Amadeus

You're so good to me. Truly. Thank you.

SALIERI

No, please.

MOZART

I mean to come to my opera. You are the only colleague who

did.

He struggles to loosen his cravat. Salieri does it for him.

SALIERI

I would never miss anything that you had written. You must

know that.

MOZART

This is only a vaudeville.

SALIERI

Oh no. It is a sublime piece. The grandest operone. I tell you,

you are the greatest composer known to me.

MOZART

Do you mean that?

SALIERI

I do.

MOZART

I have bad fancies. I don't sleep well anymore. Then I drink too

much, and think stupid things.

SALIERI

Are you ill?

MOZART

The doctor thinks I am. But -

SALIERI

What?

MOZART

I'm too young to be so sick.

There is a violent knocking at the front door. Mozart starts and looks around

wildly.

SALIERI

Shall I answer it?

MOZART

No! No, it's him!

SALIERI

Who?

MOZART

The man. He's here.

SALIERI

What man?

The knocking increases in loudness, terrifying Mozart.

MOZART

Tell him to go away. Tell him I'm still working on it. Don't let

him in!

Salieri moves to the door.

MOZART

Wait! Ask him if he'd give me some money now. Tell him if he

would, that would help me finish it.

SALIERI

Finish what?

MOZART

He knows. He knows!

Salieri leaves the room.

159 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 159

Salieri goes to the front door and opens it to reveal Schikaneder, who has obviously

come straight from the theatre. He still wears his bird make-up and under his

street cloak, his feathered costume is clearly seen. He has with him the three ac-

tresses, also looking anxious and also in make-up as the three attendants in The

Magic Flute.

SCHIKANEDER

Herr Salieri.

SALIERI

Yes, I am looking after him.

SCHIKANEDER

Can we come in?

SALIERI

Well, he's sleeping now. Better not.

SCHIKANEDER

But he's all right?

SALIERI

Oh, yes. He's just exhausted. He became dizzy, that's all. We

should let him rest.

SCHIKANEDER

Well, tell him we were here, won't you?

SALIERI

Of course.

SCHIKANEDER

And say everything went wonderfully. A triumph-de-luxe - say

that! Tell him the audience shouted his name a hundred times.

SALIERI

Bene.

SCHIKANEDER

I'll call tomorrow.

SALIERI

Yes. (to the actresses) And congratulations to all of you. It was

superb.

ACTRESSES

Thank you! Thank you, Excellency!

Schikaneder produces a bag of money.

SCHIKANEDER

Oh, by the way, give him this. This is his share. That should

cheer him up, eh?

SALIERI

Yes, indeed. Goodnight to you all now. It was perfection -

truly!

ACTRESSES

(delighted)

Goodnight, Your Excellency. Goodnight!

They bob and curtsey. Schikaneder stares at Salieri, uneasily, vaguely suspicious.

Salieri smiles back at him and shuts the door. He stays for a moment, thinking.

He contemplates the money.

160 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 160

Mozart is sitting up in bed, staring at the door. It opens. Salieri returns. He holds

in his hand the bag of money.

MOZART

What happened?

Salieri pours the coins out of the bag onto the coverlet.

SALIERI

He said to give you this. And if you finish the work by tomorrow

night, he will pay you another hundred ducats.

Mozart looks at the coins astonished.

MOZART

Another? But that's too soon! Tomorrow night? It's impossible!

Did he say a hundred?

SALIERI

Yes. Can I - could I help you, in any way?

MOZART

Would you? Actually, you could.

SALIERI

My dear friend, it would be my greatest pleasure.

MOZART

But you'd have to swear not to tell a soul. I'm not allowed.

SALIERI

Of course.

MOZART

You know, it's all here in my head. It's just ready to be set down.

But when I'm dizzy like this my eyes won't focus. I can't write.

SALIERI

Then, let us try together. I'd regard it as such an honour. Tell

me, what is this work?

MOZART

A Mass. A Mass for the Dead.

CUT TO:

161 INT. A SMALL DANCE HALL - BADEN - NIGHT - 1790's 161

Trivial dance music is playing. Constanze is doing a waltz with a young

OFFICER in military uniform. At the moment we see her, she stops abruptly, as

if in panic.

OFFICER

What is it?

CONSTANZE

I want to go!

OFFICER

Where?

CONSTANZE

I want to go back to Vienna.

OFFICER

Now?

CONSTANZE

Yes!

OFFICER

Why?

CONSTANZE

I feel wrong. I feel wrong being here.

OFFICER

(laying a hand on her arm)

What are you talking about?

CUT TO:

162 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1790's 162

Mozart is sitting up in bed, propped against pillows. The coins lie on the coverlet;

many candles burn in the necks of bottles. Salieri, without coat or wig, is seated at

an improvised worktable. On it are blank sheets of music paper, quills, and ink.

Also the score of the Requiem Mass as so far composed. Mozart is bright-eyed with

a kind of fever. Salieri is also possessed with an obviously feverish desire to put

down the notes as quickly as Mozart can dictate them.

MOZART

Where did I stop?

SALIERI

(consulting the manuscript)

The end of the Recordare - Statuens in parte dextra.

MOZART

So now the Confutatis. Confutatis Maledictis. 襑hen the wicked

are confounded. Flammis acribus addictis. How would you

translate that?

SALIERI

褻onsigned to flames of woe.

MOZART

Do you believe in it?

SALIERI

What?

MOZART

A fire which never dies. Burning one forever?

SALIERI

Oh, yes.

MOZART

Strange!

SALIERI

Come. Let's begin.

He takes his pen.

SALIERI

Confutatis Maledictis.

MOZART

We ended in F Major?

SALIERI

Yes.

MOZART

So now - A minor. Suddenly.

Salieri writes the key signature.

MOZART

The Fire.

SALIERI

What time?

MOZART

Common time.

Salieri writes this, and continues now to write as swiftly and urgently as he can, at

Mozart's dictation. He is obviously highly expert at doing this and hardly hesi-

tates. His speed, however, can never be too fast for Mozart's impatient mind.

MOZART

Start with the voices. Basses first. Second beat of the first mea-

sure - A. (singing the note) Con-fu-ta-tis. (speaking) Second mea-

sure, second beat. (singing) Ma-le-dic-tis. (speaking) G-sharp, of

course.

SALIERI

Yes.

MOZART

Third measure, second beat starting on E. (singing) Flam-mis a-

cri-bus ad-dic-tis. (speaking) And fourth measure, fourth beat -

D. (singing) Ma-le-dic-tis, flam-mis a-cri-bus ad-dic-tis. (speaking)

Do you have that?

SALIERI

I think so.

MOZART

Sing it back.

Salieri sings back the first six measures of the bass line. After the first two measures

a chorus of basses fades in on the soundtrack and engulfs his voice. They stop.

MOZART

Good. Now the tenors. Fourth beat of the first measure - C.

(singing) Con-fu-ta-tis. (speaking) Second measure, fourth beat on

D. (singing) Ma-le-dic-tis. (speaking) All right?

SALIERI

Yes.

MOZART

Fourth measure, second beat - F. (singing) Flam-mis a-cri-bus

ad-dic-tis, flam-mis a-cri-bus ad-dic-tis.

His voice is lost on the last words, as tenors engulf it and take over the soundtrack,

singing their whole line from the beginning, right to the end of the sixth measure

where the basses stopped, but he goes on mouthing the sounds with them. Salieri

writes feverishly. We see his pen jotting down the notes as quickly as possible: the

ink flicks onto the page. The music stops again.

MOZART

Now the orchestra. Second bassoon and bass trombone with the

basses. Identical notes and rhythm. (he hurriedly hums the open-

ing notes of the bass vocal line) The first bassoon and tenor

trombone -

SALIERI

(labouring to keep up)

Please! Just one moment.

Mozart glares at him, irritated. His hands move impatiently. Salieri scribbles

frantically.

MOZART

It couldn't be simpler.

SALIERI

(finishing)

First bassoon and tenor trombone - what?

MOZART

With the tenors.

SALIERI

Also identical?

MOZART

Exactly. The instruments to go with the voices. Trumpets and

timpani, tonic and dominant.

He again hums the bass vocal line from the beginning, conducting. On the sound-

track, we hear the second bassoon and bass trombone play it with him and the first

bassoon and tenor trombone come in on top, playing the tenor vocal line. We also

hear the trumpets and timpani. The sound is bare and grim. It stops at the end of

the sixth measure. Salieri stops writing.

SALIERI

And that's all?

MOZART

Oh no. Now for the Fire. (he smiles) Strings in unison - ostinato

on all - like this.

He sings the urgent first measure of the ostinato.

MOZART

(speaking)

Second measure on B.

He sings the second measure of the ostinato.

MOZART

(speaking)

Do you have me?

SALIERI

I think so.

MOZART

Show me.

Salieri sings the first two measures of the string ostinato.

MOZART

(excitedly)

Good, good - yes! Put it down. And the next measures exactly

the same, rising and rising - C to D to E, up to the dominant

chord. Do you see?