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Amadeus: from the sublime to the scatalogical

A list of 43 words by frindley.

About

Words, names and phrases from Peter Shaffer's Amadeus (play and screenplay) as well as more general Mozartian stuff. Inspired in part by the discussion about "nipples of venus" over at pasties.

Incidentally, the screenplay can be found at this German site. The play is published by Penguin.

Comments

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  • chained_bear I love this movie and have very fond memories of when it was released. I love Tom Hulce (though I can see how some might not like him). "Amadeus" was the first video I ever owned. Before we had a VCR, in fact.

    Plethora, it is well worth seeking out. Plan to do something cheery afterwards--though it isn't depressing in the same way as, say, Schindler's List. Apr 19, 2008

  • frindley But you must admit that he does bear an uncanny resemblance to the (admittedly controversial) Edlinger portrait of Mozart (1790). Apr 19, 2008

  • bilby Can't stand Tom Hulce in the movie. Sorrie wordiez, hie's abiesmal. Apr 19, 2008

  • frindley It is one of the most musical films ever made. Stunning. And poignant. Some say the film is better than the play. I love both but for very different reasons. The play conveys more of the spirit of artifice of Classical (as in 18th-century) music and the character of its dramatic devices. The film (shot in Prague I believe) is beautifully made and wonderfully acted and the soundtrack is stunning.

    As a study of envy and despair in the face of seemingly undeserving God-given genius it's unparalleled. Of course, Peter Shaffer owed a great deal to Pushkin's Mozart and Salieri written in 1831, and that's worth seeking out too. Although Salieri really did go through a brief illness towards the end of his life during which he claimed to have murdered Mozart, he later denied this and no one had believed him at the time anyway. But it was Pushkin's "little tragedy" that really stimulated the legend of Salieri killing Mozart through jealousy. Apr 19, 2008

  • plethora All this discussion of Amadeus is making me want to see it. I have never heard of it anywhere other than Wordie. Apr 19, 2008