Henry Purcell: England, My England – Tony Palmer's film about the life and times of Henry Purcell

adamsmith1922

February 13

Excellent film celebrating Purcell

England, My England is a 1995 British historical film directed by Tony Palmer and starring Michael Ball, Simon Callow, Lucy Speed and Robert Stephens. It depicts the life of the composer Henry Purcell, seen through the eyes of a playwright in the 1960s who is trying to write a play about him. It was written by John Osborne and Charles Wood

The supporting cast was excellent and included the likes of Rebecca Front, Murray Melvin and Terence Rigby. Music was conducted by John Eliot Gardiner

From allmovies

This British biopic attempts to chronicle the life of 17th-century tunesmith Henry Purcell. The filmmakers have had to do much speculating about Britain's first great composer, as little is known about his life back then. It is known that Purcell had been a chorister as a child and then became the court composer for three kings: Charles, James and William. Before his death at age 37, Purcell penned over 1,000 songs and sired a few children, most of whom died at birth. While little is actually known of Purcell, the film successfully recreates the tumultuous era in which he lived. Also running parallel to Purcell's story is a set in the 1960s when English society and values seemed to be rapidly eroding, just as they were in the composer's time. The story concerns a playwright's attempts to research the life of Purcell for his next play. In the last part of the film, several lavish musical numbers from Purcell's vast repertoire are presented.