It's all layered and beautifully presented on film.
The performances by F. Murray Abraham, who won as Oscar for playing Salieri, and Tom Hulce, as Mozart, are absolutely perfect. I love the look on Abraham's face when he realizes he will never be the talent that Mozart is, no matter how great his attempts. He registers his jealousy so perfectly. Hulce gives Mozart such a childish, yet arrogant, air about him. You can't help but root for Mozart, because anyone who is that talented almost has a right to be a little pompous. lol.
Even if you've never seen "Amadeus" (and you really should), at least do yourself the favour and watch this scene. Mozart died at the age of thirty-four without having completed his "Requiem Mass", but the parts he did leave behind are haunting and beautiful. Though the film is not an accurate biography of Mozart, by any means, it's a captivating look at the battle between two composers, one with genuine talent and the other who struggles with mediocrity. And this final scene between Mozart and Salieri is the best moment of this cinematic masterpiece.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nJ226kQJiHY