To be precise, the film is based on a stage play and character portrayal came from it, too. The theme of genius vs mere human can be traced back further, to Pu

To be precise, the film is based on a stage play and character portrayal came from it, too. The theme of genius vs mere human can be traced back further, to Pushkin's short play "Mozart and Salieri" in 1830 [1]. But I agree that the movie is so good that many people would take it as "based on true story". [1] https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/pushkin/aleksandr/p98mo/ https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/pushkin/aleksandr/p98mo/