And the Drama Category winner is.....

Our winner could also be categorized as a biopic, however it is sufficiently speculative about things that are unknown, and downright revisionist in other areas.  I'm going to look like a hypocrite here because I've already panned a few movies for taking a true story and blurring the lines between fact and fiction.  Our winner however, makes no claims to being historically accurate and makes it clear that that isn't the point.  It takes two historical figures and uses their story as a backdrop to sympathetically explore the depths of human jealousy and how personal rivalry separates humanity from God.  One character's twisted sense of piety ultimately sets him up for a life so steeped in sin, that he is oblivious to the fact that he has damned himself to a life in hell while still living on earth.  It's like taking the story of the Prodigal Son, but never allowing the older dutiful son to reconcile with his father, and seeing how that plays out over the long haul.  If ever there were a tragedy of our modern world worth putting to the big screen, it is the all too unfortunate truth that humans cause themselves so much unnecessary suffering simply by never trying to become any good at forgiveness and accepting that they are worthy of being forgiven.  Our winner puts it all out there right in front of us to see this tragic human flaw.

So without further ado, the Big Empty Gen X Drama Movie Award (patent pending) goes to:

1. Amadeus (1984)

What was that?....No I'm not getting royalties from Milos Forman and why would you suggest such a thing just because he has two movies on my final list???!!!  It just worked out that way, I swear!  Now anyway.....

Amadeus employs the technique of starting at the end and then telling us the story of how we ended up there.  A long introduction introduces us to the two subjects of the movie, Antonio Salieri, and the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Salieri, after a failed suicide attempt and long after Mozart's death, is seen being transported to a hospital while members of high Vienna society attend a ball and dance to Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G Minor.  Mozart the man is almost, but not quite relegated to a supporting role in this story, a role meant to serve as a foil to Salieri's sacred cows and as an enigma to the audience who will wonder at the disparity between the crisply refined sound of the music and the impishness of the man who created it.

After being "rescued" from his attempt on his own life, we join Salieri as a bitter old man in isolation in a mental infirmary.  This poor young priest comes to hear his confession and has no idea what he is in store for.  Over the course of one very long day, this priest will learn two very important lessons:

1. The power of jealousy to wreak utter havoc in a man and the lives of those in his orbit
2. That he is ill equipped to help anyone like Salieri see their way out of it

Lucky for our priest, he is young, and maybe he can learn from this encounter about what he'll be up against in his chosen vocation and get better at his job.  But for one miserable day, someone else's misery is going to break his spirit and his heart.

As this ill fated encounter begins, we learn that Salieri is a competent enough musician and composer, but also like any ambitious dreamer, did not aspire to just be competent.  Who among us says it is my life goal to one day be competent at something?  It isn't long before it is made clear that Salieri's talent ceiling was reached at the same time it would be completely eclipsed.  The day this happened changed his life, and he has endured nothing but humiliation at the hands of Mozart ever since...even long after his rival went to an early grave:

Interestingly enough, he does not blame Mozart for this, but views Mozart's existence and legacy as a cruel joke that God continues to play on him.  Even in more innocent times however, we learn that Salieri has a somewhat dark relationship with God and a strange take on his own sense of purpose in that relationship:

As previously mentioned, Salieri's first meeting with Mozart is life changing, but even on that fateful day, he had not yet appreciated the depths their relationship would take him to.  It finally comes to a head when he learns that this perfect music he has been hearing, music Salieri describes as "the voice of God Himself" is finalized in first draft without copy, solidifying both his growing belief that his prayer was answered for someone else, someone undeserving, and his own sense of personal betrayal by God.

The betrayal is made complete at a costume party where Mozart performs musical tricks for an adoring audience, first imitating how JS Bach might rewrite a party tune that has been played.  Mozart then asks for suggestions about who else he could imitate.  A masked Salieri suggests that he be next.  Mozart obliges and proceeds to simultaneously make him endure both public and private humiliation, as neither Mozart or anyone else in the room are aware that the man being lampooned is standing right there.

At this point, Salieri no longer views himself as a victim, but as an actor in a scheme to obtain justice for his betrayal.  The consequences are tragic for everyone involved, especially Salieri seeing as he is the only one who knows this outcome was manipulated.

How much suffering could have been avoided if Salieri could believe that God in fact loved and forgave him, and that he could go and do likewise?  In this regard, the beautiful perfection of Mozart's music serves as a testament that God is love, and God is forgiveness, for Mozart was a deeply flawed man himself.  Forgiveness is the star of the show and the ironic twist is that it plays a starring role most notably through its blatant absence in the story.

This is not a movie that will feature as heavily in the rotation of Gen Xers like myself, and classical music has a niche audience.  For these reasons, it may not be as much of a cultural touchstone as other films that I'm reviewing.  It lands on the top of this list because of its ability to demonstrate the importance of what is missing in our culture to this day.  It also goes very well with beer, wine, champaign, bourbon, whatever is your drink.  Let this movie take you on a ride through the despair of someone who could just as easily be any of us, and learn from his pain so you don't have to ever know it yourself.

-------

So, we've tied a bow on the drama category.  We're going to shift gears a little bit in the next go around and get into comedy, and thank goodness too.  All of this drama is making me feel like it's time to lighten the mood!  So if you're still with us, congratulations!  Stick with us, there's lots more to come!!!