Does The Film About Mozart Not Correspond to Reality

For as long as I can remember I have always assumed that Mozart and all other grand and famous composers were regarded as one of the most elite of their time, however, after watching this film I discovered that is only partially accurate. While it was true that Mozart was of high class; his peers often made remarks questioning his ability to create mesmerizing and remarkable music by saying things such as, “I think it had too many notes”. Then justifying their critiques by stating that there is only so much music one can hear in a matter of a couple hours. They questioned whether or not talent was enough to be able to comprehend how to correctly construct a musical work. Many people thought that he was trying to “impress beyond his years”, meaning that he was trying to do too much in attempt to seem worthy of his elder’s applause, or admiration.

It became clear that Mozart had no intention of doing what pleased the masses but instead attempting to satisfy his musical ear. This was noted during their discussion of what language the opera should be in, whether Italian or German. When he confidently suggested German the room was in a sort of shock. He stated that German is a language of true love and passion in comparison to Italian remarking that the Italians do not necessarily understand what love is in its purest form. This immediately results in him conveying a rather polarizing manner of his musical preferences. This arises suspicion as to whether or not he would be up to the task of creating a stunning opera that is of the degree that is expected of him. Due to Mozart’s profound understanding of music and the notes that coincide so beautifully that when put together they create a surreal experience comprising of goosebumps and wonderment, he tends to make enemies without the intent to do so. While he is just trying to express his passion for music he has a knack for coming across condescending and uncouth which was displayed when he called Antonio Salieri’s music a “funny little tune”. He doesn’t seem to realize the negative connotations behind his words. I believe that this gives the viewer powerful insight as to not only what he might have been like but what true passion looks like. When someone is so passionate and exceptionally good at their passion, like Mozart, what is pure love comes across as entitlement. He wasn’t trying to insult anyone as he was just stating different ideas that derived from his own experience and personal opinion that he believed would make something mediocre into something larger than life itself.

Music can most definitely give the listener an out of body experience and make them feel a sort of ecstasy that is seldom found in real life. Mozart has the rare ability to conger up remarkable musical works out of what seems to be thin air. His talent is, as cliché as it sounds, one in a million and that can be intimidating for many to be in the same field as someone who is so pure of talent. Saliere was envious of everything that Mozart had and went out of his way to spread rumors, lie, break into his house, and even possibly poison him in attempt of preventing his success. That was something this film taught me: that envy can be so corrupting that one will go as far to destroy everything the other has worked so hard to achieve in attempt to gain victory. However, it has also taught me that sometimes the love of a subject is not enough and there needs to be at least a sliver of genius in their mental capacity for the skill to develop off of!

After I finished the film I looked into the historical accuracy and discovered that the movie doesn’t quite line up with the truth. Saliere was a beloved composer who was wildly successful in the years after Mozart’s death. The rumor of him being behind the poisoning submerged when Mozart wrote a letter to his wife stating that he believed that he had been poisoned. Then someone uncovered letters between Mozart and his father where Mozart indicated that his troubles, from money and obtaining pupils, was a result of Salieri’s success. In fact, Salieri was so talented in real life that he taught the renowned Beethoven. Unfortunately for Salieri bad news and gossip travels light years beyond that of the rate of truth, so now his name is forever attached to the infamous “murder” of Mozart.

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