Honour, profit and pleasure

A film by the late Anna Ambrose which celebrates the life and work of the great composer George Frideric Haëndel in England, within the framework of the 18th-century Baroque theatre. The acton Quin introduces us to his friend the composer, and takes us through his usually triumphant career, from his brilliant reception by London Society, through the debacle of his involvement with Italian opera, to the climax of his life’s work, “The Messiah”. Haëndel, passionate and obsessed by his work, ageing from his late 20’s to early 60’s is played by Simon Callow, and a distinguished cast portray many well-known 185th-century London figures including Addison, Steele, Swift and Pope. The music is played on authentic Baroque instruments by the Raglan Baroque Players, conducted by Nicholas Kraemer. This is a very delicate example of the biographical music film which avoids vulgar romantic assumptions about the relation of life and work. It also creates a visual style which, without spending vast budgets on art-direction, conveys the style and ethos of historical period.