amadeus

[flipnflap]

the movie Amadeus is on telly now. Salieri has propositioned Mozart's wife, basically saying if she lets him have his wicked way with her, he'll give Mozart a top job. He prays she'll take up his offer, she duly shows up and strips ready for action, yet he rings a bell, demands the servant take her away, and vows to do all he can to destroy Mozart from then on. Why? i don't get it. Why didn't he sleep with Mrs Mozart and why did he instead have her removed from his home and threaten to ruin her hubby?

[boxtops]

He's trying to get revenge on Mozart for stealing his work http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeus_(film)

[MarkRae]

It has a tenuous grasp on historical fact at the best of times. Salieri was actually very well respected at the time, and just as famous as Mozart.

[erin-x]

Oh what channel is it on? I was just talking about it yesterday!

[boxtops]

BBC4

[erin-x]

Thanks Boxy! I have the dvd but i'm just lazy! haha! Tom Hulce is brilliant in it :)

[boxtops]

^ I didn't watch it again because I saw the stage play years ago, with Keith Michell as Salieri - and the stark stage setting was so much more impressive than the film.

[ladybirder]

But the wonderful Mozart has endured. What at tragedy he died so young. Think what we have missed and what might have been.

[erin-x]

You can say that about so many legends... it really is a terrible shame :(

[flipnflap]

i still don't get it. boxtops, Mozart didn't steal Salieri's work.

[DaisyNonna]

Not seen the film. One explanation, she submits, he can't get it up, tries to destroy hubby in revenge for his own shortcomings. Or no comings.

[DTCwordfan]

the music is superb......yes, the story is OTT, but so what; a great movie.

[boxtops]

Yes he did - look at the link ^

In 1781, when Mozart meets the Emperor, Salieri presents Mozart with a "March of Welcome," which he toiled to create. After hearing the march only once, Mozart plays it from memory, critiques it, and effortlessly improvises a variation, transforming Salieri's "trifle" into the "Non più andrai" march from his 1786 opera The Marriage of Figaro.

Salieri was gutted and vowed to bring him down.

[erin-x]

Salieri was celibate...

[DaisyNonna]

Says who?

[flipnflap]

hmmm, that's Wikipedia. Why would a sex-starved ugly old man turn down a gorgeous young woman standing there topless and ready to commit adultery with him, especially as he'd just prayed for that occurrence, and even more so if he wanted to shaft (pun intended) her hubby?

[erin-x]

Hmmm, that's the film, you know, what we're talking about. He was depicted as celibate in the film...

[sandyRoe]

Salieri was a priest. Priest's are celibate, aren't they?

[B00]

Now see, im trying to watch it, I really am, well its on in the background but (now feel free to call me a peasant and or Luddite here) the opera bits are naffing me off, lol.

[ladybirder]

He promised God he would be celibate in return for writing a good tune.

[sandyRoe]

You don't like this, Boo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uaLaFNzwgc