Amadeus
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Great movie, but not quite true to history.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Amadeus was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Parents need to know that while this movie was rated R, because of some naked tush and a bit of hanky panky, there's little to be worried about here for the teenage crowd. Parents should also know that there's no real evidence to back up this movie's plot.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about how rare it is for a drama to be told entirely from the point-of-view of the bad guy. Salieri makes a deliberate decision to deprive the world of Mozart and describes the grim outcome. His eloquent narrative makes a good opportunity for young viewers to confront issues of right and wrong. Do actual evildoers so thoroughly know that they're engaging in villainy, or do they justify and defend themselves? And what is the right way to confront obsessive jealousy over another person's luck or abilities?
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More on Amadeus
What’s the Story?
The aged Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) has just attempted suicide in an asylum and wants to confess his mortal sins to a tremulous young priest. Three decades previously, Salieri held an exalted position as the state composer in the Austrian Imperial palace of the 1700s. Into the royal court comes a potential rival in the form of music prodigy named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), whose lively melodies, tossed off effortlessly by the 26-year-old, are far superior to Salieri's. But what really sends the older man seething is Mozart's mannerisms; he's a grinning goof with a high-pitched giggle and an adolescent's social skills, and he playfully mocks Salieri's stiff demeanor and formal, uninspired style of musicianship. Salieri embarks on an elaborate campaign to destroy a man-child on whom he believes God has unfairly bestowed creative genius. Mozart has plenty of weak points; he gambles away his money and carouses with Viennese night life, then works feverishly on operas and symphonies to support his small household. Salieri's insinuations keep Mozart from enjoying a comfortable salary from the Emperor, and he discovers another way to mess with Mozart's head through the composer's troubled relationship with a demanding, disapproving father. All the while Salieri pretends to be Mozart's truest friend, and he's tremendously moved by Mozart's artistic output, even as he ensures his ailing victim won't live past his early 30s.
Is It Any Good?
While the real Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not the scruffy and impish "sk8er boi" type depicted here -- and there's no real evidence his jealous rival Salieri engaged in a conspiracy to murder him -- AMADEUS does rock as a morality drama using these real-life figures and their music in an ornate, if lengthy, tale of envy, talent and wicked manipulation. Some music scholars wince at the distorted images of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and lesser-known composer Antonio Salieri perpetuated by this multiple Oscar winner (and the Peter Shaffer play that inspired it). One of the movie's strongest images is an ominous Dr. Doom-masked figure (an agent of Salieri) pushing Mozart over the edge by hiring the struggling composer to write a funeral requiem. It really did happen, but this culprit was actually a notorious fraud who regularly commissioned pieces from down-on-their-luck composers, then passed the work off as his own. And, while Salieri's jealousy of Mozart is well-documented, there's no evidence he deliberately drove the upstart to an untimely grave.
Finally, while it's become a cliche to try to interest kids in classical music by comparing groundbreaking composers to modern rock stars, the real Mozart was not the scruffy and impish "sk8er boi" type depicted here, though it makes a good story, and Czech-born director Milos Foreman further draws viewers in by having his largely-American cast speak with their own voices in plain English rather than performing a scale of out-of-tune accents and dialects.
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros., Director: Miloš Forman
Run time: 158 minutes
Theatrical release: 9/19/1984, DVD release: 9/24/2002
MPAA Rating: R for brief nudity
Run time: 158 minutes
Theatrical release: 9/19/1984, DVD release: 9/24/2002
MPAA Rating: R for brief nudity
Our Members Say
See all 12 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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Lives in FloridaI rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Negative role models
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
Lengthy and certainly different film
I'm not exactly sure they had those type of swear words back in the 1700's, but the movie was entertaining, always leaving you with a cliffhanger. I guaruntee you kids won't want to see this movie unless they've got a Best Picture quest like movie. The opera scenes are extended, Mozart swears alot (and gets drunk frequently) and flirts like mad. Though the message may be muddled, "Amadeus" is an interestingly offbeat amusing film.
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
Loooonnnngggg Mozart Movie
Amadeus was one of the most drawn out movies that I have ever seen. It is MUCH to heavy for younger kids, and most below 14 will be bored. For violence, the movie is really scary at parts. Sex, we se a man fully nude from the front for a moment and Mozart and his wife have their moments...
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
great movie
this is a great movie for musicians to watch, but my non musician friends really enjoyed it too. it was really an interesting perspective, and even though its a ficticious story, there were some really interesting bits of truth.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I was hooked!
AMADEUS is a wonderfully written movie full of intrigue, plot twists, and classical music. (What more could one want?) This movie is told in first person...from the viewpoint of Antonio Salieri, the badguy, also Mozart's rival. Rather, Mozart was Salieri's rival. There are some weak spots, however. There is social drinking, hypocrisy by Salieri at many points, Mozart's running around with various women, and his outright disrespect for Salieri and others. For example, Salieri is in love with an up and coming soprano. It is mentioned in front of the company, which includes Mozart, Salieri, and Salieri's crush, if you will. It is mentioned that Mozart is engaged to another girl. Salieri's crush hits Mozart over the head with her fan, and storms off. Salieri concludes that he had been messing with her, and henceforth begins his obsession with killing Mozart. But Mozart's talent was not to be denied, and he quickly gained favor with the Emperor, which threatens Salieri's high ranking job as the Court Composer. This further motivates him to kill Mozart. He comes up with a plan to steal a funeral mass written by Mozart and play it at his funeral as his own [Salieri's own work]. Mozart dies, and the funeral mass is unfinished. Salieri claims guilt, but his obsession leaves the question of whether he pleased with his devilish deed.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
omg amazing
it was so funny i laughed alot throughout the movie and i loved t
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Great movie!!!
Amadeus is a very good movie. I love it and watch it all time. The directors cut though, is very innapropriate for younger people, a lady takes off her top and reveals her breasts. But the normal theatrical version is good for ages 8 and up. I reccomend it to anybody, Mozart or classical music lovers, or rap and punk lovers. Anyone would like it.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Salieri vs. Mozart
I find this movie to be excellent. Sure, it had a little bit of cursing, sexual references, etc., but mature viewers ignore that easily. The characters were absolutely riveting, and I found that the theme of envy and how it can ruin people on both sides worked quite well. It also established deeper truths, such as how Mozart, though seeming ditzy at times, was actually a diligent worker, and how Mozart's music was still great, though other people didn't always think it was. Classical music was a plus, and though I may be biased, as a pianist, flautist, and violinist, this was still a great movie and I urge everyone, even people not that interesting in classical music to watch it.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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