'Amadeus: Director's Cut' - High-Def Digest Review

[Attebery]

David has reviewed 'Amadeus.' You've gotta read his review, but he says this one still impresses. This Blu-ray gives the film a worthy video upgrade, exceptional sound, and some good extras. Warm up your credit cards, cause this is one you'll want to own.

Full review here:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/876/amadeus.html

[singhcr]

This is an excellent movie and it's a steal at $16.

[Arkadin]

another best picture winner arrives on bd, and although this review is certainly welcome it's a real shame Warner didn't get out a screener when the disc first came out.
BB selling this for only $14.99 was an amazing deal even if I had to get a refund because I had already purchased it at a higher price.

[rpboyer]

The review says that the included digital copy is for iTunes or Windows Media - it is not. The digital copy is Windows Media ONLY! I know because I bought it and was extremely irritated since a Windows Media file is utterly useless as far as I am concerned.

[dbacksfan]

My bad. Thanks for clarifying that, rpboyer. You are absolutely right. We will change that in the review.

[typ44q]

This is a great movie, I have not seen it in years and I cant wait to get my copy from amazon, should be here in a few days

[ben1080p]

Never seen this film but I can tell it warrants a rental!

[rickman33]

I think this a great movie.
There are a few things that bug me about the film although I have revisited it over and over (I had it on DVD- and am going to get it on blu-ray).
There have been some obvious Hollywood liberties taken with the story (though the story originally existed in play form). The first, of course, was that it was most likely that Salieri was a friend of Mozart and not his enemy. After Mozart's death, Salieri later went on to tutor Mozart's son. The story is supposed to be fiction and not a historical reference, but I don't like the idea that many people watching it will think it's accurate.
The second thing that mildly bugs me about the movie is that everyone speaks English! Aren't they supposed to be in Austria? Oh well, I can look past this, but every so often in the middle of the film a little voice in my head asks the question, "Do Austrian composers and emperors normally speak English?"
Oh well. Still one of the better movies I've ever seen.

[tonyjg]

there's a few 'conflicting' reviews on the 'quality' of the picture.....

DVDFILE REVIEW:
http://www.dvdfile.com/review/amadeu...s-cut-bd-59133

The big nasty here is simple to spot: serious DNR (digital noise reduction) has rendered the picture soft-edged, a bit blurry in distance shots, mid- and far-ground facial detail, and backgrounds, and lacking fine texture to the degree that things feel a bit plastic. Faces take on a “waxy” look that reeks of digital tinkering and looks nothing, nothing like film, though I’m sure that reviewers watching from too far away from HD monitors that are too small will praise the “clean” picture that’s certainly noise-free. Wasn’t this the film that walked away with eight Academy Awards? The film that millions of fans know and love and have been waiting to spend any amount to procure in transparent 1080p? Warner Brothers, what happened?

HOME THEATRE FORUM - ROBERT HARRIS COMMENT
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...s-blu-ray.html

Somewhere between the film element and the Blu-ray this particular Amadeus has been turned to something odd and Patton-esque. Not necessarily soft, certainly clean, but with virtually no feel of film or cinema whatsoever, this Amadeus is an unwelcome surprise.

AND THE REVIEW
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ctors-cut.html

Amadeus has had a very bad record on home video, with most prior releases suffering from washed out colors, giving the film a dull, grey palette. These prior releases are what has kept me from watching this film in its entirety all these years.

The good news about this Blu-ray release is that Warner’s 1080p VC-1 encode is a vast improvement, with solid colors and deep blacks. The bad news is that it does appear that some DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) may have been applied, which does on a few occasions produce smearing and pasty-looking flesh tones, but I found them to be few and far between, and almost purposeful considering the makeup styles of the period. The DNR does not hamper detail in strands of hair, fabrics, etc., especially F. Murray Abraham’s complexion.

Considering the film was made in the early 1980s, when much of the film stock used during this period has since proven to be unstable, and that it was an independent production filmed and processed in Prague under Communist rule, this is probably the best Amadeus is going to look.

any other reviews or comments ??

[dbacksfan]

I certainly wouldn't describe the faces as "waxy." Sometimes the make-up in 1080p looks more obvious, and Hulce definitely has a pasty complexion, but I think that's his natural skintone. As I said in my review, this certainly isn't a transfer without problems, but they're not severe enough to keep anyone from investing in this disc. It's our job as reviewers to look at things with a close, critical eye, but if we lose sight of the big picture (pardon the pun), I think we end up doing our readers a disservice. Some of those reviews make 'Amadeus' seem like it's unwatchable, and that is definitely not the case.

[zaphod]

Interesting review, thanks!

Even if there are slight problems with the video... this is one movie where audio is far more important to me than virdeo, and audio seems to be top notch.
As for the movie itself: one of the best ever imo. I'm off to amazon to order it.

@rickman33: I understand your concerns, but it is important to remember that this is not, nor was it meant to be, an accurate portrayal of Mozart's life. As you mention yourself, it's an adaptation of Peter Schaffer's play which itself was never intended to be true to Mozart's actual life. (I know you realize this but I thought I'd add this info for those not that familiar with the movie's background. )

[FreddyC]

Originally Posted by dbacksfan

I certainly wouldn't describe the faces as "waxy." Sometimes the make-up in 1080p looks more obvious, and Hulce definitely has a pasty complexion, but I think that's his natural skintone. As I said in my review, this certainly isn't a transfer without problems, but they're not severe enough to keep anyone from investing in this disc. It's our job as reviewers to look at things with a close, critical eye, but if we lose sight of the big picture (pardon the pun), I think we end up doing our readers a disservice. Some of those reviews make 'Amadeus' seem like it's unwatchable, and that is definitely not the case.

I agree. The above and the HDD review are right on. The colors are vibrant and while a tad soft, there isn't anything about the picture that displeased me.

This was a blind buy for me and I just watched it yesterday. Excellent. I feel like I stole it at 14.99, when I have to pay so much more for newer releases that don't hold a candle to a film like "Amadeus". Freddy

[Mandrake]

I don't get what these other sites were bitching about when it comes to picture quality. I bought the film for my folks since my dad's into classical music and I was looking for demo material for their new surround sound system. The film is of course 90%+ dialogue but the sound is awesome and totally comes alive with the music. As for the picture quality: yes, it could be a little better and I guess if you're sitting close to the screen its lack of perfection is even more noticeable but--at least compared to the first-run DVD--this is a vast improvement. Of course I wasn't sitting there with a notepad and scribbling down everything that keeps the picture from being reference-quality, I was watching the film. PQ gets about a 4/5 in my book.

[davcole]

Finally got to watch it today.

I'm sorry, I have to join the "underwhelmed chorus". There were no points of this film that looked sharp, while the boldness of the colors of the costumes was there, fine detail wasn't. I don't know if that's the fault of the print or the transfer but what I can tell you is that the picture is lacking. Particularily in the opera scenes I saw moments of downright image smearing which seems like it's a victim of too much DNR. I just feel that had Warner's/Zaentz Company gone back and invested in a newer transfer we may have seen a better result.

Audio while not a surround-fest, was very clear and the music sounded excellent, just don't look for missing detail outside of the music, it's not there.

[Fisher & Sons]

I was skeptical about the picture quality when I went to watch it, but I thought overall it looked quite good. I had never seen the directors cut before and I thought the added stuff was good. In my opinion this is all around probably one of the most well made movies of the 80s.