Best Pictures #01: Amadeus

The first movie I decided to watch on this journey was 1984's 'Amadeus.' This movie has long been a favorite of mine, due in no small part to my love of classical music, and I figured this would be an enjoyable movie to start with. Suffice it to say, this movie is still just as good as I remember it being. The performances are all top-notch, the writing is sharp, ecstatic and clever when it needs to be, and the production value is through the roof. Anyone who knows anything about the Oscar's knows that they love their huge period pieces, but this is definitely one of the films that earned the Oscar's it received, with the possible exception of Production Design (according to IMDb very few of the sets in this film were made for the film, and most of it was shot in the locations the events actually took place in).

F. Murray Abraham wonderfully steals the show here, which is impressive considering Tom Hulce gives easily his best performance ever as the titular Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The way Abraham delivers some of the lines when he is made up as the much older Salieri is still burned into my brain in the best way. His performance is an all time great in the lead actor category, and there's very few throughout Oscar history I think could actually match or top it. Overall, this movie is still a masterpiece and definitely not the kind of movie we will likely ever get again.

Rating: 9/10

Did it deserve Best Picture?: Without a doubt yes