What a huge disappointment. The audio and HD transfer on this Blu-ray is great, but the Director’s Cut of this film is just AWFUL. The 20 minutes of scenes that were cut from this movie were cut for a reason. The deleted scenes are nothing more than pointless detours and fillers—they add nothing to the story or the development of the characters. There’s a long scene showing Mozart being frustrated for having to teach a pupil…which is totally satisfied in the original by Mozart simply stating to his father that he doesn’t want to teach pupils. There’s a scene where Mozart is asking someone for money because he’s broke…which is totally satisfied in the original by Mozart’s wife saying on multiple occasions that they’re broke. I could go on. This film is already long and there was literally no point (other than marketing the Blu-ray) to make it longer. The original version was flawless. This version is extremely flawed. The theatrical cut flowed beautifully and it never felt like a three-hour film. You feel every minute of this version. Although you’ll be sacrificing the sound and picture quality by purchasing the original DVD, it’s absolutely worth it if you care anything about this film. Again, what a huge disappointment.

I had never seen the play or the theatrical version of the movie, so my opinion is just about the Director's cut, which I watched. This was one of the greatest movies I've ever seen, seriously. I'm a casual music fan but I don't know much about the history of classical music or different composers, probably couldn't name more than one or two Mozart pieces, and then only because I've performed them. I do know the Requiem, though, and I'm very picky about how it is used (or over-used) in movies. This film does a wonderful job of overlaying Mozart's music on top of the fictional telling of his life, in a way that is very moving and touches on the core themes of humanity. I would recommend watching this movie to anyone with even the slightest interest in music, and even those who do not care for music at all. It's just a good story.

I absolutely LOVE the theatrical release of Amadeus but I HATE, HATE, HATE the fact that Amazon only offers the director's cut on digital. The many Oscars, Golden Globes, and the myriads of other international awards were not based off of the director's cut but the theatrical version. Director's cuts are nothing more than pathetic attempts by Motion Picture Companies and forgotten directors to squeeze a few more bucks from old fans by drumming up new interest by repacking old crap, some of which was so bad it wasn't even used in the original. There are legitimate reasons some scenes do not make it to the final version and it is hypocritical for a director to rest on his laurels by bastardizing the very work that achieved those laurels.

The worst part about this version is that the additional scenes do not add any depth to the characters but, in fact, changes the characters and the storyline. As a result, you are stuck with the unpleasant feeling that you no longer recognize the movie you loved watching growing up. Save your money and buy the theatrical release on DVD!!!!!

I give this 5 Stars because this is my favorite film of all time. However, there is a built-in disappointment with this Blu-ray release and that is the lack of the Theatrical Cut. The Director's Cut doesn't do enough do disrupt this masterpiece, but it certainly is the inferior version of the film. It is an utter travesty that the original version has not been given a Blu-ray release. I hope that one day it will, but for now I'm willing to settle for this version.

If you read the longish review by DVW, it will succinctly tell you what the Directors Cut does to the Theatrical Release, why it is good and why it is bad. I whole-heartedly agree with DVW's assessment. I also love AMADEUS so much, especially the Directors Cut, that for all I care they could have taken another 20 minutes of Milos' cutting room floor material and reinstated it as an Uncut Directors Cut! AMADEUS is one of those "perfect" movies. Like Casablanca or Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Schindler's List, a handful of others, AMADEUS has its own formidable life. The direction, the cinematography, the music sequences especially, the acting, the plot and subplots, everything adheres together in a gel of perfect balance. This is one of the movies you can watch over and over and each time spot something or hear something wondrously new and exciting that you didn't know before. I purchased this in 2007, ten years ago and just now getting around to reviewing it for Amazon because I normally do not review movies, mainly music. But this movie crosses the line, is special, and is a musical experience as well as a visual one.

The score is simply one of the best ever produced, engineered, recorded, for a feature film. On the DVD alone (I am sure it is even better on Bluray) the sonic space and surround are stupendous, enveloping and warm as needed, vibrant and dangerous as the movie progresses on. Naturally the whole score is Mozart, but it is one of the best conducted and arranged Mozarts I have ever heard and I have about a dozen Mozart CDs in my collection by all manner of European and American ensembles. Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields fill this movie with a heart-pounding soundtrack which carries you from opening title to end credits like a white water rafting trip on the Colorado. Incidentally, the soundtrack album/CD for the movie is arguably the best selling classical music album of all time (in terms of units sold).

The play upon which Amadeus is based on, and movie script itself, is written by Peter Shaffer who also left his heavy mark upon us with Equus a decade before Amadeus (and then again for the film script in '77). In both cases, Shaffer received an Academy Award and rightfully so, especially with Amadeus where he shows a lot of muscle and dexterity in his manipulation of two rival (from the viewpoint of Salieri) composers who are diametrically opposites of one another.

If you have been hiding under a rock for decades and have not watched AMADEUS, if you have cought a few minutes of it on a channel and didn't stay because you missed the beginning, do yourself a favor and spend some time with this movie, one of the preeminent works of art in the film industry. It is beautiful, it is funny, it is sad, it is mysterious, it is thunderous, it is heartbreaking, it is deceitful, and it is addictive. Mozart's Requiem during the run up to the end is perhaps one of the greatest cinematic and musical fusions ever brought to the screen (the opening sequence of TITUS comes close). For that alone, the film is worth every penny you pay for it.

Thank you DVW, hope I did not insult you with the description of "longish", my music reviews are often twice as long as your review was, I like detailed analysis.