Amadeus

Amadeus

Act 4

    This scene begins with a diegetic narration from the character Salieri when he is an old man; notice how he is central in the medium shot however the camera is slightly high angle. The high angle camera gives the impression that we are looking down on him as he talks although at this point it is unclear why, this looking down on him feeling is achieved once more as he is shown in low key lighting. I also acknowledged the significance of mise-en-scene here as lots of make up this visual signifier has been used to show the audience that Salieri has aged and that a lot have time has passed, letting the audience identify that this is actually a flash back.  The movie then cuts to the next shot that follows and it is young Salieri and again he is central however this time the background is blurred showing his own sense of superiority as nothing else is worth looking at.  Salieri is clothed in dark colours like black and red, this is done so the ideology can be recalled on the audience that dark colours mean evil also I believe the colour red is used as red is often used to signify danger and in this case the devil showing that Salieri is the bad guy. Salieri is also consumed by shadow and darkness as giving us an insight into his personality that he is a dark man, however it could also be said that the darkness is behind him showing that he has a dark past, this shows the audience that Salieri could possibly pose a threat.
    The camera then cuts to a wide shot of the performance, notice how small Amadeus is in comparison to the people on stage. This shows the audience that Salieri still has a hatred of the character Amadeus as he takes up very little of the framing again enforcing his insignificance in the eyes of Salieri, this is also done because the stage is central so automatically your eyes see the stage first and you actually have to look to see Amadeus. The camera then cuts to a tracking shot from the spectators P.O.V and if you seen this movie in the IMAX it would be all you can see as well as the music being all you can hear, so the tracking shot used by the director gives the impression that you are being drawn in to the performance and as a audience member you are completely immersed. Lighting is used very strongly throughout this scene and in fact this shot as everything you can see is lit up giving the conductors ensemble an almost angelic presence on the stage, furthering the impression of enlightenment for all spectators. Finally acknowledge the use of mise-en-scene again showing its importance here as the ensemble are an array of whites, blues and golds all really light colours associated with happiness and purity, this just furthers the emersion once more for the audience member.

Figaro Finale - Amadeus