Amadeus

Being the movie nerd I am, once I saw that the Academy was premiering the 4K restoration for the first time, my wife and I immediately made plans to visit LA for a couple days. Seeing this film in a packed theater at the Academy Museum, accompanied by an intro from the director of the Academy film archives and Paul Zaentz, a producer on the film, was an incredible and unforgettable experience.  The visual restoration itself was beautiful, but the true star of the show was the sound. The music in this film felt appropriately thunderous and grand as it blasted throughout the theater. Now onto the movie itself, I’ve still only seen the theatrical cut, but it seems most people agree that’s the best version. On rewatch, I was surprised by how genuinely funny the movie is. Jeffrey Jones as the King of Austria is hilarious, as is F. Murray Abraham. He is clearly giving the best performance in the movie and one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Tom Hulce as Amadeus is also excellent, but Abraham definitely deserved the Oscar he won for his performance.  The filmmaking in this film is truly on a different level. It is a true work of art and one of the best films ever made. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since last night. After rewatching it again, I’ve decided it definitely deserves a spot in my top 4. Hopefully the 4K restoration releases on disc soon so I can continue to rewatch this masterpiece for years to come.