Donald Satz writes:

>How are you going to do this? Sounds like chasing windmills to me.
>Hollywood movies have always played "fast and loose" with historical
>accuracy, because profit takes precedence over accuracy.  You know, we are
>talking about Amadeus as if there is no accuracy at all to it, and that's
>simply not the case.  They got the time period right.  And, more important,
>the movie represented Mozart's music as being far better than Salieri's -
>that's right on target.  It is much better and certainly sounded so in the
>movie.

I sense a much greater accuracy than just the "time period".  We know from
WAM's letters that he did make numerous scatological comments and leaned in
the direction of obscenity.  He was also browbeaten by his father, who was
always giving him direction, and to whom he would continuously have attempt
to justify his actions.  Leopold strenuously objected to his marriage to
Constanze and the Weber matriarch.  WAM's manuscripts do not show the
agonizing corrections and rewrites that are commonplace in LvB and others.
WAM didn't appear to suffer as did Brahms that he was following in the
shadows of other great(er) composers.  He had many unique musical talents
and he knew it!  I don't believe anyone knows, how in fact, Salieri reacted
to and was affected by WAM's enormous talents.  It is however conceivable
that another composer could and would have SOME jealousy.  I wouldn't
expect otherwise.  My biggest problem with the film is Hulce's continuous
hyena-like laugh.  I don't believe there is any support for that.  To my
recollection, I don't remember the play showing anything like that.

I recall my excitement when I read about such a play to be opening in
Great Britain.  When I discussed it with one of my brother-in-laws, who
is into classical music, I can't forget him telling me that in his opinion
"Amadeus" was going to be a great big flop, and I would never get to
see it, since very few people are sufficiently interested in Mozart and
classical music to allow for the turn out for its survival.  How wrong
he was!  Perhaps that background adds to my pleasure with Amadeus.  Very
obviously, Peter Shaffer and Milos Forman knew what they were doing.  I,
for one, applaud them and their work for having enriched my life with the
entertainment it has and continues to provide.  A comparison, or mentioning
Amadeus in the same sentence with "Dumb and Dumber" has got to be the
dumbest!

Norman