Amadeus

My son, no one can speak for God.

OLD SALIERI

Oh? I thought you did so every day. So speak now. Answer me!

VOGLER

I do not claim to unravel the mysteries. I treasure them. As you

should.

OLD SALIERI

(impatiently)

Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Always the same stale answers!

(intimately to the priest) There is no God of Mercy, Father. Just a

God of torture.

CUT TO:

72 INT. SALIERI'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1780's 72

Salieri sits at his desk, staring up at the cross.

OLD SALIERI

(V.O.)

Evening came to that room. I sat there not knowing whether the

girl would return or not. I prayed as I'd never prayed before.

SALIERI

Dear God, enter me now. Fill me with one piece of true music.

One piece with your breath in it, so I know that you love me.

Please. Just one. Show me one sign of your favour, and I will

show mine to Mozart and his wife. I will get him the royal posi-

tion, and if she comes, I'll receive her with all respect and send her

home in joy. Enter me! Enter me! Please! Te imploro.

A long, long silence. Salieri stares at the cross. Christ stares back at him impas-

sively. Finally in this silence we hear a faint knocking at the door. Salieri stirs him-

self. A servant appears.

SERVANT

That lady is back, sir.

SALIERI

Show her in. Then go to bed.

The Servant bows and leaves. We follow him through:

73 INT. MUSIC ROOM IN SALIERI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - 1780's 73

The Servant crosses it and enters:

74 INT. SALON IN SALIERI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - 1780's 74

Constanze is sitting on an upright chair, veiled as before, the portfolio of music on

her lap. Through the far door leading from the hall, another servant is peering at

her. The first servant joins him and shuts the door on the girl, leaving her alone.

We stay with her. The clock ticks on the mantelpiece. We hear an old carriage

pass in the street below. Nervously she lifts her veil and looks about her.

Suddenly Salieri appears from the music room. He is pale and very tight. They

regard each other. She smiles and rises to greet him, affecting a relaxed and warm

manner, as if to put him at his ease.

CONSTANZE

Well, I'm here. My husband has gone to a concert. He didn't

think I would enjoy it.

A pause.

CONSTANZE

I do apologize for this afternoon. I behaved like a silly girl.

Where shall we go?

SALIERI

What?

CONSTANZE

Should we stay here? It's a charming room. I love these candle-

sticks. Were they here earlier? I didn't notice them I suppose I

was too nervous.

As she talks, she extinguishes the candles in a pair of Venetian candelabra and sub-

sequently other candles around the room.

CONSTANZE

Wolfgang was given some candlesticks by King George in

England, but they were only wood. Oh, excuse me. Let's not

talk about him. What do you think of this? It's real lace.

Brussels.

She turns and takes off her shawl.

CONSTANZE

Well, it's much too good for every day. I keep saying to Wolfi,

襠on't be so extravagant. Presents are lovely, but we can't afford

them. It doesn't do any good. The more I tell him, the more he

spends. Oh, excuse me! There I go again.

She picks up the portfolio.

CONSTANZE

Do you still want to look at this? Or don't we need to bother

anymore? I imagine we don't, really.

She looks at him inquiringly, and drops the portfolio on the floor; pages of music

pour out of it. Instantly we hear a massive chord, and the great 襋ui Tollis from

the Mass in C Minor fills the room. To its grand and weighty sound, Constanze

starts to undress, watched by the horrified Salieri. Between him and her, music is

an active presence, hurting and baffling him. He opens his mouth in distress. The

music pounds in his head. The candle flickers over her as she removes her clothes

and prepares for his embrace. Suddenly he cries out.

SALIERI

Go! Go! Go!

He snatches up the bell and shakes it frantically, not stopping until the two servants

we saw earlier appear at the door. The music stops abruptly. They stare at the ap-

palled and frightened Constanze, who is desperately trying to cover her nakedness.

SALIERI

Show this woman out!

Constanze hurls herself at him.

CONSTANZE

You shit! You shit! You rotten shit!

He seizes her wrists and thrusts her back. Then he leaves the room quickly, slam-

ming the door behind him. Constanze turns and sees the two servants goggling at

her in the room.

CONSTANZE

What are you staring at?

Wildly, she picks up the candelabrum and throws it at them. It shatters on the

floor.

75 INT. SALIERI'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1780's 75

CU, Salieri standing, his eyes shut, shaking in distress. He opens them and sees

Christ across the room, staring at him from the wall.

OLD SALIERI

(V.O.)

From now on, we are enemies, You and I!

CUT TO:

76 INT. OLD SALIERI'S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT - 1823 76

The old man is reliving the experience. Vogler looks at him, horrified.

OLD SALIERI

Because You will not enter me, with all my need for you; because

You scorn my attempts at virtue; because You choose for Your in-

strument a boastful, lustful, smutty infantile boy and give me for

reward only the ability to recognize the Incarnation; because You

are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block You! I swear it! I will hin-

der and harm Your creature on earth as far as I am able. I will

ruin Your Incarnation.

CUT BACK TO:

76A INT. SALIERI'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1780's 76A

CU, the fireplace. In it lies the olive wood Christ on the cross, burning.

OLD SALIERI

(V.O.)

What use after all is Man, if not to teach God His lessons?

The cross flames up and disintegrates. Salieri stares at it.

CUT TO:

77 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT - 1780's 77

The front door bursts open. Mozart stumbles in, followed by EMMANUEL

SCHIKANEDER, three young actresses, and another man, all fairly drunk.

Schikaneder (who appears everywhere accompanied by young girls) is a large,

fleshy, extravagant man of about thirty-five.

MOZART

Stanzi! Stanzi! Stanzi-Manzi!

The others laugh.

MOZART

Sssh!

SCHIKANEDER

(imitating Mozart)

Stanzi-Manzi-Banzi-Wanzi!

MOZART

Sssh! Stay here.

He walks unsteadily to the bedroom door and opens it.

SCHIKANEDER

(to the girls, very tipsy)

Sssh! You're dishgrashful!

78 INT. MOZART'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT - 1780's 78

Constanze lies in bed, her back turned to her husband, who comes into the room

and shuts the door.

MOZART

(playfully)

Stanzi? How's my mouse? Mouse-wouse? I'm back - puss-wuss

is back!

She turns around abruptly. She looks dreadful; her eyes red with weeping. Mozart

is shocked.

MOZART

Stanzi!

He approaches the bed and sits on it. Immediately she starts crying again,

desperately.

MOZART

What's the matter? What is it? Stanzi!

He holds her and she clings to him in a fierce embrace, crying a flood of tears.

MOZART

Stop it now. Stop it. I've brought some friends to meet you.

They're next door waiting. Do we have anything to eat? They're

all starving.

CONSTANZE

Tell them to go away. I don't want to see anybody.

MOZART

What's the matter with you?

CONSTANZE

Tell them to go!

MOZART

Sssh. What is it? Tell me.

CONSTANZE

No!

MOZART

Yes!

CONSTANZE

I love you! I love you!

She starts crying again, throwing her arms around his neck.

CONSTANZE

I love you. Please stay with me. I'm frightened.

81 INT. THE ROYAL PALACE - DINING ROOM - DAY - 1780's 81

Joseph sits eating. A butler serves him goat's milk to drink. Joseph is holding a

memorandum from Salieri in his hand. Salieri stands before him.

JOSEPH

I don't think you understand me, Court Composer.

SALIERI

Majesty, I did. Believe me, it was a most agonizing. decision.

But finally, I simply could not recommend Herr Mozart.

JOSEPH

Why not?

SALIERI

Well, Sire, I made some inquiries in a routine way. I was curious

to know why he had so few pupils. It is rather alarming.

JOSEPH

Oh?

With a gesture Joseph dismisses the butler, who bows and leaves the room.

SALIERI

Majesty, I don't like to talk against a fellow musician.

JOSEPH

Of course not.

SALIERI

I have to tell you, Mozart is not entirely to be trusted alone with

young ladies.

JOSEPH

Really?

SALIERI

As a matter of fact, one of my own pupils - a very young

singer - told me she was - er - well!

JOSEPH

Yes?

SALIERI

Molested, Majesty. Twice, in the course of the same lesson.

A pause.

JOSEPH

Ah-ha. Well. There it is.

81A INT. SALIERI'S HOUSE - STAIRCASE - VIENNA - DAY - 1780's 81A

Salieri has just returned from the palace and is coming up the staircase. He is met

by his servant.

SERVANT

Sir, there is a Herr Mozart waiting for you in the salon.

Salieri is plainly alarmed.

SALIERI

What does he want?

SERVANT

He didn't say, sir. I told him I didn't know when you would be

back, but he insisted on waiting.

SALIERI

Come with me. And stay in the room.

He mounts the stairs.

82 INT. SALIERI'S APARTMENT - SALON - DAY - 1780's 82

Mozart is waiting for Salieri, holding a portfolio. Salieri approaches him nervously.

Mozart stands not belligerently, but humbly.

SALIERI

Herr Mozart, what brings you here?

MOZART

Your Excellency, you requested some specimens of my work.

Here they are. I don't have to tell you how much I need your

help. I truly appreciate your looking at these. I have pressures on

me - financial pressures. As you know, I'm a married man now.

SALIERI

So you are. How is your pretty wife?

MOZART

She is well. She is - well, actually, I'm about to become a father!

She only told me last night. You are the first to know.

SALIERI

I'm flattered. And congratulations to you, of course.

MOZART

So you see, this post is very important to me right now.

Salieri looks at him in distress.

SALIERI

Why didn't you come to me yesterday, Mozart? This is a most

painful situation. Yesterday I could have helped you. Today, I

can't.

MOZART

Why? Here is the music. It's here. I am submitting it humbly.

Isn't that what you wanted?

SALIERI

I have just come from the palace. The post has been filled.

MOZART

Filled? That's impossible! They haven't even seen my work. I

need this post. Please, can't you help me? Please!

SALIERI

My dear Mozart, there is no one in the world I would rather help,

but now it is too late.

MOZART

Whom did they choose?

SALIERI

Herr Sommer.

MOZART

Sommer? Herr Sommer? But the man's a fool! He's a total

mediocrity.

SALIERI

No, no, no: he has yet to achieve mediocrity.

MOZART

But I can't lose this post, I simply can't! Excellency, please. Let's

go to the palace, and you can explain to the Emperor that Herr

Sommer is an awful choice. He could actually do musical harm

to the Princess!

SALIERI

An implausible idea. Between you and me, no one in the world

could do musical harm to the Princess Elizabeth.

Mozart chuckles delightedly. Salieri offers him a glass of white dessert and a

spoon. Mozart takes it absently and goes on talking.

MOZART

Look, I must have pupils. Without pupils I can't manage.

SALIERI

You don't mean to tell me you are living in poverty?

MOZART

No, but I'm broke. I'm always broke. I don't know why.

SALIERI

It has been said, my friend, that you are inclined to live somewhat

above your means.

MOZART

How can anyone say that? We have no cock, no maid. We have

no footman. Nothing at all!

SALIERI

How is that possible? You give concerts, don't you? I hear they

are quite successful.

MOZART

They're stupendously successful. You can't get a seat. The only

problem is none will hire me. They all want to hear me play, but

they won't let me teach their daughters. As if I was some kind of

fiend. I'm not a fiend!

SALIERI

Of course not.

MOZART

Do you have a daughter?

SALIERI

I'm afraid not.