Salieri in Amadeus

[Alex K]

The movie just follows through on the very old rumors of Salieri being behind Mozart's death. His reputation had been damaged already by some of his contemporaries. Of course unfounded and not doing his own artistic skill any justice.

It's been quite some time since I last watched the movie, although I have the DVD, so I don't remember, if Salieri actually kills Mozart or if he just contributes to his demise. He's portraied as the one commissioning the requiem, which he didn't do, as we know today. It was some count, wanting it for his deceased wife and most of all wanted to sell it as his own work to his admirers. Which brings me to Mozart himself, who was a big earner but an even bigger spender. He had to virtually whore himself out to keep afloat. One of the first real pop stars, I would say, given his lifestyle of womanizing, drinking and gambling. Also according to his own letters, which point to a pretty vulgar down to earth person and not some august demi god as some as his present followers make him out to be.

In the movie, Salieri merely thinks to have killed Mozart indirectly by putting pressure on him to finish the Requiem. As an ironic twist, he then helps him write it by Mozart's deathbed, which arguably wasn't the case either since Süssmayr finished the Requiem, not Salieri
At least the vulgar and hard partying (though not really womanizing) side of Mozart was sufficiently portrayed in the movie, although he behaves way more over the top ridiculously and disrespectfully in the presence of Joseph than would have been realistic.