England, My England

The life of the musician & court composer Henry Purcell is used to present a tongue in cheek examination of the Restoration & the Glorious Revolution. The actors in the film, led by Simon Callow as Charles II, discuss the play between scenes, but the parts they play on stage are also those that they play in the film. Very cleverly done too.

This is a brilliantly conceived and executed film about one of England's greatest composers and a watershed period in English history. The cinematography and editing are superb, and, for the most part, the acting is first-rate. The historical accuracy of the film is almost uncanny (down to the floor-pounding conducting with a massive "baton"). The movie has a "you-were-there" quality, and you can almost believe that you are actually watching the historical characters themselves. (I especially liked Queen Mary and her boorish King William.) The only "complaint" that I have about the film is that I had a nagging feeling of deja-vu that I was watching "Barry Lyndon" again (induced in part, no doubt, by the many candle-lit scenes, Murray Melvin's role as Shaftsbury, and Purcell's music for Queen Mary's funeral that figured so prominently in "A Clockwork Orange.") If you like historical films and/or grand costume drama, by all means try to see this film. (P.S.: I saw the film on Bravo; I'm sure that it loses a lot on the small screen, but I still rate it 9/10.)

Being a bit of a Purcell fanatic, it was only happenstance that I encountered this film. Channel surfing the local cable net, I noticed a listing for the film, which I recorded.

This film brilliantly captures the essence of the man and his music (as well as the tenor of the times). The acting, a bit downplayed, works well to give the story a positive spin, despite the various tragedies in Purcell's life.

I understand that the original version has some contemporary thread running through it. The version which was run on the BRAVO network in the US eliminated this component (for some reason which goes unexplained).

Overall, this film is an overlooked masterpiece....

a brilliant movie,and a great idea to use the same cast in going to and fro between 17th and 20th century England.Only the Brits can make movies like this one.The music of Purcell was superb. Thank goodness that I taped it and can view it again at leisure. (PS I recognised the actress who played Purcell's wife as the one who plays the dumb Australian waitress in the series 'Pilgrims Rest'

Loved this from beginning to end! A sterling cast of British acting talent so rarely seen in films. From the start where Cromwell's grave is dug up to the sad ending of Harry's death from (possibly) tuberculosis, John Eliot Gardner's ensemble's performances and gritty realism of late 17thc London will absorb every classical music fan throughout. Oh DO look out for the gaffe where Sir a Christopher Wren is displaying plans of St.Paul's Cathedral: The plan you see on screen is from a 3 dimensional architect drawing made in 1927.