Miloš Forman's Amadeus (1984) stars Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham. The actors' biggest roles until then had been supporting ones: Hulce had played a fraternity pledge in National Lampoon's Animal House, while Abraham was a mid-level drug dealer in Brian De Palma's brutal remake of Scarface, starring Al Pacino.
These are not the usual pedigrees of actors whose work goes on to win awards, critical praise and a well-deserved place in cinematic history. A sweeping, rich and poignant film, Amadeus won eight of the 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for, including best actor for Abraham (Hulce, left, was also nominated), best picture, and best director.
Adapted from his Tony award-winning stage play (which was inspired by Mozart and Salieri, a short theatrical work written in 1830 by Russian literary great Alexander Pushkin), Peter Schaffer's script presents a largely fictionalised account of the rise and fall of real-life musical wunderkind Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in late 18th-century Vienna.
Unbeknown to Mozart, one of his contemporaries is working to bring about his ruin. Consumed by jealousy of Mozart's seemingly divine talent and contempt for his exceedingly childish behaviour, imperial court composer Antonio Salieri spares no opportunity to invisibly sabotage the younger composer, whether emotionally, mentally or professionally.
Although Salieri is not the focus, the film belongs to Abraham. Salieri's serpentine, vituperative cunning oozes from him. But Abraham's monumental achievement is in balancing this evil with glimpses into the soul of a tortured, emotionally crippled man we cannot help but pity. Abraham allows us to see Salieri simultaneously as a monster and yet painfully human. It is rare to see such a repugnant character be so likeable.
Hulce brings Mozart to life as a cross between a spoiled child and a genius struggling in a world in which he cannot comfortably fit. Hulce plays Amadeus as the prototypical rock star, drowning in a sea of excess and brilliance.