Sent from God or Saint of Mediocrity?: 'Amadeus' (1984) as a Biopic of Miloš Forman’s Career

• In Event: Czech Inflections in the American Films of Miloš Forman

Abstract

One of the most significant changes Miloš Forman made Peter Schaffer's play "Amadeus" was that Mozart became a main character alongside Salieri. This paper posits that the driving force behind this change is that Mozart's characterization is a stand-in for Forman's Czech directorial style; whereas, Salieri represents the tempering which Forman felt necessary after his immigration to America. With this in mind, "Amadeus" (1984) represents a biopic of Forman's career up to that point as much as it is the two 18th-century composers.

Author

• Margaret Elizabeth Stafford, Ohio State U