Amadeus (film)

Amadeus
Theatrical release poster by Peter Sís
Directed byMiloš Forman
Screenplay byPeter Shaffer
Based on
Produced bySaul Zaentz
Starring
CinematographyMiroslav Ondříček
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 6, 1984 (1984-09-06) (Los Angeles)
  • September 19, 1984 (1984-09-19) (United States)
Running time
161 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million[2]
Box office$90 million[3]

Amadeus is a 1984 American period biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman, and adapted by Peter Shaffer from his 1979 stage play of the same name, in turn inspired by the 1830 play Mozart and Salieri by Alexander Pushkin. Set in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the 18th century, the film is a fictionalized story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from the time he left Salzburg. It is described by its writer as a "fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri". Mozart's music is heard extensively in the soundtrack. The film follows a fictional rivalry between Mozart and Italian composer and teacher to world renowned composers Antonio Salieri at the court of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. The film stars F. Murray Abraham as Salieri and Tom Hulce as Mozart. Abraham and Hulce were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, with Abraham winning the award.

Amadeus was released by Orion Pictures on September 19, 1984, thirteen days after its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 6, 1984. Upon release, it received widespread acclaim and was a box office hit, grossing over $90 million. Amadeus was nominated for 53 awards and received 40, including eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), four BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director), and a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film. As of 2024, it was the most recent film to have more than one nomination in the Academy Award for Best Actor category. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it 53rd on its 100 Years... 100 Movies list. In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5][6]

  1. ^ a b "Amadeus". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  2. ^ "Amadeus (1984) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ww was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (December 11, 2019). "National Film Registry Adds 'Purple Rain', 'Clerks', 'Gaslight' & More; 'Boys Don't Cry' One Of Record 7 Pics From Female Helmers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Women Rule 2019 National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2020.