The film is commonly referred to as Amadeus, and was listed by that title in contemporary sources, but it is credited onscreen as Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. In the print viewed for this record, all music credits are grouped with performers under the “Cast” category, and there are no listings for individual compositions, songs, operas, or orchestral movements. Music credits from the soundtrack album are noted in the Song Sources section of this entry. In cast credits, the first name of actress Lisbeth Bartlett is misspelled “Lisabeth.”
       According to production notes in AMPAS library files, playwright-screenwriter Peter Shaffer was approached by director Miloš Forman after the first stage preview of Amadeus in Nov 1979, at London, England’s National Theatre. By 17 Jul 1981, the Saul Zaentz Company had agreed to finance a feature film adaptation of the play, and Forman was set to direct, as announced in a HR news item published that day. Filming was scheduled to take place in Europe in 1982, and Peter Shaffer had been hired to write the screenplay. The following month, a 12 Aug 1981 Var report stated that producer Saul Zaentz was currently securing locations abroad with the intention of having the film finished for an Easter 1983 release date.
       Despite Zaentz’s momentum to begin production, Shaffer did not start work on the adaptation until 1 Feb 1982, when he took up residence at Forman’s CT farmhouse to write in seclusion for four months. Although Shaffer and Forman reportedly collaborated on the script, Shaffer receives sole writing credit onscreen.
       Conductor Neville Marriner consented to work on the film as early as spring 1981, on condition that he be granted complete musical authority, as stated in a 7 Oct 1984 LAT column. Principal photography began on 31 Jan 1983 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but the soundtrack was recorded before production began so Forman could play the music through loudspeakers while filming. Marriner told the LAT that Forman used this technique throughout production, even when scenes did not require opera singers or musicians to match overdubs.
       Although a 5 Nov 1982 HR brief announced that actor John Savage was the filmmakers’ top choice for the role of “Antonio Salieri,” and Patti LuPone was considered to play “Constanze Mozart,” a 30 Nov 1982 HR news item stated that musician Mick Jagger auditioned for Salieri, and various contemporary sources reported the casting of Meg Tilly as Constanze. According to a 20 Sep 1984 NYT article, Tilly was injured in Prague before shooting her scenes and Elizabeth Berridge was cast as her replacement at the last minute. Tilly remained on DV production charts for the first three months of filming, through Apr 1983, and Berridge was first listed on a 1 Jul 1983 DV production chart. A 10 Dec 1984 People article noted that actor Tom Hulce was a relative unknown when he was cast as “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,” and had been selected over a host of celebrities such as David Bowie and Mikhail Baryshnikov. With the help of an instructor, Hulce studied piano four hours a day for one month before production began.
       Filming took place over twenty-four weeks in Czechoslovakia, followed by one week in Italy, as reported in a 17 Aug 1983 DV column. The production marked the first time Miloš Forman, a Czech national, had returned home since leaving the country in 1967. Locations included six palaces that were furnished with real antiques, courtesy of the Czech Government and Ministry of Culture, according to production notes. Although Old Town Prague represented Vienna, Austria, the 18th-century Tyl Theatre, formerly known as Estates Theatre, was the actual venue in which Mozart conducted the world premiere of Don Giovanni in 1787. Candle-lit chandeliers weighing 700-800 pounds were supported from the ceiling with a steel and aluminum grid that was crafted specifically for the production. “Emperor Joseph II’s” palace was filmed at the Archbishop’s Palace, or Gryspek Palace, on Prague’s Hradcany Square, and the interiors of Salieri’s residence were shot at the former Palace of the Grand Prior of the Knights of Malta, or Thurn-Taxiz Palace, on Maltese Square. The production used Prague’s Barrandov Studios sound stages, where a replica of “Emanuel Schikaneder’s” 700-seat “Volkstheater” was constructed for filming the parody of The Magic Flute, as well as other sequences.
       Principal photography also took place in the eastern Zlín region of the Czechoslovakia, at Kroměříž Palace. This castle provided the location for the scene in which Salieri first meets Mozart, and the estate’s reception hall was used for the sequence in which “Leopold Mozart” has an audience with “Archbishop Colloredo.”
       According to production notes, over 1,500 wigs were created for the film at a cost of $500,000.
       While a 6 Oct 1982 Var brief published before production began listed an anticipated overall budget of $13-15 million, the 20 Sep 1984 NYT stated that the picture was made for $18 million. Principal photography ended on 20 Jul 1983, as stated in the 17 Aug 1983 DV.
       A 7 Sep 1983 Var brief announced that Orion Pictures planned to release the film on 15 Feb 1984, but the 14 Dec 1983 HR stated that the opening would be delayed for seven months.
       The film generally received praise from critics, although many Mozart purists took issue with the sensationalization of the musician’s life story, and both the 4 Sep 1984 DV and the 7 Sep 1984 HR argued that the motion picture adaptation of Amadeus was not as intriguing as the play. However, the picture was a box-office success, grossing $13,557,200 in its first two months, as reported in a 28 Nov 1984 Var advertisement. After one month of release, the Amadeus soundtrack album ranked #1 on Billboard’s pop album charts, marking the first time a classical music record had ever been listed among contemporary popular artists, according to a 25 Oct 1984 LAT column. The soundtrack also placed #3 on Billboard’s classical music charts, and Tower Records claimed that the album was the second highest seller across all genres at that time.
       Amadeus was nominated for three Academy Awards in the following categories: Cinematography, Film Editing, and Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hulce). It won eight Academy Awards for: Actor in a Leading Role (F. Murray Abraham), Art Direction, Costume Design, Directing, Makeup, Sound, Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium), and Best Picture. It ranked #53 on AFI’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies.
       End credits state: “The producer, screenplay writer and director thank the following for their boundless assistance in our effort to present the physical authenticity and aura you have seen and felt in ‘Amadeus’: The National Theatre of Czechoslovakia and Prague’s Tyl Theatre management for allowing us to film in the Tyl sequences from the operas: ‘Abduction from the Seraglio,’ ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ and ‘Don Giovanni.’ It was actually in this magnificiently preserved theatre that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premiere performance of ‘Don Giovanni’ on October 29, 1787; His Eminence Cardinal Frantisek Tomasek for his kindness in permitting us to use his beautiful residence headquarters in Prague as the Emperor’s Palace; The Barrandov Studios and CS Filmexport for their help in filming ‘Amadeus’ in Prague and in castles and palaces throughout Czechoslovakia.”
       End credits conclude with: “’Amadeus’ was originally a National Theater Production in London, then produced in America by The Shubert Organization, Elizabeth MCann/Nelle Nugent and Roger Berlind,” and, “All film editing, sound editing and Dolby Stereo® mix completed at the SZC Film Center, Berkeley, California.”
       Although they did not appear in the theatrical version of the film, actors Kenneth McMillan, Michele Esposito, Cassie Stewart, and Rita Zohar did appear in the director’s cut.