ROMEO and AMADEUS?

Tom Hulce in  Milos Forman's Amadeus (1984)

 

Romeo and Amadeus?

 

Once, I was a cinema student. When I applied for the place I had to attend an interview and answer lots of questions. One of them was something like this: "Tell us about a movie that made a change in your life and why?" I answered "Milos Forman's "Amadeus" and I explained because of "Amadeus" I did choose my favourite piece of music of all the time: "The Requiem" (It still is my favourite!). The director who was interviewing me looked to me with a smile and returned; "that was the music I was listening when I drove here". I had a splendid 19 over 20 on my interview, and I get my place.

 

Just some weeks after we start, "Amadeus" crossed in front of me again in one of the lessons. One of the teachers/directors mentioned the movie. I realized that many of my colleagues didn't know the movie. Very easily the director also understood that and eventually asked how many of us have seen "Amadeus". Surprise, surprise... only 8 cinema students in 35 heard about it before! A film which won 8 Oscars and was nominated for 11. More than 75% of the students of cinema in that class never watched it or even heard about it before. And I'm not talking about any lost movie from the 40's or the 50's. Shocking.

 

After that first year I accumulated with my cinema studies, another course. During the day I kept studying cinema and at the evening I start to study acting and drama. I wanted the full pack! Well... If I was shocked about Amadeus, the worse happened next.

 

I had to do an exercise over Romeo and Juliet. I was Romeo of course... And a girl was picked to be Juliet. If my memory is not failing, I believe it was the secret marriage scene.

 

I was doing my "first year's student" effort trying to be romantic with someone that I didn't know at all and was picked just 2 minutes before.

 

Unfortunately, the girl was just saying lines.... Not a single effort to do Juliet so I start to stress thinking to me "what the hell she's doing?" No emotions, no feelings... absolutely nothing. Zero. Potato. Kaput.

 

The teacher was just following her philosophic dreams somewhere in the limbo and didn't stop the exercise. Well I did! I not only stopped but I also asked the girl what she was doing. No answer. Then I asked "do you have any idea what's happening in the scene? No answer. I finally asked her "Do you know Romeo and Juliet?" Finally an answer "Erm... No".

Great. I was doing a scene of Romeo and Juliet with someone that never heard about it before. (Lately I realised that she also didn't know anything about Shakespeare... in an acting course!!! Yes, they exist! "Who the hell is that Peare guy?").

 

These are two true stories. Unfortunately, two real stories.

 

Why I mentioned here? Because it's something that we see every day in our careers. People who are looking to get results without even trying to get any background. People who follow these hard careers just thinking on the glamour, maybe a cover magazine. It's cute!

 

For the ones who spend their lives working and studying to achieve a place in this hard area is revolting. Especially because some of these "Romeos and Amadeus" will get positions and you wonder why and how.

 

Just like a person who went to do a web design course and asked how to minimize a window. (Ok, I don't need to tell this one)

 

I'm just asking now, do you know the roots of your industry? Run and read about them or at least have an idea why you are doing what you are doing.

 

The other ones will thank you for that.