Amadeus

142 INT. OLD SALIERI'S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT - 1823 142

Old Salieri is now wildly animated, totally driven by his confession to Vogler.

OLD SALIERI

My plan was so simple, it terrified me. First I must get the Death Mass and then

achieve the death.

Vogler stares at him in horror.

VOGLER

What?

OLD SALIERI

His funeral - imagine it! The Cathedral, all Vienna sitting there.

His coffin, Mozart's little coffin in the middle. And suddenly in

that silence, music. A divine music bursts out over them all, a

great Mass of Death: Requiem Mass for Wolfgang Mozart, com-

posed by his devoted friend Antonio Salieri. What sublimity!

What depth! What passion in the music! Salieri has been touched

by God at last. And God, forced to listen. Powerless - power-

less to stop it. I at the end, for once, laughing at Him. Do you

understand? Do you?

VOGLER

Yes.

OLD SALIERI

The only thing that worried me was the actual killing. How does

one do that? How does one kill a man? It's one thing to dream

about it. It's very different when you have to do it, with your

own hands.

He raises his own hands and stares at them. The raging Dies Irae from Mozart's

Requiem Mass bursts upon us.

CUT TO:

143 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 143

Mozart sits working frantically at this demonic music. His whole expression is one

of wildness and engulfing fever. He pours wine down his throat, spilling it, and

grimaces as it hits his stomach. All around him are manuscripts. There is a bang-

ing at the front door. Mozart does not hear it; the music raves on. Another

knocking comes, louder. Constanze appears from the bedroom and stares at her

distracted husband. The knocking is repeated again, even more violently and

insistently.

CONSTANZE

Wolfi. Wolfi!

He looks at her. The music breaks off. Silence. An enormous bang at the door

startles him.

Constanze moves to open it.

MOZART

No. Don't answer it!

CONSTANZE

Why?

Mozart springs up. He is clearly terrified.

MOZART

Tell him I'm not here. Tell him I'm working on it. Come back

later.

He runs out of he room, into his workroom, and shuts he door. Now a little

scared herself, Constanze goes to he front door and opens it cautiously.

Schikaneder stands there, floridly dressed as usual. Lorl is seen peeking out from

the kitchen.

SCHIKANEDER

Am I interrupting something?

CONSTANZE

Not at all.

SCHIKANEDER

(peering into he room)

Where's our friend?

CONSTANZE

He's not in. But he's working on it. He said to tell you.

SCHIKANEDER

I hope so. I need it immediately.

He pushes her into the room.

SCHIKANEDER

Is he happy with it?

He sees he manuscript on the table, and goes to it eagerly.

SCHIKANEDER

Is this it?

He picks up a page without waiting for a reply.

SCHIKANEDER

What the devil is this? Requiem Mass? Does he think I'm in the

funeral business?

Mozart opens he workroom door. We see him as Schikaneder sees him: wild-eyed,

extremely pale and strange.

MOZART

Leave that alone!

SCHIKANEDER

Wolfi!

MOZART

Put it down!

SCHIKANEDER

What is this?

MOZART

Put it down, I said! It's nothing for you.

SCHIKANEDER

Oh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! What have you got for me? Is it

finished?

MOZART

What?

SCHIKANEDER

襑hat? The vaudeville, what'd you think?

MOZART

Yes.

SCHIKANEDER

Can I see it?

MOZART

No.

SCHIKANEDER

Why not?

MOZART

Because there's nothing to see.

He giggles triumphantly. Schikaneder stares at him.

SCHIKANEDER

Look, I asked you if we could start rehearsal next week and you

said yes.

MOZART

Well, we can.

SCHIKANEDER

So let me see it. Where is it?

Mozart, with a bright, rather demented smile presents his head to Schikaneder.

MOZART

Here. It's all right here, in my noodle. The rest is just scribbling.

Scribbling and bibbling. Bibbling and scribbling. Would you like

a drink?

He giggles. Schikaneder suddenly grabs his lapels.

SCHIKANEDER

Look, you little clown, do you know how many people I've hired

for you? Do you know how many people are waiting?

CONSTANZE

Leave him alone!

SCHIKANEDER

I'm paying these people. Do you realize that?

CONSTANZE

He's doing his best.

SCHIKANEDER

I'm paying people just to wait for you. It's ridiculous!

CONSTANZE

You know what's ridiculous? Your libretto, that's what's

ridiculous. Only an idiot would ask Wolfi to work on that stuff!

SCHIKANEDER

Oh yes? And what's so intelligent about writing a Requiem?

CONSTANZE

Money! Money!

SCHIKANEDER

You're mad! She's mad, Wolfi.

CONSTANZE

Oh yes, and who are you? He's worked for Kings. For the

Emperor. (shouting) Who are you?

Schikaneder suddenly takes Mozart by the arms, and speaks to him with intense

appeal.

SCHIKANEDER

Listen, Wolfi. Write it. Please. Just write it down. On paper.

It's no good to anyone in your head. And fuck he Death Mass.

144 INT. SALIERI'S SALON - DAY - 1790's 144

A frightened and tearful Lorl sits before Salieri.

SALIERI

Now calm yourself. Calm. What's the matter with you?

LORL

I'm leaving. I'm not working there anymore. I'm scared!

SALIERI

Why? What has happened?

LORL

You don't know what it's like. Herr Mozart frightens me. He

drinks all day, then takes all that medicine and it makes him

worse.

SALIERI

What medicine?

LORL

I don't know. He has pains.

SALIERI

Where?

LORL

Here, in his stomach. They bend him right over.

SALIERI

Is he working?

LORL

I'm frightened, sir. Really! When he speaks, he doesn't make any

sense. You know he said he saw - he said he saw his father. And

his father's dead.

SALIERI

Is he working?

LORL

I suppose so. He sits there all he time, doing some silly opera.

SALIERI

(startled)

Opera? Opera!

LORL

Please don't ask me to go back again. I'm frightened! I'm very,

very frightened.

SALIERI

(insistently)

Are you sure it's an opera?

The Overture to The Magic Flute begins grandly. To the music of the slow intro-

duction, we see:

145 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 145

The room, lit by a few candles, appears dirty. The camera shows us again

Leopold's portrait on the wall, looking down upon a scene of disorder. Papers lit-

ter the table; dirty dishes are piled in the fireplace; on the forte-piano lies Mozart's

Masonic apron, woven with symbols. To the more lyrical passage of the introduc-

tion, we see Mozart take up a candle and enter:

146 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 146

We watch him stand beside Constanze, who lies asleep. Mozart now looks very ill;

his wife appears worn out. Tenderly he touches her hair. Then he moves to the cot

where his son Karl lies asleep and kneels, pulls up the child's little blanket and for a

moment lays his own head down beside the boy's. Constanze opens her eyes and

stares at him. Mozart rises and returns to:

147 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 147

The Introduction ends and suddenly the brilliant fast fugue begins. Instantly

Mozart starts to dance to it, all alone: gleefully, like a child. He looks up at his fa-

ther's portrait, and makes a silly, rude gesture at it. He is, briefly, an irresponsible

and happy boy again. Then suddenly there is a gentle knocking at the door. The

music fades down. Warily, Mozart crosses and opens he door. The familiar dark

chords from Don Giovanni cut across the happy music. It ends. Before him stands

the masked stranger.

MOZART

I don't have it yet. It's not finished. I'm sorry, but I need more

time.

SALIERI

Are you neglecting my request?

MOZART

No, no! I promise you, I'll give you a wonderful piece - the best

I ever can!

He turns and looks. Constanze has come into the living room. Nervously, Mozart

indicates her.

MOZART

This is my wife, Stanzi. I've been sick, but I'm all right now.

Aren't I?

CONSTANZE

Oh yes, sir. He's all right. And he's working on it very hard.

MOZART

Give me two more weeks. Please.

Salieri contemplates them both.

SALIERI

The sooner you finish, the better your reward. Work!

He turns and goes down the stairs. Mozart shuts the door; he closes his eyes in

fear.

CONSTANZE

Wolfi, I think you really are going mad. You work like a slave for

that idiot actor who won't give you a penny and here. This is not

a ghost! This is a real man who puts down real money. Why on

earth don't you finish it?

He will not look at her or reply.

CONSTANZE

Give me one reason I can understand.

MOZART

I can't write it!

CONSTANZE

Why not?

MOZART

It's killing me.

He looks at her suddenly.

CONSTANZE

No, this is really awful. You're drunk, aren't you? Be honest -

tell me - you've been drinking. And I'm so stupid I stay here

and listen to you!

Suddenly she starts to cry.

CONSTANZE

It's not fair! I worry about you all the time. I try to help you all I

can and you just drink and talk nonsense and - and frighten me!

It's not fair!

Her tears flow. Mozart looks at her helplessly.

MOZART

Go back to bed.

CONSTANZE

Please! Let me sit here. Let me stay here with you. I promise I

won't say all word. I'll just be here, so you know no one's going

to hurt you. Please, please!

She sits down tearfully, staring at him.

We hear the Rex Tremendai Majestatis from the Requiem and see on the wall the

portrait of Leopold Mozart looking down. The camera pans slowly downward

from it back to the table. Mozart is writing the music. He looks up and sees that

Constanze is fast asleep in her chair. Mozart gets up quietly. He puts on his hat

and cloak, takes a bottle of wine and tiptoes from the house. Without stopping,

the music changes from the heavy Requiem to the light-hearted patter of the Papa-

Papa duet from The Magic Flute.

CUT TO:

148 INT. SCHIKANEDER'S SUMMER HOUSE - NIGHT - 1790's 148

This little wooden structure stands in a courtyard in the tenement by the Weiden.

Inside, we see a table, chairs, a forte-piano, bottles and a chaos of papers. Strewn

about in the chairs are the three actresses, giggling. Schikaneder and Mozart, both

drunk, are singing the duet of the two bird-people. The actor sings Papageno and

the composer, in a soprano voice, sings Papagena at the keyboard. Absurdly, they

end up rubbing noses and fall on each other' s necks.

148A EXT. VIENNA STREET - NIGHT - 1790's 148A

Mozart, drunk and happy, staggers back through the snow. There are a few people

about. He goes into his apartment building.

150 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - DAY - 1790's 150

He comes through he door and stares across the living room at an open bedroom

door. Puzzled, he crosses.

The bedroom is also empty. We see Constanze's empty bed; Karl's empty bed;

empty closets.

MOZART

Stanzi? Stanzi-marini-bini?

He looks about him, puzzled.

151 INT. FRAU WEBER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY - 1790's 151

Frau Weber sits grimly talking. Mozart sits also, completely exhausted and passive

under the rain of her constant speech.

FRAU WEBER