Delayed Reaction: Amadeus

The Pitch: The story of every salutatorian told as a period piece.

How I Came Into It: Some movies you don't need to see to already know it. Amadeus has been parodied and referenced so many times in so many things that there wasn't much about it that I didn't already know. Fun fact that I didn't realize until I finished watching it: The version of the movie that won the Oscar for Best Picture is not the version that Netflix uses. The "original" version was edited down for time by the director. Supposedly, this was his choice since getting people to watch it in the first place sounded like a tall order.

Why I Saw It: I had no issue with the extended or "full" version though. The most brilliant move in the movie is having Salieri tell the story. F. Murray Abraham is so good in the role and it's such an interesting perspective. The story does a wonderful job shifting away from all Saleiri in the beginning to the point that he's almost an afterthought by the end. What the hell has Tom Hulce been up to? His only work in the last decade has been Stranger Than Fiction and Jumper. He's excellent as Mozart in this movie though. Was that just a fluke? There is a history of Oscar winners not working much after winning, but there's generally a reason* (ex. Mo'Nique is also a standup. Heath Ledger is, in fact, quite deceased).

*It took me all of 10 seconds to look him up and determine that he stopped acting because he's been producing shows on Broadway. So, it's not like Hulce has retired altogether.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: When I say "Three hour historical feature", all the natural concerns that come to mind affect this as expected. It does drag a little in the middle (It feels like it's as long as it is) and I'm going to spend the rest of my life assuming that all of what happens in the movie is completely true. I'm ok with that. This holds up a lot better than I expected given that the Oscar winner right after it was Out of Africa.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend