Amadeus

Amadeus is the title of both a stage play and a film written in 1979 by Peter Shaffer, both loosely based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Amadeus was inspired by Mozart and Salieri, a short play by Aleksandr Pushkin (later adapted into an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The title refers to a name that Mozart often used (he was baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart) as a pen name. It is a Latinization of the Greek Theophilus, which Mozart sometimes also Germanized as "Gottlieb." All three names mean "God-lover" or "Loved by God" and, aside from being a direct reference to Mozart, the title serves as an ironic reference to Salieri's relationship with God in the play and film (see the plot section, below, for more detail).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shaffer uses English to stand in for German throughout the play and film. That is, whenever the characters are speaking in English, the audience is to understand that they are speaking vernacular German. Indeed, even operas with libretti in German, such as Die Entf?hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) and Die Zauberfl?te (The Magic Flute) are translated into English, so as to maintain this conceit. Italian opera lyrics, on the other hand, are sung in the original to preserve their "foreign-ness" within the story.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The play, and to a much larger extent the film, make use of Mozart's music (as well as that of a few other composers, including Salieri). The film famously opens with the powerful "Allegro con brio" from Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, and closes with Mozart's inimitable Requiem. The film's score was performed by The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stage play: REDIRECT Play (theatre)...

Film: :This article is about motion pictures. For other uses of "film", see photographic film or film (disambiguation)...

Written: REDIRECT Writing...

Amadeus related Images and Photos (experimental)

Amadeus (DVD)	Amadeus (DVD)	Amadeus (2002 Dbl DVD) (BIL)	Amadeus: Special Edition (Dbl DVD)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Amadeus Director's Cut (Blu-ray)	Amadeus: Director's Cut (BD) (Oscar O-Sleeve)	Amadeus German Movie Poster 1984