Amadeus: One of my three favourite films of all time is Amadeus, along with Jaws and Shawshank Redemption. Anyone who knows me, or has seen any list I have ever created would know this. I have always loved the 1984 Milos Forman movie that won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (F. Murray Abraham) among the eight Oscars that it won. What attracted me on top of the performances which were outstanding was the music, and the creative process (in this case music creation). Set in the late 1700s, Mozart is arriving in Vienna after having been a child prodigy and known throughout Europe having performed before Kings and Queens. He was taken from place to place by his demanding and driven father, Leopold. I knew that the film was based upon the successful play by Peter Shaffer in 1979, which is performed from time to time. I had always expected that I would be having to travel to London UK or maybe New York City to see it. Then earlier this year I saw that Shaw Festival was performing the play Amadeus over the summer a few weeks. I couldn’t buy tickets fast enough.
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I knew the film well enough to distinguish the elements that were used within the movie and those that were new (or at least the original source material). The structure was there, with competing composer Antonio Salieri speaking as an old man about how he professed to have murdered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the world reknowned composer, and then he recounting his own history with the young Mozart. It is a compelling story with an ordinary man (Salieri) with some musical ability who wishes to praise God through his industry and music. He was court composer in Vienna, a very pretigious position from a humble boy from Italy, under Emperor Joseph II. Then Mozart comes along in the form of a spoiled, egotistical, profane, man-child. But his music is magnificent and as Salieri discovers is the very voice of God. Salieri feels deeply offended and decides to ruin God’s incarnation. Then the story continues.
The play is quite different from the movie in some material ways. There primarily isn’t as much music in the play. That is unfortunate. I remember hearing the story in the Making Of for Amadeus that the music Director for St Martins in the Fields in London was approached to do the music for the movie, and his response was that he would do it on the one condition: that not one note of Mozart’s music would be touched. Milos Forman agreed. I think through this interaction with the musical director that Forman came to realize the greatness of the music involved. He embraced it. For the play, like the movie, Salieri is the focal point and he has the majority of the lines in it. Salieri in the play is married. Despite this he holds a candle for one of the singers that he tutors. He learns that Mozart has been with his treasured student and he vows to make a move on Mozart’s new wife Constanza. It is an uncomfortable exchange and changes the scene from the movie where Constanza brings her husband’s music for Salieri’s review in order to be considered for the post of tutor for the Emperor’s niece. The Emperor is still a bumbling musical neophyte with a tin ear, but he is also an unwitting ally for Mozart as he recognizes music that is pleasing to his ear. Mozart is still profane but immeasurably talented. The play decides to focus on different aspects on the life of Mozart and him with Vienna. It shows his early success with his operas, but with Salieri’s efforts to undermine his actions. He is successful and to his surprise. He was awaiting God’s intervention which never came. In summary, I was glad to see the play. I liked the film better. It was a very pleasant evening at the theatre to see a production that I never thought I would see near Toronto.
Amadeus: TV series: Unbeknownst to me, there was a new five part TV series released in December 2025 starring Paul Bettany as Salieri, and unknown to me Will Sharpe as Mozart. This series was also based upon the Shaffer play. But it is five hours from a play that was 2.5 hours. So there is a lot of additional scenes and filler which are different from both the movie and the play itself. There is a fundamental shift in this story with Mozart being a little more hurtful towards Salieri. There is more music, which I appreciated a great deal with more scenes about the operas. In addition, there is a new wrinkle with Constanza and Salieri together. They build on the play, with additional factors involved.
There were additional scenes here with Leopold, which I feel were missing with the play. Leopold and his relationship with his son is a key factor in Salieri’s undoing of Mozart. The building blocks of Mozart’s attitude towards the world are started with his Dad, and how they view his talent. The theme of God’s divine hand and the gift provided to Mozart is very key. For Mozart, we realize that this perceived gift is a curse for him. Yes, he can write music like dictation without making any changes but he struggles with communication. He speaks, much like Shakespeare in Hamnet, through his art. He works and drinks far too much, but through his work like Don Giovanni we see Mozart seeking forgiveness from his wife. From his father. Yet he is mostly alone. Ultimately the end is the same, but there is further communication between Salieri and Constanza. In both the play and the series, they don’t use the formula of Salieri speaking to a priest in looking to share the history. I think that the film was very effective with this device. Salieri recognizes his mediocrity with God only providing him the ability to recognize the greatness of another and proceeds to thank God sarcastically. Salieri for all his faults, reflects the reality for most of humanity. In fact he was even more accomplished than most. He wanted immortality and fame. He wanted to be remembered forever. But so very few of us actually have this kind of impact on the world. At one point the Emperor states that he was thankful to have lived in a time of Mozart and his music. The Emperor was thankful for his small part in revealing Mozart’s talents. He as an Emperor still recognized his limited impact on the world and his place in it. This TV series is yet another interpretation. I am glad that I saw it even though I feel as though I was immersed in Mozart and his life for a weekend.
Spencer: This 2021 movie for me was bypassed because I hadn’t heard very good things about it. I am also not a big Kristin Stewart fan, and so it just didn’t appeal. But this was a movie available on Crave I figured that I would give it a shot after some passage of time. The time didn’t help it. Stewart plays Princess Diana, nee Diana Spencer. It covers a few days around the Christmas period in 1991. Diana is arriving at the Royal palace Sandringham House where the Queen and the family are gathering. She has the boys at the Palace and they are teens for William and just likely below that for Harry. William can sense some tenseness with his mother. Over the course of the three days, where there is very little interaction with Prince Charles we see a number of things that have been spoken about regarding the Princess including her battle with bulemia. Cruelly at a breakfast Charles says to his wife that kitchen staff have gone through great pains to make a lovely meal for them all, and it would be nice if she could refrain from flushing it all down the toilet.
The producers have taken great pains to ensure that Stewart looks, sounds and dresses the part. She wears many clothes that Diana had worn, and she has the haircut down. She also has some of Diana’s more shy mannerisms down. What surprises me and is more than a little offputting is the portrayal as Diana as this frail, impertinent, mentally unstable woman looking to be on the verge of a breakdown. She has the staff in the Palace on edge worrying about her, and what she might do next. From leaving her Porsche on the way in to take the jacket off a scarecow, to demanding that a woman who helped her dress is returned from London straight away (where’s Maggie?), to wander aimlessly around an abandoned house nearby. The gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve with the Queen, and she is upset that the large pearl necklace that she was given from Charles is one she has already noticed that Camilla wears. She has never been in this relationship with just Charles, ever.
She is shown to be a loving mother, when she isn’t acting strangely. She interrupts the boys learning how to shoot pheasant on the grounds as she can’t abide by the boys killing wildlife. Charles for his part stays away, but when pressed will take the less difficult path and relent to Diana’s whims. The Queen is less sympathetic and will notice Diana’s lack of eating at mealtime, or will be mildly upset as she is the last person to arrive for family Christmas pictures. All this is a very small window into the very large life of this Princess. Much is crammed into it, but I don’t like seeing this portrayal of her. I imagine that the boys William and Harry would appreciate this side of their mother being shown to the world, if this is in fact how their Mother was. There is a scene where after a testy dinner for Diana she has gone down to the kitchen refrigerators and started to eat the items prepared for the next day. The head butler stops by the check in on her, which she rightfully rejects the intrusion. For him, he is there to protect the Crown, and the image of the Crown and he reminds her about a number of things (like changing clothes away from windows). The concept is brought home better throughout the series The Crown when we see through all of the Royal Family’s lives that a good portion of them is the State and for the people. It can be a difficult existence despite all the trappings that on first blush appear to be so glamourous. Diana has been gone a long time, and her life was far too short and full of drama. I wish that she hadn’t had to go through all of this, and for her boys’ sake I wish that she had stayed around longer. This movie, however, I do not feel that I should recommend.
At the end of this movie, there is the picture above with Diana wearing an OPP baseball cap. As a Canadian and Torontonian, it was fun seeing the Ontario Provincial Police cap on her! Some unexpected Canadian content!
Mondays With Robbie 