Amadeus (1984)

Elizabeth Berridge: Constanze Mozart

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Quotes 

• Antonio Salieri : [reflecting upon Mozart's scores]  Astounding! It was actually, it was beyond belief. These were first and only drafts of music, but they showed no corrections of any kind. Not one. He had simply written down music already finished in his head! Page after page of it as if he were just taking dictation. And music, finished as no music is ever finished. Displace one note and there would be diminishment. Displace one phrase and the structure would fall. It was clear to me that sound I had heard in the Archbishop's palace had been no accident. Here again was the very Voice of God! I was staring through the cage of those meticulous ink-strokes at an absolute beauty.

  [he drops the pages] 

  Constanze Mozart : Is it not good?

  Antonio Salieri : It is miraculous!

• Antonio Salieri : Are you sure you can't leave these and, and come back again?

  Constanze Mozart : It's very tempting sir, but it's impossible, I'm afraid. Wolfgang would be frantic if he found those were missing, you see they're all originals.

  Antonio Salieri : Originals?

  Constanze Mozart : Yes, sir, he doesn't make copies.

  Antonio Salieri : These, are originals?

• Constanze Mozart : Wolfie, I think you really are going mad. You work like a slave for that idiot actor who won't give you a penny. And here, this is not a ghost! This is a real man who puts down real money. Why on earth won't you finish it? Can you give me one reason I can understand?

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : It's killing me.

• Emanuel Schikaneder : [to Mozart]  Look, you little clown, do you know how many people I've hired for you? Do you know how many people are waiting?

  Constanze Mozart : [shouting]  Leave him alone! He's doing his best!

  Emanuel Schikaneder : [to Mozart]  I'm paying these people, don't you understand? I'm paying these people to wait while you do nothing! It's ridiculous!

  Constanze Mozart : You know what's ridiculous? Your libretto, that's what's ridiculous! Only an idiot would ask Wolfie to work on that stuff! 12-foot snakes, magic flutes?

  Emanuel Schikaneder : What's so intelligent about writing a Requiem mass?

  Constanze Mozart : Money! Money!

  Emanuel Schikaneder : She's mad, Wolfie. Write it down please. Just write it down on paper. It's no good to anybody in your head. To hell with your death mass.

• Constanze Mozart : [to Mozart's father]  May I offer you some tea, Herr Mozart?

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Tea? Who wants tea? Let's go out! This calls for a feast. You don't want tea, do you, Papa?

  Constanze Mozart : Wolfie...

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : I know, let's go dancing! Papa loves parties, don't you?

  Constanze Mozart : Wolfie!

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : What? How can you be so boring? Tea...

• Constanze Mozart : What are you doing here?

  Antonio Salieri : Your husband took sick. I brought him home.

  Constanze Mozart : But why you?

  Antonio Salieri : Because, madam, I was at hand.

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : [speaking backwards]  Say I'm sick. Say I'm sick!

  Constanze Mozart : Yes, you are. You are very sick.

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : [chuckling]  No-ho-ho! Say it backwards, shit-wit!

• Constanze Mozart : No. I'm not going to marry you. You're a fiend!

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : [speaking backwards]  Ooy vol I tub. Ooy vol I tub!

  Constanze Mozart : Tub, but. I. Vol, love... But I love you?

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : [nods, mouths]  I love you.

• Constanze Mozart : Stop it!

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : I am stopping it! Slowly. There? See? I've stopped. Now we're going back.

  Constanze Mozart : No!

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Yes, yes! You don't know where you are! Here, everything goes backwards. People walk backwards, dance backwards, sing backwards, and even talk backwards.

  Constanze Mozart : That's ssstupid.

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Why? People fart backwards.

  Constanze Mozart : Oh ha-ha-ha!

  [Mozart also laughs]