We’ve talked about Amadeus (1984) a little bit before and even snarked the costumes, but as the sole defender of this film, I’m finally here to give this movie a proper deep-dive. Because I saw it in the theaters in 1984, and I remember what a game-changer Amadeus was for historical costume on the big screen back in the day! This was a major production, hugely influential in style, and without Amadeus‘ worldwide box-office success and awards (including the Best Picture and Best Costume Design Oscars), future frock flicks might not have been done by Hollywood on such a grand scale. Making a costume drama about classical music was a big risk at the time, and it paid off. Amadeus paved the way for the success of A Room With a View (1985), Out of Africa (1985), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and all the great historical costume movies of the 1990s.
Read all of this review of Amadeus (1984) here!
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Where was I in AD 1984?
‘In potentia’ as it were.
Also, AMADEUS is an extremely good film, so pick your bits by all means but be prepared to be thrown out of the theatre if you let your pickiness blind you to the obvious quality of the film!
This film sparked my love for historical clothing. It may have got many things wrong but it inspired me to work in in the area of theatrical costume for nearly thirty years and to recreate as close to authentic as budgets would allow. I now wear historical clothing on a daily basis. Despite the flaws, it opened a whole world of costuming before my eyes. In my late years, I am grateful there is a whole new world of passion for historical costuming that may never have happened (as we know it) because of this film. I am proud to have have had my small part in this passion. I now pass this legacy to my grandchildren, who share this passion.
“…imagine you’re a teenager in a time when there had been NO movies in the theater showing a historical period before the 20th century. You have no access to art house, indie, non-American films unless they show up on PBS. The only frock flick anything set pre-1900 you’ve seen is on a TV, and a fairly small screen at that. Now picture that first walk-through scene with Salieri in gorgeous Rocco rooms filled with people in powdered wigs and panniered gowns and lace cravats with classical music swirling in the background.”
Okay, I fully understand your frame of reference now. And I feel your pain.Â
I lucked out in being older and able to go off to university in a city during the ’70s, when there were arthouse and revival house theaters– but then I moved back home in 1982, and until VHS caught on enough to make rent-by-mail precursors to Netflix possible, I spent a few dry years punctuated by “film pilgrimages” to larger cities.
However, by the time I moved back in 1989, the availability of films on VHS had ironically started the decline of the “specialty” theater.
Milos Forman had managed to get an even larger budget ($28.3M vs. $18M) from Dino De Laurentiis in 1981 for his lavish period film RAGTIME (1981), but the film was an Oscar-nominated money-loser.
So with that recent failure, I could see why– even though it was, like RAGTIME, an adaptation of a popular work– AMADEUS would’ve been considered a gamble in 1984, particularly with Forman directing.
Fortunately, independent producer Saul Zaentz was willing to back Forman again, after the success of their earlier collaboration ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975). And even more fortunately, this time the box office matched critical acclaim.