God Rot Tunbridge Wells! (1985)

Shortly before death, George Fredrick Handel (1685-1759), old, blind, portly, sometimes raging and usually reflective, narrates a look back over his life. As he tells his story, his music ... See full summary »

Director:

Tony Palmer (as Mr Tony Palmer)

Writer:

John Osborne

Stars:

Trevor Howard, Dave Griffiths, Christopher Bramwell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Trevor Howard	...	Georg Friedrich Handel
Dave Griffiths	...	Middle-aged Handel
Christopher Bramwell	...	Young Handel
Ranald Neilson	...	The Boy Handel
Tracey Spence	...	Mary Granville
Anne Downie	...	Vittoria Turquini
Simon Donald	...	Prince Ruspoll
Peter Stanger	...	Domenico Scarlatti
Beth Robens	...	Handel's Mother
Mitzi Mueller	...	Francesca Cuzzoni
Elizabeth Lax	...	The Second Soprano
Chris Young	...	Buxtehude
Caroline Woolley	...	Marie Sallé
Shona Drummond	...	The Handmaiden
Isabella Connell	...	The Princess of Wales

Storyline

Shortly before death, George Fredrick Handel (1685-1759), old, blind, portly, sometimes raging and usually reflective, narrates a look back over his life. As he tells his story, his music plays as background or is performed on screen. As a youth, he is Buck, a prodigy, attractive to women and to patrons. He travels from Halle to Italy then to London, where he finds himself completely at home. He composes constantly. He pleases princes and dukes; he displeases prelates and critics. He's in court to defend his copyright. He makes and loses money; he engenders a cat fight between two divas. At the end of his life, he observes that he helped the English with their religion.

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Plot Keywords:

composer | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Did You Know?

Quotes

Georg Friedrich Handel: I do not think that I have been truly corruptible. I may have, yes, have been... pagan ...in spirit, but I have always known there is more sincerity in religion than politics. More truth also.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are written as if they were a comment on the action, and they paraphrase Shakespeare: "Flatbroke Films presents A Tragic Historical Comedy, or A Comic historical Tragedy Or What You Will". The names of the actors and creative staff are all written with a "Mr." or "Mrs." preceding the name, just as they would have been in the eighteenth century.

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Soundtracks

Let envy then conceal her head
Music by George Frideric Handel (as G.F. Händel)
Performed by John Shirley-Quirk

User Reviews

"Almost" the Life of G. F. Handel

OK presentation of George F. Handel's personal memoirs ("almost"). With Trevor Howard doing a fine job prancing about in his nightshirt and chewing through a script by playwright John Osborne. Summed up nicely by the phrase "It was always my policy, even as a small boy, never to willingly fart in front of ladies." The visuals are fine, with nice attention to period detail (smoke filled rooms due to poorly working chimneys, for example) but it was clearly shot without sound with everything added later in the indubitable BBC manner. On the whole it may have been better as a radio play without the images distracting us from the music and words.

Details

Country:

UK Sweden West Germany Netherlands Austria Switzerland Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 1985 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ladbroke Films, RM Associates, Channel Four

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color