{"id":639208,"date":"2026-05-12T20:37:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/639208\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T20:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:37:16","slug":"still-not-impressed-by-the-new-amadeus-2025-frock-flicks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/639208\/","title":{"rendered":"Still Not Impressed by the New Amadeus (2025) \u2013 Frock Flicks"},"content":{"rendered":"

We were suitably unimpressed when the trailer<\/a> for the Sky TV Amadeus (2025) miniseries dropped, but then I was stuck in an economy seat on a 10-hour flight home from Europe and saw that all five eps of this thing were available. I\u2019m criminally unable to sleep sitting upright on a plane, besides, it was a daytime flight westward, thus I was moderately awake and supremely bored, and I also knew this series was coming to Starz in the U.S. soon enough. So I killed some time by watching the show, since I could get a blog review out of it. Wasn\u2019t the worst way to spend half the flight, but it didn\u2019t totally distract me from the crappy seat and tedious flight either.<\/p>\n

This production isn\u2019t a biopic of the composer \u2014 it\u2019s an adaption of the 1979 theatrical play by Peter Shaffer, which the 1984 movie<\/a> was also based on. This production is clearly part of the current \u201cno new ideas, let\u2019s recycle existing intellectual property\u201d mode in Hollywood, et. al, whether it\u2019s comic book movies, classic literature, or plays-turned-movies-now-turned-TV-shows. sigh If you\u2019ve seen the movie, there\u2019s no big spoilers here (though it looks like Starz is dropping one episode weekly).<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

Five hours does give more time for, say, Constanze\u2019s story, including the birth and death of her and Wolfgang\u2019s first child, Raimund (the couple had six children, of which two sons survived to adulthood). Her own musicality is hinted at, given that all the Weber sisters were trained singers.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a>Photo by Adrienn Szabo.<\/p>\n

The miniseries\u2019 length also leaves space to explore Mozart\u2019s mental state and how a childhood spent touring as a prodigy under pressure of his father may have traumatized him. This could have been more interesting with either a stronger script or actor in the part, but instead it emphasizes how Will Sharpe is out of his depth in the role. He plays Mozart as, well, kind of one-note (even though the \u201ctoo many notes\u201d line is included here). Sharpe\u2019s Mozart is an arrogant genius, and that\u2019s about it. If he\u2019s a tortured genius, he shrugs it off, doesn\u2019t linger or reflect on that darkness and doesn\u2019t let the audience inside. He immediately snaps back into being a self-centered, know-it-all jerk who you can\u2019t understand why Constanze loves him or any of his friends want to be around him. He\u2019s repellant except, supposedly, for the music he creates.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a>Photo by Adrienn Szabo.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Paul Bettany<\/a> as Salieri can and does absolutely carry the show \u2014 he drives every scene he\u2019s in, he has the most and best dialog, and he\u2019s easily the best actor in the whole series. Will Sharpe can\u2019t hold a candle to Bettany, which is a pity because the show\u2019s called \u201cAmadeus,\u201d not \u201cSalieri.\u201d The only thing I\u2019d previously remembered Bettany in was A Knight\u2019s Tale<\/a>, which I despised, and his performance in this miniseries just might wipe that from my brain.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall the story is meh, other than watching Paul Bettany, and alas, the costumes by designer Lisa Duncan<\/a> are equally middling. They\u2019re OK and very much of the same vein of other recent series (like, say, The Forsytes<\/a>) that aren\u2019t trying too hard. The basic historical shapes and styles are there, but some details\/accessories are missing or off, and the leading characters sometimes go astray.<\/p>\n

The best of the lot are the men\u2019s suits, especially those worn by Salieri \u2014 he gets gorgeous embroidery in dark tones that look very much like period examples. \"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, his wigs are spot-on, simple, and effective. In CNN Traveller<\/a>, Paul Bettany noted: \u201cVickie Lang (Hair and Make-Up Designer) and I spoke a lot about how I saw Salieri. I wanted him to look kind of embalmed and waxy and reptilian, and I think she did an annoyingly good job on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a>Photo by Adrienn Szabo.<\/p>\n

Mozart\u2019s suits are pretty good too, a bit less elaborately trimmed (since he\u2019s less financially secure) but also in a wider range of colors to fit his youth and general style.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not so sure about Mozart\u2019s wigs though. It\u2019s like they wanted to reference the 1994 movie\u2019s wacky punk-rock style but not exactly copy it, so they just went with a light frizz \u2014 which sometimes works and sometimes looks half-assed.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

If Mozart had just been given more of the taller, foppish style wigs that were correct for the period, like his librettist\u00a0Lorenzo Da Ponte (\u00c9ny\u00ec Okoronkwo) wears, I think that would have looked better and less like a faint copy of the movie.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

Where the costumes are most lackluster is in the women\u2019s wear, and I noticed a number of recycled dresses (though I couldn\u2019t get pix). The Frau Weber and her daughters have a mix of good, recycled, and not great dresses, starting when Mozart rents a room in their house. Also, check out the gown on the sister on the far right \u2014 yep it\u2019s that Scalamandre \u201cstrawberry\u201d brocade, same as used in Dangerous Liaisons<\/a> (1988), but here with a jacket.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a>Photo by Adrienn Szabo.<\/p>\n

The women\u2019s hairstyles sometimes lack enough hairpins, and it\u2019s inconsistently done. Constanze (Gabrielle Creevy) gets a lot of half up \/ half down hairstyles that bear only a slight resemblance to 18th-c. fashions.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

Weirdest of all is her wedding gown, which the costume designer said on Instagram<\/a> was inspired by a dress from Alexander McQueen\u2019s final collection \u2014 OK, but why? IDK, man.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

This is just straight-up Lord of the Rings fantasy, girl.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a><\/p>\n

One random thing I liked was Rory Kinnear as Emperor Joseph. Instead of being a joke like in the movie, his character serves as a useful historical counterpoint, reminding Salieri (and the audience) of the political context of the music. It\u2019s a rare intrusion of accuracy into a mishmash of somewhat pointless theatrics.<\/p>\n

\"Amadeus<\/a>Photo by Adrienn Szabo.<\/p>\n

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Will you be watching this Amadeus?<\/p>\n

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Find this frock flick at:<\/p>\n


\"JustWatch\"
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