Amadeus (1984)

The movie is all confession. There’s old Salieri, sitting in an asylum after slitting his own throat, spilling his story to a nervous young priest. The priest comes in hoping to forgive a sinner, but ends up listening to a man rage against God.

F.Murray Abraham steps into Salieri’s shoes and nabs Best Actor; Tom Hulce’s Mozart is just as memorable, except he walks away with only a nomination. Somehow, that feels like a sly inside joke. They won eight Oscars in the end. The movie looks like a lush historical epic, but really, it’s all about theology, not history. Salieri and Mozart got along fine in real life-none of the drama happened that way. Doesn’t matter at all.

Dying Mozart dictating the Requiem, Salieri frantically writing it down. He’s copying out the evidence of his own inadequacy, but he can’t help himself. He just needs to be close to it. Hulce gives Mozart this raucous, childish energy he’s ridiculous, yet he’s the chosen one, and that casting proves a point. Grace shows up wherever it likes, never where you’d expect it or think it’s earned. That’s the whole message, and it doesn’t let you off easy.

Most of us won’t ever be Mozart, most of you, however, aren’t Salieri either, you are just crowds unable to spot genius from the almost-genius. #Cinema