Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune

Module Professor
Radhika Ingale

Assignment Name
1. A character sketch of Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart 2. A small appreciation of the film.

Submitted By: Student Name: Kriti Mathur Roll no: 93 Specialization and Section: MBA(B) Batch: 2012-14

COMMUNICATION FOR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

UNDERSTANDING GENIUS: AMADEUS (FILM CRITIQUE)

Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart is depicted as a man-child who is fully aware of his prodigious talent but is unable to make the leap into adult behaviour. With a high-pitched childish laugh, Mozart is hyperactive, presumptuous and insolent, and is undoubtedly a genius. Seeing Mozart direct throughout the various stages of his career for filled, empty, bored and excited audiences was intriguing. Mozarts character is that of an extremely restless man. His hands and feet are in almost continuous motion all the time and he is possessed of an unforgettable gigglepiercing, infantile and hyena-like, making him irritating and cute, both at the same time! Mozart has had a promising career. He has been making music since he was an infant and has been driven by his father to be great. He values his father greatly but he is also a bawdy man, who loves drinking and partying. He loves his music and, like Salieri, truly believes in his own brilliance. He is egotistical and cannot stand so many other people do not understand his work. There was the episode in the beginning of the movie storyline where the archbishop told Mozart that he was not really happy about his musical piece and its performance, but we know that the audience liked that performance because, according to the movie, everyone was applauding when Mozart opened the door to the hall. The inner drive and self-destructive behaviour are what made him a brilliant man, but also, a weak man. The contrast in his behaviour is engaging- the brilliance is there, but his personality is what hurts him. Mozart does not know how to succeed. He doesnt know how to play the game to make it in the real world and that is the driving force of the movie.

2. Amadeus is about the power of music, about how varied scenes touches sublime heights in describing the spell of perfect compositions, especially in describing Salieri's overwhelming awe at experiencing Mozart's compositions. The thing that I liked the most about the movie was the scene that captures the agony and ecstasy of the creative process where Mozart and Salieri are collaborating to write music. The varied emotions of Mozart as a fountain of stunningly original ideas, while on the other hand, Salieri, desperately capturing them before they slip away. The most interesting thing about the movie is that it never has boring drama. I loved the little musical accompaniment when they read sheet music. The theme of the movie is kind of sad though, the mediocre regardless of how hard they work and suffer for their craft shall be outdone by the truly genius. Salieri's works were forgotten while Mozart's did not, perhaps as pennant for his sin or perhaps just because he never had the insight of Mozart. The most intriguing thought for me was how Salieri arrives at the conclusion that not he himself killed Mozart, but how he managed to cheat god into killing him. And thus his madness depends about the upholding of this mental construct. The best way to conclude would be to say that most movies about artists (painters, composers, authors, etc.) tend to be dull and uninspired, rendering the subject of the film far less interesting than his or her work. Amadeus is an exception.