Skip to content
Frock Flicks: Costume Movie Reviews & Podcast - Bitchy Is Our Brand

Frock Flicks

There are no spoilers in history

Primary Menu
  • About
    • The Original Broadway Recording Cast
    • Frock Flicks FAQ
    • What They’re Saying
    • Support Frock Flicks
    • Advertise on Frock Flicks
    • Contact Us
  • Articles by Era
    • Ancient HistoryAncient Greece & Rome, etc.
    • MedievalThrough the 14th century
    • Fifteenth CenturyEarly Renaissance
    • Sixteenth CenturyTudor & Elizabethan
    • Seventeenth CenturyBaroque, Restoration
    • Eighteenth CenturyRocco, Georgian
      • 18th-Century QuestKendra’s mission to watch every movie set in the 18th century
    • Nineteenth CenturyRegency, Victorian
    • Twentieth CenturyThrough the 1960s
    • Forgotten HistoryThat deserves screen time
    • Sci-Fi & FantasyWith historical crossovers
  • Articles by Theme
    • Man Candy Monday
    • Woman Crush Wednesday
      • Screen Queens
    • Throwback Thursday
    • Top 5 Friday
    • Snark Week
    • Frock Flicks Guide
    • Frock Flicks POV
    • Trailers & Previews
    • Tangential but Interesting!
  • Upcoming Movies & TV
  • Podcasts
    • Collect Them All
Light/Dark Button
  • Home
  • Articles by Era
  • Eighteenth Century
  • TBT: Amadeus
  • Eighteenth Century
  • Throwback Thursday

TBT: Amadeus

Trystan L. Bass October 23, 2014
1322
Amadeus (1984)

Rock me Amadeus! The 1984 film of the same name is my candidate for this week’s Throwback Thursday for several reasons. October 25th is the birthday of Theodor PiÅ¡tÄ›k, the costume designer who won an Academy Award for Best Costume for this film (he also designed the uniforms for the guards at Prague Castle; coincidentally, a lot of the movie was filmed in Prague). And this movie was the inspiration for me making my first historical costume outside of the 16th century: I recreated Constanze’s blue and white gown from her first scene with Mozart, after I saw this movie in the theater.

No, the story isn’t historically accurate. The play it’s based on is a fictional retelling of Mozart’s life, and the rivalry between him and Salieri is hugely exaggerated. Similarly, the costumes are rather theatrical in creation, giving a lovely impression of 1780s fashions, but upon closer inspection there are all kinds of crazy inaccuracies (especially if you watch the director’s cut of the film, which shows a few undressing scenes with Victorian corsets under the 18th-century gowns).

Some will complain that, costume-wise, it hasn’t aged well in comparison to productions that came after it. But for 1984, this was freakin’ amazing, and it really did pave the way for films like Dangerous Liaisons in 1988, and the whole slew of Jane Austen productions in the early ’00s. If you just look at the Oscar nominees and winners of the 1970s and 1980s, you’ll find a ton of movies featuring early 20th-century costumes, contemporary, or fantasy costumes, but relatively few historical costume movies (especially produced by the U.S.). Post-Amadeus, Hollywood seemed to realize that costume dramas might be worthwhile, and we got everything from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to The Duchess.

So despite some faults, Amadeus is a frothy delight filled with beautiful music!

Amadeus (1984)
nice suit!
Amadeus (1984)
and in purple
1984 Amadeus
Constanze’s first scene
Amadeus (1984)
Constanze meeting with Salieri
Amadeus (1984)
a street scene
Amadeus (1984)
for the masked ball
1984 Amadeus
It’s Turkish, darling!

 

Like this:

Like Loading...

More Frock Flicks

Tags: 1780s Amadeus (1984) Christian Thuri men in wigs men with big hair Mozart personal throwback playing fast & loose with history pretty pretty princesses Theodor Pištěk wrong corsets you say it's your birthday

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Continue Reading

Previous Previous post:

In Honor of Halloween: Twilight Costume Snark

Twilight (2008)
Next Next post:

Podcast: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Related Posts

2025 Careme
  • Eighteenth Century
  • Nineteenth Century

Trying to Care About Careme (2025)

June 16, 2025 16 2664
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949)
  • Medieval
  • Throwback Thursday

TBT: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)

June 12, 2025 4 1671

Search the Site

Join Our Patreon

  • FF_patreon_ad.jpg

Support Frock Flicks

Keep the snark flowing by supporting us with a small one-time donation on Ko-fi

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Bluesky
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • 18thCWigs.jpg

Even More Frock Flicks

Kate Mulgrew
  • Woman Crush Wednesday

WCW: Kate Mulgrew

July 9, 2025 3 571
Marlowe-2022-03
  • Twentieth Century

Marlowe (2022)

July 8, 2025 4 728
William the Conqueror of England portrayed in the Genealogical Chronicle of the English Kings, 13th c., British Library
  • Man Candy Monday

MCM: William the Conqueror

July 7, 2025 19 1085
MASH (1975)
  • Blog

Happy July 4th From Frock Flicks

July 4, 2025 2 896
Summer repeat - Willoughby
  • Blog

Summer Repeat: Are You Addicted to Frock Flicks?

July 3, 2025 3 960
Summer repeat - Rose Bertin
  • Blog

Summer Repeat: Rose Bertin Needs Her Movie

July 2, 2025 988
Copyright © Trystan L. Bass, Kendra van Cleave, & Sarah Lorraine Goodman. All rights reserved. | ChromeNews by AF themes.
%d