Robert Peters writes:

>Janos Gereben wrote:
>
>>It's such a mystery, not Mozart's death, but how two such European artists
>>as Forman and the playwright Peter Shaffer could produce this convoluted,
>>contrived, overblown Hollywood "spectacle."

>I couldn't disagree more.  "Amadeus" is, in my view, one of the most
>intelligent movies made in the last decades, a clever, profound, moving
>essay on mediocrity, vanity, passion.  It is NOT a movie about Mozart,
>this is a common mistake - it is about a fantasy Mozart ...

I've seen the Original Movie, the first and second Broadway plays,
and have the DVD and got and get a kick out of them all.  Perhaps a
little fact with a lot of fantasy.  One should keep in mind these are
an *entertainmnets* and not productions for the meant for the History
Channel.  After accepting that fact, I believe everyone can enjoy Forman
and Shaffer's efforts.  Several years ago, an interview with Shaffer
appeared in the Sunday NY Times and he's no dope and is somewhat of a
true Mozart scholar.  Shaffer's portrayal of Wolfgang's relationship
with his father is accurate on the whole.

Norman Schwartz
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