Civilisation: The Pursuit of Happiness


52m 1970

Brief Synopsis

Sir Kenneth Clark's history of Western civilization examines 18th-century music and Rococo architecture, both characterized by qualities of fluidity, symmetry, and decoration, reflecting a less serious attitude toward life than obtained in the previous century. Rococo was preceded by an austere period of classicism in France, although it was more directly influenced by Italian Baroque. The great art of the period remained religious; church music, encouraged by Lutheran reforms and the German bourgeoisie, found its greatest composer in Johann Sebastian Bach, who transcended the Baroque influences to which Handel remained faithful throughout his career. Balthasar Neumann's Vierzehnheiligen Abbey Church at Neresheim was the architectural illustration of the music of Handel and Bach. Watteau's painting reflected the Rococo reaction against classicism and its extension of the Baroque into realms of free association. The two great composers of the second half of the century were Haydn and Mozart; the drama intrinsic to the latter's music spurred the development and popularity of opera, which expressed more complex emotions than Rococo.

Film Details

Also Known As
The Pursuit of Happiness
Release Date
Jan 1970
Premiere Information
New York opening: 18 Apr 1970
Production Company
British Broadcasting Corp.
Distribution Company
Time--Life Films
Country
United Kingdom

Technical Specs

Duration
52m

Synopsis

Sir Kenneth Clark's history of Western civilization examines 18th-century music and Rococo architecture, both characterized by qualities of fluidity, symmetry, and decoration, reflecting a less serious attitude toward life than obtained in the previous century. Rococo was preceded by an austere period of classicism in France, although it was more directly influenced by Italian Baroque. The great art of the period remained religious; church music, encouraged by Lutheran reforms and the German bourgeoisie, found its greatest composer in Johann Sebastian Bach, who transcended the Baroque influences to which Handel remained faithful throughout his career. Balthasar Neumann's Vierzehnheiligen Abbey Church at Neresheim was the architectural illustration of the music of Handel and Bach. Watteau's painting reflected the Rococo reaction against classicism and its extension of the Baroque into realms of free association. The two great composers of the second half of the century were Haydn and Mozart; the drama intrinsic to the latter's music spurred the development and popularity of opera, which expressed more complex emotions than Rococo.

Film Details

Also Known As
The Pursuit of Happiness
Release Date
Jan 1970
Premiere Information
New York opening: 18 Apr 1970
Production Company
British Broadcasting Corp.
Distribution Company
Time--Life Films
Country
United Kingdom

Technical Specs

Duration
52m

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Location scenes filmed in Würzburg and Neresheim, West Germany. First shown in Great Britain on April 21, 1969 on BBC 2; the ninth in Sir Kenneth Clark's series on the history of Western civilization.