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England, My England - The Story Of Henry Purcell. Simon Callow (New/Sealed DVD) - Picture 1 of 2

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England, My England The Story Of Henry Purcell (DVD, 2010)

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"England, My England - The Story Of Henry Purcell" is a rare and deleted DVD that tells the tale of the famous composer through a historical and dramatic lens. Directed by Tony Palmer and featuring actors such as Letitia Dean and Simon Callow, the film is presented in NTSC format with a 16:9 aspect ratio and English subtitles available. With a runtime of 152 minutes, this 2010 release is a must-watch for fans of classical music and British historical dramas.

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A dramatisation of the life and times of Henry Purcell. Little is known about the enigmatic composer, but director Tony Palmer makes up for this by contextualising his story in late 17th Century England, and allows Purcell's music to do most of the talking.

Product Identifiers

EAN0604388726103

eBay Product ID (ePID)79634892

Product Key Features

Film/TV TitleEngland, My England the Story of Henry Purcell

ActorLetitia Dean, Corin Redgrave, John Shrapnel, Robert Stephens, Michael Ball, Simon Callow

DirectorTony Palmer

Subtitle LanguageEnglish\German\Italian\Spanish

FormatDVD

Release Year2010

LanguageEnglish

FeaturesWidescreen, With Subtitles

Aspect Ratio16:9

GenreDrama, Historical

Run Time152 Mins

Additional Product Features

CertificateE

Number of Discs1

Country/Region of ManufactureUnited Kingdom

PerformerNancy Argenta, Jennifer Smith, Lynne Dawson, The Monteverdi Choir, David Thomas, James Bowman, Paul Agnew, Michael Chance, Peter Harvey, Stephen Varcoe, The English Baroque Soloists, Susan Graham

ReviewsIndependent On Sunday - The film touches on some profound truths about the personalities behind the music. As the titles rolled, so did this critic's tears.

ConductorJohn Eliot Gardiner

Additional InformationThis 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. Running parallel to Purcell's story is a subplot set in the 1960s, when English society and values seemed to be rapidly eroding, much 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.

Movie/TV TitleEngland, My England The Story Of Henry Purcell

ComposerHenry Purcell

Sound sourceDolby Digital

All listings for this product

Last one

item 1 England, My England - Tony Palmer's Film About Henry Purcell DVD (2009) Michael

£5.69

Free postage

item 2 England, My England [DVD] [1995] [NTSC]

£5.70

Free postage

item 3 England, My England - The Story Of Henry Purcell. Simon Callow (New/Sealed DVD)

£9.49

Free postage

item 4 HENRY PURCELL, ENGLAND, MY ENGLAND,UK Reg 2 DVD SIMON CALLOW, MICHAEL BALL

£16.95

Free postage

item 5 England, My England DVD The Story Of Henry Purcell, Simon Callow, Michael Ball

£17.31

Free postage

item 6 HENRY PURCELL, ENGLAND, MY ENGLAND, DVD SIMON CALLOW, MICHAEL BALL SEALED

£16.32

+ £2.70 postage

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by nigelrushbrook
15 Apr, 2016
Superb.
I saw this when first broadcast, and later bought the VHS (and now the DVD). Though not a Purcell 'fan' at the time, the cast, director, and writers reputations attracted me to the movie, along with the whole 'English Music' festivities in 1995 spurred by the Purcell anniversary. I found it a stunning film - by turns funny, gorgeous, and incredibly moving: you cannot watch certain scenes from the Purcell family's life portrayed here and be untouched. Simon Callow as Charles II, and Robert Stevenson as Dryden, are perfect, Rebecca Front portrays a girlish, lost and tragic Mary II, but Michael Ball as Henry Purcell himself is a revelation: I knew he was a singer, didn't know he could act, but he does and he is absolutely superb. The 'olde England' sections are contrasted with 'modern day' scenes - giving a relativistic, Lawrence Durrell, feel that is a shock at first, but then one does become engaged the entwined modern story as well. 'England, My England' is a historical pageant, a period comedy, a kitchen-sink drama, a witness to tragedy injustice, and an act of worship for Purcell's music. I've enjoyed many of Tony Palmer's musicological films, but this must be his masterpiece.
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