In September, the man responsible for the art direction of one of one of the most beautiful and sublime films ever made, Karel Černý, passed away.
Today, we lost the second in the team: Miroslav Ondříček, who photographed it.
Today, we lost the second in the team: Miroslav Ondříček, who photographed it.
I watch this film often, but like a great restaurant, which I want to return to every week, I hold back from doing so, because I never want it to lose it's flavor.
Probably, single handedly, it is the film I would most strive to influence my work. Not for any of the specifics, which, are all beautiful and well done; But for the deeper choreography that make a work of art actually a work of art.
Amadeus is not just a film about Mozart. Peter Shaffer could have named his story any title he wanted. Why did he choose "Amadeus?" Because, in Latin, Amadeus means "loved by God", and that's what the film is really about.
The film is not really about Mozart's life at all. There's only bits and pieces of historical known accuracy. Instead, Salieri hears God's voice in Mozart's music, and Salieri, jealous of this voice being channeled through Mozart, sets out to destroy him. It's often been said that 'satan was jealous of God's love for man', and that's what the film is really about.
Despite his efforts to destroy the voice of God, it is Salieri who is "consigned to flames of woe", which is in the last major scene of the film, depicted here between the actors Tom Hulce, and F. Murray Abraham.
Probably, single handedly, it is the film I would most strive to influence my work. Not for any of the specifics, which, are all beautiful and well done; But for the deeper choreography that make a work of art actually a work of art.
Amadeus is not just a film about Mozart. Peter Shaffer could have named his story any title he wanted. Why did he choose "Amadeus?" Because, in Latin, Amadeus means "loved by God", and that's what the film is really about.
The film is not really about Mozart's life at all. There's only bits and pieces of historical known accuracy. Instead, Salieri hears God's voice in Mozart's music, and Salieri, jealous of this voice being channeled through Mozart, sets out to destroy him. It's often been said that 'satan was jealous of God's love for man', and that's what the film is really about.
Despite his efforts to destroy the voice of God, it is Salieri who is "consigned to flames of woe", which is in the last major scene of the film, depicted here between the actors Tom Hulce, and F. Murray Abraham.
The filmmakers (originally a theatrical play - and even further back, a Russian poem), tapped into grander themes which permeate every aspect of it, from the title, to the design and look, to, of course, the screenplay. But this allegory and image system is understated and subtle, and that's why I say it is an example of the sublime in art.
The sublime and subtle allegorical system which still functions structurally as a great and poignant story, is at the heart of any art I am ever deeply interested in. Amadeus is the perfect example of that.
This film is a giant. I admire and look up to the people who made it. And it remains a benchmark of near perfection to strive for in one's own work.
The sublime and subtle allegorical system which still functions structurally as a great and poignant story, is at the heart of any art I am ever deeply interested in. Amadeus is the perfect example of that.
This film is a giant. I admire and look up to the people who made it. And it remains a benchmark of near perfection to strive for in one's own work.
I was very lucky to see live performances inside some of these locations, and one of them, the Estates Theatre, is where Mozart performed Don Giovanni for the first time in 1787. How many people have walked those same streets since then?
And around the corner from the shot above is where I used to work. I would walk down this same street every day for lunch. And down the side street below now exists a bar where Peter Stormare threw a party for Terry Gilliam when I was working on the Brothers Grimm. Every time I would walk down this street, I would think of this film. Miloš Forman, the great director, was often in the studio where I worked, and he autographed the wall I passed by every day.
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The culture we build in our present day resonates to those who come later. I am not sure who now carries the torch they once carried, but I know it's a bright one, and one worth protecting.
So, in honor of those who came before us, I took some time yesterday to think and reflect on this film and the experiences I had, even on a personal level with it. I had memories of watching it as a very small child, and now I have memories of walking those same streets, and being in the same room as those who created it.
Films like Amadeus are the reason why I try to do what I do with my own work.
A deeply sublime film.
Rest in Peace, Pane Ondříček
The Journey Continues
TG
@playingthegame1
TheFCStartMovie.com
Tyler Gooden is the director of the upcoming film, Playing the Game, inspired by the true story of FC Start.
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