It's difficult to imagine a more deserving recipient of multiple awards than F. Murray Abraham’s performance in this expertly made – though entirely fictionalized – look back at the life and times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wonderfully brought to life by Tom Hulce. Abraham embodies Antonio Salieri, the court composer to Emperor Joseph II of Austria, played by Jeffery Jones. He's established and comfortable in his position, but from a young age, he’s known about another boy who can play perfectly and compose on the spot. Initially impressed by this extraordinary talent, it doesn’t take long for envy to begin to surface, quickly consuming his thoughts. Meanwhile, the young musical genius is gaining more and more attention and acclaim, soon competing with Salieri for the Emperor's favor. At that point, Salieri needs to do something about it; luckily, Mozart’s own self-destructive tendencies provide a helping hand. As a child, he was often compared to a performing monkey, and he always had problems with his father (Roy Dotrice), even after marrying Stanzi (Elizabeth Berridge) and having a child. You get the sense that he's constantly searching for admiration, appreciation, and affection while walking a tightrope between despair and a constant worry about poverty and failure – which leads to an increasingly problematic lifestyle. What’s also remarkable is how Mozart's music has permeated not only film history but our culture as well; I recognized many pieces from the beautifully performed soundtrack, at least to some extent. The story unfolds through a fitting "confession" between Salieri and a priest who, as events progress, grapples with his own faith and whether all sins can truly be absolved. Perhaps some cannot. The level of detail is superb: the sets, costumes, and location photography all contribute to the film’s rich visual style and confident feel. Hulce's depiction of the creative genius as he spirals into a vortex of misery is completely believable, and by the end – adhering to historical accounts, at least in this telling – I felt emotionally exhausted by the power of these two outstanding performances. Seeing it on a large screen with powerful sound is essential, and I suspect you’ll find that the three-hour running time passes quickly.

Source on TMDB