Amadeus Page #27

EXT. STREET IN VIENNA - DAY - 1780'S

Mozart and Constanze with Leopold between them. We see couples

shopping.

INT. A COSTUME SHOP - VIENNA - DAY - 1780'S

This is a shop where one can buy costumes for masquerades.

It is filled with extravagant costumes of various kinds.

Wolfgang is wearing a costume, a mask pushed up on his

forehead; Constanze is wearing a little white velvet mask.

Amidst the merriment, Leopold is helped by two assistants to

put on a dark grey cloak and a dark grey tricorne hat, to

which is attached a full mask of dark grey. Its mouth is cut

into a fixed upward smile.

He turns and looks at his son through this mask.

CUT STRAIGHT TO:

INT. A LARGE PARTY ROOM - VIENNA - NIGHT - 1780'S

We are in the full whirl of a Masquerade Ball. Couples are

dancing around dressed in fantastic costumes. The music of

Ich Mochte Wohl Der Kaiser sein increases in volume and

persists. We see the musicians thumping it out on a balustrade

above the dancers. A steer is being roasted. Through the

bobbing crowd we see a group, headed by the figure of Bacchus:

this is Schikaneder in a Greek costume, wearing vine leaves

in his hair. He is accompanied by his usual trio of actresses

and three other men. Constanze as Columbine and Mozart as

Harlequin are pulling Leopold by the hand of his dark cloak

and smiling mask. This whole group threads its way across

the crowded room and disappears through a door. As they go,

they are watched by Salieri, standing alone in a corner,

wearing ordinary evening clothes. He turns away hastily to

avoid being seen by them.

As soon as they disappear into the far room, Salieri goes

quickly to a lady in the corner who is giving guests domino

masks off a tray. He quickly takes a small black mask and

puts it on.

CUT TO:

INT. A GROTTO ROOM NEXT DOOR - NIGHT - 1780'S

A fantastic room designed as a rocky grotto, lit by candles.

A forte-piano to one side is being played by Schikaneder:

the music of Ich Mochte Wohl Der Kaiser sein cross-fades to

another tune. This is Vivat Bacchus from Il Seraglio which

Schikaneder, dressed as Bacchus, is humming as he plays. The

music is actually accompanying a game of Forfeits, which has

begun. Five couples (the group we have just seen) are dancing

in the middle of a ring made by nine chairs. When the music

stops they will each have to find a chair, and the one who

fails must pay a forfeit.

Constanze is dancing with Leopold; Mozart is dancing with

one of the actresses; the two other actresses are dancing

with two other gentlemen; and two children dance together -

a little boy and a little girl. The scene is watched by a

circle of bystanders; among them - from the doorway - is

Salieri.

Schikaneder stops playing. Immediately the couples scramble

for the chairs. Leopold and Constanze meet on the same chair,

bumping and pushing at each other to get sole possession of

it. To the amusement of the people around, the chair over-

balances and they both end up on the floor. Constanze

immediately gets up again, sets the chair on its feet, and

tries to pretend she was sitting in it all the time. But

Schikaneder calls out from the forte-piano.

SCHIKANEDER:

No, no! You both lost. You both lost.

You both have to forfeit. And the

penalty is you must exchange your

wigs.

People are delighted by the idea of this penalty. The children

jump up and down with excitement. The three actresses

immediately surround Leopold, reaching for his hat and mask

and wig, whilst he tries to hold on to them. Mozart takes

off Constanze's wig - an absurd affair with side-curls.

Constanze laughingly surrenders it.

LEOPOLD:

No, please! This is ridiculous! No,

please!

Despite his protests an actress takes off his hat, to which

the smiling mask is attached, to reveal his outraged face

showing a very different expression underneath. Another

actress snatches off his wig to reveal very sparse hair on

the old man's head. The third actress takes Constanze's wig

from Mozart and attempts to put it on his father's head.

LEOPOLD:

No, really!

MOZART:

(calling to him)

This is just a game, Papa.

Constanze echoes him with a touch of malice in her voice.

CONSTANZE:

This is just a game, Papa!

Laughingly, the bystanders take it up, especially the

children.

BYSTANDERS:

This is just a game, Papa!

As Leopold glares furiously about him, the actress succeeds

in getting Constanze's wig firmly onto his head. Everybody

bursts into applause. Delightedly, Constanze puts on Leopold's

wig, hat and mask: from the waist up she now looks like a

weird parody of Leopold in the smiling grey mask, and he

looks like a weird parody of her in the silly feminine wig.

Schikaneder starts to play again, and the couples start to

dance. Leopold angrily takes off Constanze's wig and leaves

the circle; his partner, Constanze, is left alone. Seeing

this, Mozart leaves his partner and catches his father

entreatingly by the arm.

MOZART:

Oh no, Papa, please! Don't spoil the

fun. Come on. Here, take mine.

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