The obscene child returns!  Please understand, though, Amadeus is not - nor has it ever been -the boring 18th century period piece you might possibly expect it to be.

There remains something absolutely engaging when it comes to watching Director Milos Forman’s adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus.   The film is absolutely inspiring and completely perfect as it is.  From the acting to the pacing to the edits and to the absolute charm of it all. Amadeus is as close to perfection as a film can hope to get.

And now, thanks to Warner Bros, the film can finally be seen in its intended Theatrical Edition in stunning 4K.  This is the first time the film - in this cut - has been made available for audiences.   That alone should be reason enough to scoop up this copy.

As if the film itself wasn’t reason enough.

When the film was originally released, Amadeus was a massive hit and for good reason.  The story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played ingeniously by Tom Hulce, who should have one Best Actor for his work) is told through the jealous eyes of one of his rivalries,  Antonio Salieri (played by F. Murray Abraham, who did win Best Supporting Actor), and there truly is no better way to see this composer, as he comes across to Salieri like a spoiled child in all his punk rock glory.  It’s a way for us to appreciate both his conflicting nature and his sheer genius when it comes to composing musical masterworks.

And, according to the movie, a whole lot of it comes from the fear of his father.   But here, as Salieri constantly ponders why God would give this talent to someone who is so uncouth, we get more than enough reasons why Mozart has such grace and talent.

Co-starring Elizabeth Berridge and Roy Dotrice as Leopold Mozart, Amadeus remains a mood swing you will want to take as one court composer goes to the ends of the earth to outwrite the famed composer before taking his own life . . . and then telling us about how Mozart has haunted him.

At the Academy Awards, the biography - which is not nearly as stuffy as it could have been should it not have been contemporized - got nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and won eight, including best picture.  It remains a beautiful experience, pushing audiences to ask the important questions about artistry and about those responsible for its expression.

The 4K transfer used here for this release was overseen by the Academy Film Archive and the Saul Zaentz Company and absolutely delivers on the lushness which envelopes this film within.  It is more than something beautiful; Amadeus is an experience to endlessly treasure.

4K Ultra HD + Digital 4K

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray - February 25, 2025
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French; German SDH;  Italian SDH; Spanish Danish; Dutch; Finnish; Korean; Mandarin (Traditional); Norwegian; Swedish
Video: HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

Amadeus triumphs as gripping human drama, sumptuous period epic, glorious celebration of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – and as the winner of eight 1984 Academy Awards, including Best Picture (produced by Saul Zaentz), Actor (F. Murray Abraham), Director (Milos Forman) and Adapted Screenplay (Peter Shaffer). It’s 1781 and Antonio Salieri (Abraham) is the competent court composer to Emperor Joseph II. When Mozart (Academy Award nominee Tom Hulce) arrives at court, Salieri is horrified to discover that the musical gifts he desires for himself have been bestowed on a bawdy, impish jokester. Mad with envy, he plots to destroy Mozart by any means. Perhaps even murder.

VIDEO

Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the 2024 4K transfer looks damn solid for a film shot in 1984. Some shots, due to the era of the day, are perhaps fuzzier than others but - I swear - don’t judge the film for its soft opening.  The lush images are soon to take hold and they are all well-defined. Colors are solid. Blacks are, too. Surprisingly, there's enough fine detail on display to make this seem revelatory. Its color palette looks terrific, too. 

AUDIO

Crank this puppy up and be prepared for the thunderous score, presented here in a dynamic English 5.0 DTS-HDMA undertaking.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Just be happy to have the Theatrical Cut on 4K.  That’s the message here.  For this 4K UHD release, Warner Brothers has ported over the pre-existing 2002 documentary “The Making of Amadeus” and a new supplemental item, a 20-minute making of look at the movie.

• The Making of Amadeus
• Amadeus: The Making of a Masterpiece

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 160 mins
Director: Milos Forman
Writer: Peter Shaffer; Zdenek Mahler
Cast: F. Murray Abraham; Tom Hulce; Elizabeth Berridge
Genre: Biography | Period Drama
Tagline: The Man. The Music. The Madness. The Murder. The Movie.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you all."
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site: https://shop.warnerbros.co.uk/products/amadeus-4k-ultra-hd-1984
Release Date: September 19, 1984.
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 25, 2025.
Synopsis: The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.