Paul Scofield in Amadeus at the National Theatre
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- Опубликовано: 12 янв 2009
- This was a magnificent production. I was so lucky to work on it.
Such eloquent writing from Peter Shaffer, leaving Peter Hall needing little more to do than allow these gargantuan talents to just get on with it.
John Bury's set design and lighting were a revelation. I'd worked on many West End musicals with their huge rigs and staging, and here Bury's simplicity stunned me. It was minimal without being in the least bit austere. It was pure elegance. Except... except maybe for that huge chandelier (that my drinking buddy Steve Milne up in flies one day sent crashing to the stage!).
Young Simon Callow's Mozart was the performance of a lifetime. The part seemed written for him. And maybe it was - Shaffer would sit in on rehearsals making notes which would then become re-writes.
But the grand centerpiece was Scofield's Salieri. Watch this clip and weep. And somehow he did that every night...
I also worked on the NT tour with Frank Finlay playing the lead (Scofield refused to tour) and it was remarkable how the two men could deliver the same lines, with the same directions, and yet be so very different. Finlay was Everyman, consumed with jealousy, and feeling he deserved Mozart's genius. While Scofield was the cultured civilized man who really could claim some genuine title to it. A little ironic perhaps that Finlay was an active catholic, and on the tour would seek out the nearest RC church to pray each morning.
I shall never forget Scofield's performance. Such a brilliant actor, and the stage is now very much a lesser place without him. 
Развлечения
My God ... what is this? .... I've just seen a master actor.
Amadeus by Peter Schaffer
One of the finest stage actors of the 20th century. RIchard Burton said, of the ten best stage performances he ever saw, Scofield did seven of them.
That I can believe completely. He had a truth with his acting, that whenever he spoke it made you feel the words were truly his own thoughts, and not acted/rehearsed. A rare ability.
Paul Scofield ❤ "...A man for all Seasons."
that "AND THEN SUDDENLY..." gets me every time! Grand performance and writing
Whenever I see Paul Scofield fly over us all in his talent, all I can do is look up and scream like him, "WhUUUT IS THIS!!!!
I could listen to that man talk all day.
Yes, it makes me want to jump into the scene and try to help the character.
Me too and f murray abraham
@@maggieferguson5438 lol do you mean 'f murray abraham as well,' or 'F*** murray abraham!' ?
@@chrisheroldt5871 lol
@@chrisheroldt5871 fuck murray abraham in particular. :) ha ha.
A great and subtle actor whose personal integrity was remarkable
Mr. Scofied was masterful. We do not see many actors who apporach his level of artistry.
I would say none (today).
Absolutely. My favorite actor. Sorry I never saw on stage, but based on solely on Man for all Seasons, Quiz Show, and Hamlet.
@@ednatrumbull F Murray??
Mark Rylance?
@@jesoby F Murray always
Scofield was such a genius. One of the all-time great actors.
Cripplingly beautiful.
Paul Scofield. Missed always.
I saw this wonderful performance and was so moved I booked K59 for 5 nights the following week.. K59 was a student seat so only cost me £1.00.
As I was leaving one night I said to my mate that in the future this is the masterpiece actors will have to play before Lear or Henry an elderly lady with a fix fur on taped me in the shoulder and said "Your are certainly right young man" Praise indeed.
If I have a journey of a few hours this and Alec Mccowens St Marks Gospel both I love and never tire off...
PS I got the seats because if the box office manager Mr Pat Leyton he was friends of my boss at Keith Prowse Theatre Tickets... Very lucky boy to think that 40 plus years it still reduces me to tears.. I BELIEVE HIM EVERY WORD STILL...
Oh my. I was so lucky to see this twice. I adore Scofield and can't bear the idea that I shall never see him again
Incredible. Without wanting to take anything away from the film production, this was simply amazing and, in Paul Scofield's hands, such a more powerful depiction of Salieri. This wouldn't have worked on screen but oh to have seen the original theatrical production. No wonder everyone was blown away...I am in tears.
Every time I watch this I'm in tears. What a glorious artist Scofield was. Pure theatrical magic.
yeah scofields is great but...F Murray Abraham's performance is one in million flawless.!
A wonderful impression of the difference between theatre and film performances
@@sallybrown5089 I am Scofield fangirl and yes, F. Murray Abraham's performance really IS perfect.
A powerful depiction, yes. But completely based on nonsense.
Paul Scofield is one of the very best actors of all time. I mean I could count on one hand the actors who are in his league in the history of stage or film.
Agree completely. I can't really think of anyone who was better imo.
Wow! That voice, his intonations, his complexity!
One of my heroes of the stage such an accomplished , connected actor.
I would have done anything to see Paul Scofield on stage.
Damn. And here all these years I thought F. Murray Abraham had killed this performance, and in a movie no less, then I see this. Entirely higher level. Thank you for this. RIP Mr. Scofield, who has by now long already compared notes with Mozart and Salieri over the portrayal of their lives long before.
Yep.
It’s a great performance but I think Murray’s delivery is better
@@lcsl5605 I think a lot of it can be the definition between theatrical acting and cinematic acting, the former has to be a little bigger, whilst you can be more subtle onscreen
@@JavertRA G'day, JavertRA! I agree. I have often thought about why the film version is so gripping and intriguing v. the 4 stage performances I have seen of "Amadeus". On a stage, players have to raise their voices to be heard and understood. There are no whispers, no low begging tones. A piece which calls for elaborate costumes and sets is produced with very modified scenery, furnishings, and period-specific clothing of modest design, wigs which don't always fit properly. A play often does not draw the viewer in; he/she remains aware of being seated in a folding theatre seat instead of being transported to another time and place.
magnificent. I watched it about 20 times in a row. an absolute masterclass.
I saw this production at the National Theatre and witnessed history. The entire production was spellbinding from the moment the whispers surrounding the Olivier Theatre began.............."Salieri"............"Salieri". This miraculous production, which I will never ever forget, was held together by the great Mr Paul Scofield. His performance was breathtaking. Thank you for uploading this clip.
God how I envy you having seen that iconic production! Listening to the BBC original cast recording gives a fair approximation. And I did see John Wood in the Peter Hall production. But there's no substitute for seeing Scofield playing that great role in person.
EDWARD I saw it too. A 20 year old student at Goldsmiths College. I knew nothing. I had experienced nothing. But this production and this performance stays with me. It was. . . Magnificent. Oh that we could experience theatre now.
I saw this production three times. Paul Scofield's performance is mesmerizing. If I am not mistaken, one of the two "Venticellies" was played by Ben Kingsley. Scofield's performance was magnificient and gave me goosebumps. Simply a delight to watch and hear Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons). Hats off!
Probably the greatest actor of all time!
I love Paul Scofield. I never knew anyone could even come close to F Murray Abraham but Mr Schofield surpasses him. Bravo!
I agree! Abraham was very fine but Scofield was transcendant.
I'm sure Murray would agree. You can't deny talent like Paul Scofield. Mr. Abraham was incredible and definitely deserved the Academy Award, but what Paul Scofield does on the stage is completely different and even more moving in my opinion. I did not see Ian McKellen in this role. But I imagine he was incredible as well.
@@RCurtisLambert Sorry, I completely disagree.
I love Scofield but I don't like his performance here at all.
I think Abraham was far better.
Paul Scofield is my personal hero, and I wish he could have made the film as well. But then again, F Murray Abraham has really done an excellent job as Salieri.
"Dislike" button should be removed for this video.
Is there any video pf Simon Callow as Mozart? These were two of the greatest performances of modern times.
People have a right to their own opinion, strangely enough, so if they like another actor’s work better, what difference does it make to anyone?? Since it makes NO difference, I have to believe that people who make comments like this do it to get “likes.”
@@voraciousreader3341 I agree,.. take for instance, my favorite is F Murray Abraham, as Antonio salieri and Tom Hulce as Mozart,.. But that's just my opinion. It doesn't make me right, I wouldn't put down somebody else's choice.
Oh to have seen this. I was privileged to see his Lear when very young. I still see and hear him. The greatest performance I've ever seen.
I was watching Scofield in Man for all Seasons, then I came upon this. This I never knew of. This, how could I have missed it. I never know Scofield played Salieri on stage. Thank you so so much for posting this. It made my day!!!
The restraint is what makes this so beautiful. Salieri is constantly having his ego eroded, and doesn't relinquish it until the very last. He's on the verge of adoring Mozart for his glorious talent, but still holding back out of pride.
Schofield is a master.
You nailed it. Saliera feels he deserves to have musical genius. At least some. He has obediently done everything that God demands, yand then Mozart appears and mocks him.
I also worked on the production with Frank Finlay. Same script and stage directions, yet Finlay was Everyman, and consumed with jealousy. Such a striking contrast, showing how two talented actors can bring something completely different to the same role.
Dynamics are incredible. He was ALWAYS superb.
He is one of the best actors who ever graced the stage. We get to see this amazing performance on our phones, but think of how much greater it was to actually be in the theater- and see it there!
Peter Shaffer. You will be missed.
Paul Schofield. You are missed.
Spectacular! I hope someone had the foresight back then to video record Scofield's full performance for posterity. If so, I would love to get my hands on it.
There is a BBC Radio broadcast of the play in it's entirety. It's on RUclips.
Mediocrity confronted by genius . A hard pill to swallow. Brilliantly portrayed with the awe and self-loathing that must ensue and point mediocrity at oneself.
Even just seeing this small clip from the play, you can tell why Milos Forman saw this and made a movie out of it.
This is the complete audio performance! I was lucky to have seen it live and was thrilled to find this audio link! Enjoy!!!
archive.org/details/amadeuspaulscofieldsimoncallo
Thank you!
One of the greatest moments ever created.
SO much better than the constant bellowing of the most recent NT production. This Salieri is human.
This is simply golden. Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful posting...as a young 16 year old I saw a national tour of the UK (in Poole, Dorset) with Keith Michell. He was also wonderful. I just remember the magnificence of the language!
Paul Scofield is brilliant
Masterful, beyond the range or scope of that term, yet utterly humane and gloriously sublime. What an actor.
Paul Scofield is sublime!
Could not agree more.
A man for all seasons
Breathtaking
Thank you very much for this! I really love Scofield (A Man for All Seasons and The Train particularly) and wish he'd been willing or able to do the film of Amadeus. I can't claim to be a fan of it.
A BBC radio production of Amadeus featuring Scofield isn’t half bad. But Scofield, whenever he performed this video version, had absolutely mastered his performance. It’s on another level. It blasts even his own performance for the BBC out of the water. And a good part of his genius here is visual - his eyes, the use of his hands; his body language. Lost on audio only. This has to be among the best three minutes of acting I’ve witnessed. Calamity if they never got him performing the entire play on film, or did so, then misplaced it.
Fantastic, thanks for posting!
So glad to see Paul Scofield do a segment of his Salieri from AMADEUS. I've seen the movie AMADEUS more than once, but watching Paul Scofield do this is truly watching a whole different interpretation. His Salieri is not pitiful, but tragic, and speaks to all of us in the face of sheer genius that we can't tap in ourselves.
amazing acting. so moving. what a beautiful voice.
Yes, yes, and yes!
Utterly, beautifully - brilliant. May he rest in peace.
Oh. My. God.
I saw it too - I still think of Scofield often, and miss him.
Outstanding!
A masterclass in acting. Paul Scofield elevated the art. Just wonderful.
Mastery
Brillant job!
Acting of genius.
Beautiful
"What is this pain?!"
This kind of actors you would never ever find in our days you need to watch the .movie called the train made by frankenheimer staring Burt Lancaster and Paul scofield well Mr scofield was Incredibly magnificent.
Greetings from Algeria.
Saw Rupert Everett in this role at Chichester a few years ago superb. Peter Shaffer in the audience
Exquisite....just as good as the film scene.
One of those three minutes that explain what we are, who we are.
wish i could see the full performance
Brilliant!
Masterful and also a palate cleanser after seeing some other clips of more recent productions here on YT.
The time has arrived where this perfomances of all acclaimed actors in acclaimed plays must be put on youtube
I’ve had this experience several times, with music by Mozart and several other composers. There are pieces I’ve played on the piano and organ which are so gorgeous and choked me with such emotion in my chest that I literally couldn’t keep playing, I couldn’t finish the phrases. I’m so grateful to be able to respond to music that way, and that there’s such beauty to be had whenever one wants it!
Brilliant to see a different version to the movie!
No disrespect to F. Murray Abraham, but this is the best Salieri I have ever watched.
Such a pity a complete recording of this isn't available. Bravo sir! Bravo!
Wonderful😊
"WHAT IS THIS, SIGNORE? WHAT IS THIS PAIN??" Thank you for posting this! To have seen Paul Scofield as Salieri in AMADEUS must've been so incredible! I only WISH I could've witnessed it -- either at the RNT OR on B'way the next year, with Sir Ian McKellen as Salieri. Spellbinding!
f murray i thought nailed it but this MAN i know nothing about just proved me wrong. who is HE?
@@marmarloneg3233 this is the late, great British actor Paul Scofield. He created the role of Salieri in the world premiere of AMADEUS at the Royal Nat'l Theater in London in 1979.
He could have read from 1963 Farmers Almanac and he would have sounded better than many actors today.
Being able to recognize true genius yet being unable to find means express that longing, true torment for a musician like Salieri
I just listened to the 1983 BBC recording with the same cast---remarkable. I envy your getting to see and to work on such a production. Thank you for this clip.
Sean, may I ask, is that recording easy to find? Is it freely available? How can I find it? I'd kill to listen to that.
I found it on Archive.org. I don't think RUclips lets one post links, but have a search there in the sound recordings. It's very much worth tracking down.
archive.org/details/AMADEUS1983
Sean, you're a titan among men.
Thank you sincerely.
@@__________________________1451 I concur, thanks so much @Sean Henry. I have only seen this brief clip and have always wanted to hear the full version. Thats my weekend sorted then! :D
Magnificent
Impressionnant magnifique et génial Paul Scofied. Je regrette qu'il n'y ait pas de version française, maintenant je connais sa vraie voix. Hommage à toi Paul.
Amazing acting.
I do weep!!
That's what I'm talkin' about...
what a performance.
Scofield's voice for me will alwayr super impose his voice on this text. Thanks
So many notes at his command, with which to play upon us. And the eyes and the beautiful face. I saw this performance, as well as his Volpone with John Gielgud disguised as a tortoise. And I'm Not Rappaport, park bench, didnt get it.
Brilliant
I can't let my mind not to think of Murray Abraham's performance as Salieri that I believe it was superb in this scene
Wow ...
I'm not into theater, but I love this.
Wow!
Your description on the comparison of the two actors was very insightful. Care to share more on working with this project? It is such a shame the show was not recorded and only this much of Scofield's performance remained :(
Nice 👍
cant find a bloody recording of his full performance anywhere online. i would actually pay for it for once
wow,
I broke down.
bless you
The Greatest.
Great...
I like this take. I think a key difference is that just like Milos Forman said about him, F. Murray Abraham was Salieri. Scofield has to act more to inhabit his part, which I think makes his performance better suited for the theatre, while Abraham's translates better to cinema.
I totally agree. I do believe that Schofield was very disappointed not to have been offered the part in the film. I have seen the play twice and urge anybody to do the same. Its emotional impact is far superior- Vienna, Mozart and Salieri without the superficiality of Hollywood.
I don't think Scofield was disappointed because he wasn't interested in Hollywood at all. I read that he rejected a lot of roles and preferred to train his dogs 😂 I mean he even refused to do Amadeus on Broadway without Simon as Mozart.
Agree with all the good notices for this. But also....he's convincing as an ITALIAN musician.
I wept.
Now I felt Salieri's pain and wept.
I just can't understand how anyone can say this is better than Abraham's performance in the film adaptation. I understand they are different media and as such they will perform differently but I don't believe a single word being spoken here to be true and am very aware that I am watching an actor. Abraham makes me believe I am watching a tortured soul laid bare after decades of holding back his true feelings and languishing in his bipolar state of resentment and astonishment. It just feels real where as this feels insincere and almost silly by comparison.
This is a simple recording of a stage production which you are watching on RUclips. You can't compare this with a film and say that it somehow feels less 'real'. Of course it would.
I agree with the first comment. Scofield sounds like acting the role and I don’t feel anything.
Abraham describes the music so tenderly and emotional that you understand how he admires Mozart and at the same time envíes him.
The same feeling came to me when I saw The man of all seasons. Scofield was too cold and distant .
I think that Burton was much convincing as George in Who is afraid of Virginia Wolf, and that he should have won the Oscar that year.o