You Say It's Your Birthday
So, apparently, my brother shares his Birthday with Wolfgang Amadaeus Mozart. Well, 213 years later. If the movie Amadaeus is at ALL accurate, it seems oddly fitting.
posted by Swankette at 9:58 PM
4 Comments:
Interesting tie-in to TRP's post on The Truth. LOTS of people assume Amadeus is a biopic, which it decidedly is not (and doesn't try to be). It has, however, definitely colored how people percieve Mozart and his work.
An example of how the play/movie distorts (I know that makes it sound malicious, which it wasn't, but I cannot come up with a better word):
Yes, Mozart probably swore a fair bit. Swearing was just as common in the 1770s as it is today. It was not the stuff of scandal. Likewise, Mozart was buried in a mass grave. So was EVERYONE who was not either incredibly wealthy or noble. The term "pauper's grave" is a bit of a misnomer. Also, the weather was most likely overcast, but not the dismal downpour depicted.
Anyhow, you get the picture. I seem to have gone off on a tear. Sorry 'bout that.
That said, a big ol' happy birthday to your brother!!!
An example of how the play/movie distorts (I know that makes it sound malicious, which it wasn't, but I cannot come up with a better word)
M'dear, have you completely forgotten your dramatic education? ;-) We in the theater call that "artistic license".
Remember, we're not interested in the truth. We're interested in telling a good story. You want historical accuracy, go read a book (preferably one written by Lemming). Come to the cinema/theater for entertainment.
Isn't it possible to abuse artistic license on an audience that believes the show is historically accurate?
Isn't it possible to abuse artistic license on an audience that believes the show is historically accurate?
Yes, it is. But where does the ultimate responsibility lie? If you put a gun to my head, I would say that it lies somewhere in the middle: makers of entertainment should be very clear about what they are doing (art or documentary), but audiences should also exercise their own critical judgement ("JFK" is a movie, not a history lesson).
Now I LOVE ambiguity. I love watching the truth get muddied because it engages my brain better than straight documentary. But there's a future post in here that I'm not going to write now...
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