'Amadeus'

I watched this film some time in middle school. I don't remember why. It doesn't seem A) appropriate; or B) capable of being digested by an 11-year-old kid.

Watching it now, I realize how little I understood. I never realized that the man at the beginning was Antonio Salieri or that the old man (who was trying to kill himself) retelling the story was Salieri. I never got the mysterious man demaning the opera from Mozart nor did I get Salieri's feelings or motivations.

I even thought F. Murray Abraham was the actor that portrayed Mozart. Instead, it was the neurotic Tom Hulce, both of whom are fantastic in their respective roles.

Amadeus won the Best Picture Oscar and Sir Laurence Olivier was chosen to present the award. Instead of introducing the nominees and opening the envelope, he just simply said that the winner was Amadeus. He was right.

When it's all said and done and we are looking back over two centuries of film, critics will consider Amadeus one of the greatest films ever made.