I'm surprised that no-one picked up on Walter Meyer's posting about
the ideas, including that of a capricious God (from Salieri's point of
view), that underlie "Amadeus." In the play, there's considerable focus
on WAM's relationship with his father, Leopold, and how this may have been
transmuted into music -- from the avenging Commendatore in Don G to the
final Zauberfloete, where, Schaefer argues, Mozart has made his peace with
Dad, and the father-figure Sarastro is now God-like, noble and the fountain
of wisdom.  Alas, the film took up only the first part of the argument (the
terrifying figure in Don G) and omitted completely the resolution of ZF.
Someone missed the boat.

I saw the play, first time with Ian McKellan as Salieri in one of the
greatest performances I've seen on the stage, and then with John Wood
in the part.  The play held up both times.  Alas, the film did not.

Maybe if we grant that Peter Schaefer is a highly intelligent man of ideas,
certainly exhibited in his previous plays, then if we focus on the ideas
and not only on the details of Mozart's life and times as shown in the play
and film, then maybe we can see the point of this exercise and leave aside
the catalog of historical errors (at least 1003!).  No claim was ever made
for historical accuracy.

And I thought Shakespeare in Love to be utterly delightful, a thinking
person's midsummer night's comedy.  I love Stoppard's wit and would have
guessed his hand in the writing even without seeing his name in the
credits!  And if you want to have some Shakespearean fun, get the video
of Ken Branagh's "A Mid-Winter's Tale" about a production of Hamlet.  KB
directs but is not in it, though many familiar faces from his films will
appear.

Autumn is upon us (in the northern hemisphere) but let us not go so
somberly into the early night.

Eric Kisch
(who's looking forward to some light in the morning when daylight saving
time ends soon)