The Miloš Forman movie Julie Delpy calls “perfect”
In terms of contemporary stars, there’s an argument to be made for Julie Delpy being one of the best French actors still working. She was discovered by Jean-Luc Godard, who subsequently cast her in his 1985 movie Detective before she went on to perform in La Passion Beatrice.
Her appearance in Agnieszka Holland’s Europa Europa announced Delpy as a serious international star, which meant that Hollywood soon came calling. She featured in Voyager, The Three Musketeers and Three Colours: White before going on to star in one of the most acclaimed independent movies of the 1990s, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise.
While several of Delpy’s efforts in cinema comprise so many of our favourites, she too has her most cherished film moments, including one she considers “perfect”. In a feature with Letterboxd, Delpy once named her favourite movies of all time, and one stood out in terms of her deep admiration.
“I’ll start with Amadeus, the film by Miloš Forman,” Delpy once said. “I just think it’s a beautiful film, and it’s a very, very moving story and infuriating as well because the character of Salieri is just unbearable, but yet he’s the one telling us what happened.”
Amadeus is Forman’s 1984 period biographical drama adapted for the screen by Peter Shaffer from his 1979 stage play of the same name. It’s set in Vienna towards the end of the 18th century and tells a fictionalised account of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart after he left Salzburg.
There’s also a narrative of rivalry between Mozart and the Italian classical composer Antonio Salieri, which takes place in Emperor Joseph II’s court. Tom Hulce portrays Mozart, while F. Murray Abraham plays Salieri. Both actors were, in fact, nominated for the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’, and Abraham ended up winning the accolade.
Continuing to express her passion for Forman’s 1984 movie, Deply added: “So I love that film. I love the screenplay, I love the directing, I love the way it’s filmed. There’s nothing about this film that I don’t think is perfect. So, to me, it’s the perfect film.”
Amadeus is not the only Forman movie that Delpy loves, though, as she also gave note to his 1979 anti-war comedy-drama musical Hair, based on the 1968 Broadway production of the same name. “It’s a musical about war and freedom,” the actor noted. “If there’s one film that makes me cry every time, it’s that film.”
“I cry every time,” she continued. “I know it’s silly. I know how it ends. I know what’s going to happen in every scene, but I cry every time when I watch this film.” So Delpy’s love for Forman spreads far and wide into the realms of admiration, joy and sorrow in equal measure.
