Biblical Interpretation of Antonio Salieri and Amadeus Mozart in Milos Forman's Movie Amadeus

Amadeus directed by Milos Forman includes a specific scene. In this scene Antonio Salieri, a successful Italian composer gently places the bare cross he prayed to often into the fireplace, burns the cross with Jesus hanging on it. In the single frame where the cross is burning in the fire, it represents a turning point of Salieri and his relationship with God. It depicts many aspects of religion and what this will mean for the film itself, in how the fire crackles around the Christain instrument. In this essay, I will address how the burning cross acts as a metonymy of the impact of religion has on the character development and motivation of Antonio Salieri throughout the film.

he scene itself is of Antonio Salieri abandoning God, he does this during a monologue of his disgust with God bestowing such musical talent onto Wolfgang Mozart even though Salieri has been so faithful. This contributes to an interpretation of how his dedication to God has betrayed him, it is meant to spite the ruler and creator of the universe who is supposed to be this source of all moral authority. Due to Mozart being a “smutty, infantile…” whereas Salieri who has pledged his industry and chasity to the deity simply to possess the love of music and be able to exercise this love, in Salieri’s perspective it is the ultimate treachery.

The burning of the cross exemplifies the notion of whether God controls our lives, a discussion of fate over free will is amidst. Salieri paints himself as a faithful servant of God, which angers him so much to burn the cross. A crucifix, the Latin translation of one being fixed to a cross, which s usually the imagery of Jesus nailed to the cross from his crucifixion. This is the distinction between a bare cross that doesn’t have Jesus on it. The symbol itself is less prevalent in churches of other Protestant nomenclature, as the preferred usage of a cross without the figure of Jesus.

The burnt cross is like a foreshadowing of what is to come, with character. As the lighting of the scene reflects darkness while only the flames are alight. Throughout the film Salieri wears darker clothing and even the same costume that Leopold Mozart wore at the ball, a reflection of the darkness engulfs the fire as figurative darkness consumes Salieri’s soul. As the lighting indicates that God is evil & the fire represents that hell is earth. And this scene embodies this scene and is a turning piece for the movie. It also feeds in this obsession he has with Mozart. In the scene, his hand is at the handle (bottom) of the cross when he places it into the fire he is quite close to the flames. This can represent how his obsession dances closely to death and the destruction of himself as well as Mozart. It demonstrates his obsession with Mozart because he views this “little man” to be a voice piece of God, this is recounted many times throughout the film when Salieri believes Mozart’s obnoxious giggle to be God laughing at him.

Biblical interpretation is essential to the movie and Salieri’s character, through this scene emphasizing the significance of how it influences the decisions of Salieri’s actions. In this moment, where he burns the cross it ignites the dynamic between Salieri and Mozart. Their relationship is a representation of Cain and Able with its connection to how God is viewed and described by Salieri. As previously mentioned, he believes if he works hard enough and keeps his worship and chasity sacred that he deserves God’s grace. He assumes that if he stays true to this vow then God will grant his wish in being the world’s greatest composer, so he takes it for granted.

When Salieri meets Mozart he recognizes that his offering to God has been rejected proceeded to reject God himself in the scene in question. It is in this scene where he becomes aware of that God’s preference is injudicious and isn’t dependable on a business agreement. And with this unexpected and bitter apprehension possesses violent results. Similar to when Cain chose to kill Abel after his own gift to God had been turned down. The undeserving recipient of cosmic grace is how Salieri decides to destroy Mozart in which he decides in this scene.

To achieve this holy grail of his, Salieri feigns support and friendship to Mozart, through this he succeeds in gaining Mozart’s trust and can even be seen as his brother's keeper, only to ruin his life and success. Acting as if he were God in changing the way this man lives his life and while he does not kill Mozart physically like Cain once did. Salieri essentially starves him by depriving him of any opportunity to financially succeed. This is the quite opposite of Cain and the scene demonstrates this by showing in comparison to his biblical precedent, Salieri doesn’t wish for hope for grace anymore. In which he tries to confront God and his beloved one. Regardless of his volatile character, he eventually becomes a miscreant and the victim of his own actions, at least throughout the story and when he turns against God he views himself to be the one betrayed and a victim of everyone.

The movie Amadeus isn’t the narrative of a pietistic man callously regarded by a despotic god given to cosmic humor, at least this is how Salieri presents the matter. In particular, it is the story of an iniquitously vain man who tries to exercise divine interpretation as if he himself were God.