Amadeus Page #33

JOSEPH:

Ah, love again.

MOZART:

But it's new, it's entirely new.

It's so new, people will go mad for

it. For example, I have a scene in

the second act - it starts as a duet,

just a man and wife quarreling.

Suddenly the wife's scheming little

maid comes in unexpectedly - a very

funny situation. Duet turns into

trio. Then the husband's equally

screaming valet comes in. Trio turns

into quartet. Then a stupid old

gardener - quartet becomes quintet,

and so on. On and on, sextet, septet,

octet! How long do you think I can

sustain that?

JOSEPH:

I have no idea.

MOZART:

Guess! Guess, Majesty. Imagine the

longest time such a thing could last,

then double it.

JOSEPH:

Well, six or seven minutes! maybe

eight!

MOZART:

Twenty, sire! How about twenty?

Twenty minutes of continuous music.

No recitatives.

VON SWIETEN:

Mozart -

MOZART:

(ignoring him)

Sire, only opera can do this. In a

play, if more than one person speaks

at the same time, it's just noise.

No one can understand a word. But

with music, with music you can have

twenty individuals all talking at

once, and it's not noise - it's a

perfect harmony. Isn't that marvelous?

VON SWIETEN:

Mozart, music is not the issue here.

No one doubts your talent. It is

your judgment of literature that's

in question. Even with the politics

taken out, this thing would still

remain a vulgar farce. Why waste

your spirit on such rubbish? Surely

you can choose more elevated themes?

MOZART:

Elevated? What does that mean?

Elevated! The only thing a man should

elevate is - oh, excuse me. I'm sorry.

I'm stupid. But I am fed up to the

teeth with elevated things! Old dead

legends! How can we go on forever

writing about gods and legends?

VON SWIETEN:

(aroused)

Because they do. They go on forever -

at least what they represent. The

eternal in us, not the ephemeral.

Opera is here to ennoble us. You and

me, just as much as His Majesty.

BONNO:

Bello! Bello, Barone. Veramente.

MOZART:

Oh, bello, bello, bello! Come on

now, be honest. Wouldn't you all

rather listen to your hairdressers

than Hercules? Or Horatius? Or

Orpheus? All those old bores! people

so lofty they sound as if they sh*t

marble!

VON SWIETEN:

What?

VON STRACK:

Govern your tongue, sir! How dare

you?

Beat. All look at the Emperor.

MOZART:

Forgive me, Majesty. I'm a vulgar

man. But I assure you, my music is

not.

JOSEPH:

You are passionate, Mozart! But you

do not persuade.

MOZART:

Sire, the whole opera is finished.

Do you know how much work went into

it?

BONNO:

His Majesty has been more than

patient, Signore.

MOZART:

How can I persuade you if you won't

let me show it?

ORSINI-ROSENBERG

That will do, Herr Mozart!

MOZART:

Just let me tell you how it begins.

VON STRACK:

Herr Mozart -

MOZART:

May I just do that, Majesty? Show

you how it begins? Just that?

A slight pause. Then Joseph nods.

JOSEPH:

Please.

Mozart falls on his knees.

MOZART:

Look! There's a servant, down on his

knees. Do you know why? Not from any

oppression. No, he's simply measuring

a space. Do you know what for? His

bed. His wedding bed to see if it

will fit.

He giggles.

CUT TO:

INT. OPERA HOUSE - DAY - 1780'S

Mozart sits on stage at a harpsichord rehearsing the singers

taking the parts of Figaro and Susanna in the opening bars

of the first act of The Marriage of Figaro. We watch Figaro

measuring the space for his bed on the floor, singing and

Susanna looking on, trying on the Countess' hat.

CUT TO:

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