All in all I felt that this was a very informative film depicting the life and work of Joseph Haydn. It was very extensive especially considering its short one-hour length, covering all of the major aspects of Haydn's life.
             I enjoyed the format; despite the fact that the age of the film rendered it a bit antiquated as far as cinematography and entertainment value are concerned, it was a good mix of historical fact and musical excerpts. Haydn's music was not simply background. In specific instances all narration would cease in lieu of a minute or two of the music. This was nice as it provided a relief from focusing attention on the historical information. I felt that the performances for each of his works were well chosen as the musicians playing them were all obviously skilled.
             Of all the music on the film, I especially enjoyed the Symphony No. 44 in E minor. The narration discusses Haydn's later years at Esterhauser (sp?), and his unhappiness at life in solitude at the palace. Accordingly, his instrumental music at this time became very stormy and emotional, and this is clearly heard in Symphony 44. This particular performance did every justice to the original piece by emphasizing the emotional state Haydn was in at the time of composition.
             The cinematography as I said before was somewhat unstimulating, but this was made up for by the wonderful choice of scenery depicted. A wide variety of the Austrian countryside was shown which made me want very much to visit the area at some point in my life. The palace at Eisenstadt and also at Esterhauser were magnificent. But these were not the only depictions of the area; during the part where the narrator discusses the role of servitude and serfdom at the time period, a good deal of the surrounding rural countryside is shown, doing a good job of contrasting the different hierarchical classes and their ways of life. A
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