Amadeus (1984)

Let’s play a game of what if. What if someone said there’s this great movie about these musicians fighting for fame and trying to outdo each other, and one of them decides to kill the other one? You’d probably think it’s some modern rock thriller. Instead, it describes a movie about Mozart. Don’t ever let the idea of classical music put you off 1984’s Amadeus. It still remains one of the most brilliant movies of the last 45 years, based on a brilliant stage play of its own. Tom Hulce is Mozart and F. Murray Abraham is his rival Salieri, whose jealousy of Mozart is all-consuming. It won the Oscar for Best Picture, and even then, it might not be enough praise. It was a moderate hit at the box office and got the typical Oscar boost on home video. But it’s also a movie that has fallen through the cracks. There’s a TV adaptation that began running in 2025, but the movie itself finds itself on places like The Criterion Channel, giving it an art-house feel. It’s so much more than that. In 2026 when movies can feel disposable and vapid thanks to streaming, Amadeus is an example of old moviemaking ideals. Something like it would never get a theatrical release now, because studios wouldn’t be bold enough to take a chance. It’s also a movie that reminds you how motion pictures can elevate subjects you would have dreaded to hear about in school and turn those stories into epics you wouldn’t forget. The closest thing we have right now is The Odyssey, and if Christopher Nolan wasn’t behind it, would it have gotten made? Think of Amadeus in that perspective. If given a chance, Amadeus might even have you seeking out Mozart on Apple Music to appreciate the movie more.