I rarely post, but I have to weigh in, belatedly, on the "Amadeus"
discussion. In 1984, when the film was released, I was in my early 30s
and split my listening time between classical and rock. I had no time
for opera, having absorbed all of the common prejudices against it.
Being interested in Mozart's instrumental music, I went to see the movie.
The opera sequences intrigued me. I was thinking "I hate opera, but this
IS Mozart's music, so I guess I should look into this." I slowly began
to experiment here and there. Some I liked, some I didn't. Eventually
though, all the walls came down and I was listening to everything. Now,
I love it all - German, Italian, French, Russian - and the pleasure that
I get every day from opera is indescribable.
My point is, that despite its historical inaccuracies (which I discovered
later), Amadeus for me was the doorway to a new world. I consider myself
very lucky to have seen that film at the time that I did.
John Schmitt
Philadelphia, PA
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