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- Amadeus: The Variation Edit
Amadeus: The Variation Edit
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1984
Original Running Time:
180
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
168
Time Cut:
13
Time Added:
1
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
A hybrid cut of the theatrical and Director's Cut of Amadeus, losing most of the added scenes from the latter but keeping the Constanze/Salieri subplot intact.
Intention:
Consensus, with which I agree, is that the 1984 theatrical cut of Amadeus is far superior to the 2002 Director's Cut, and that most of the new material from the latter adds nothing but running time and destroys the pacing. However, those who defend the Director's Cut do so on account of the extended scene featuring the full arc of Constanze's meeting with Salieri and the subsequent humiliation, painting the character in a completely new light. I myself am ambivalent on the subject: the scene is valuable but sometimes I tend to prefer the shorter version from the theatrical cut, which results in her being the one character who sees through Salieri and is aware of how nasty he really is, without having to experiment it in full. In any case, this edit is intended for those who desire to have the full Constanze segment integrated into what's otherwise almost exactly the theatrical cut. I also left in the short scene of Salieri praying Mozart away, which I think should always have been in the film, due to the ironic echo it has in the following scene via the Archbishop's reply.
Additional Notes:
The idea for this edit came from Reddit user RandomDigitalSponge aka WellesRadio, who posted asking if such a cut existed, and I decided to do it myself, if only as an excuse to revisit one of my favorite films ever.
Other Sources:
TM2YC's Amadeus Theatrical Cut HD Reconstruction (two shots and one audio transition).
Special Thanks:
Very special thanks must go to TM2YC, who made the superb HD reconstruction of the theatrical cut, by far the best version of the film available today, and was kind enough to let me use some of the material from that edit, as my attempts to recreate it from scratch were not nearly as successful.
Release Information:
Digital
Special Features
Optional English and Spanish subtitles available, muxed into the .mkv file.
Editing Details:
Vegas Pro to do the actual editing, Audacity for demuxing and remuxing the audio, handbrake for the video encoding, and MKVToolNix to mux the final .mkv file.
Cuts and Additions:
- Added FE.org logo at the start.
- Removed CGI Warner Bros. logo. It's a 1984 film, and modern logos in those always look jarring to me.
- Used TM2YC's version of the title card, customized for this edit, and of the supporting cast credits sans Kenneth McMillan.
- Cut DC shots of Salieri telling the priest about his first meeting with Mozart.
- Cut the Emperor's line asking about Mozart. Left in part of the shot to approximate how the scene plays in the theatrical cut, but the scene opens on the Emperor listening to the reply.
- Cut the extra DC part of the Il Rapto del Serrallo stage scene after Katerina leaves, and the subsequent dressing room scene. All it does is reiterating what we just learned.
- Cut whole Michael Schlumberg segment.
- Cut DC extra shots of Mozart welcoming his father.
- Cut DC extra shots of the partygoers laughing for longer after Mozart's Salieri parody.
- Cut drunk Mozart asking Schlumberg back for work. Used the audio of TM2YC's version for the transition to get rid of an unwanted voiceover.
- Added acknowledgements (WellesRadio and TM2YC) to the start of the end credits.
- DC end credits scroll used, but tweaked in Photoshop to remove cast credits for Kenneth McMillan, Cassie Stuart, and Rita Zohar, neither of whom appear in this edit.
- Removed final CGI WB logo, for the same reason as above.
- Removed CGI Warner Bros. logo. It's a 1984 film, and modern logos in those always look jarring to me.
- Used TM2YC's version of the title card, customized for this edit, and of the supporting cast credits sans Kenneth McMillan.
- Cut DC shots of Salieri telling the priest about his first meeting with Mozart.
- Cut the Emperor's line asking about Mozart. Left in part of the shot to approximate how the scene plays in the theatrical cut, but the scene opens on the Emperor listening to the reply.
- Cut the extra DC part of the Il Rapto del Serrallo stage scene after Katerina leaves, and the subsequent dressing room scene. All it does is reiterating what we just learned.
- Cut whole Michael Schlumberg segment.
- Cut DC extra shots of Mozart welcoming his father.
- Cut DC extra shots of the partygoers laughing for longer after Mozart's Salieri parody.
- Cut drunk Mozart asking Schlumberg back for work. Used the audio of TM2YC's version for the transition to get rid of an unwanted voiceover.
- Added acknowledgements (WellesRadio and TM2YC) to the start of the end credits.
- DC end credits scroll used, but tweaked in Photoshop to remove cast credits for Kenneth McMillan, Cassie Stuart, and Rita Zohar, neither of whom appear in this edit.
- Removed final CGI WB logo, for the same reason as above.
User reviews
2 reviews
Overall rating
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
10.0(2)
Audio Editing
10.0(2)
Visual Editing
10.0(2)
Narrative
9.5(2)
Enjoyment
9.5(2)
(Updated: October 15, 2023)
Overall rating
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
9.0
All the added scenes are really good but they are a bit of a pace-killer,
However, the reason this is the preferred version for me is that some of the scenes in TM2YC's Theatrical Cut HD Reconstruction are noticeably low res in comparison to the other scenes.
So it's basically everything that is good in the director's cut minus the fast pace of the original but it wasn't slowed too much, so it isn't a big deal.
However, the reason this is the preferred version for me is that some of the scenes in TM2YC's Theatrical Cut HD Reconstruction are noticeably low res in comparison to the other scenes.
So it's basically everything that is good in the director's cut minus the fast pace of the original but it wasn't slowed too much, so it isn't a big deal.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
J
(Updated: May 31, 2022)
Overall rating
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
10.0
My second viewing of the film, after TM2YC's Theatrical Cut HD Reconstruction, and it is just as excellent. Noticed nothing at fault technically and found no reasons to not believe that it is anything but a professional production.
Agree with Dwight Fry that the necessity of the Constanze subplot is debatable, personally I felt that it shows the nasty side of Salieri a bit too overtly but it doesn't drag out the film as other additions in the Director's Cut are said to do, need to see it for myself to find out.
Agree with Dwight Fry that the necessity of the Constanze subplot is debatable, personally I felt that it shows the nasty side of Salieri a bit too overtly but it doesn't drag out the film as other additions in the Director's Cut are said to do, need to see it for myself to find out.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
P