Made for Kids and made quite well!
This is part of a six composer set. The others are on Strauss, Liszt, Rossini, Bach and Bizet. They are very good videos for elementary school students. Kids have lots of questions while watching. The movies are engaging for K-5 alike, strongest in the grades 2-5 range, though Kindergartners can watch for about twenty minutes per viewing without getting too wiggly. I read somebody write that they teach a college music appreciation course and that this is "a miss". Probably is for college students, unless the college student is between five and ten years old. At any rate, the quality of the production on these videos is top notch and the stories, though fictional, are well researched with much truth surrounding the fiction.

In this particular show, G.F. Handel has arrived in Dublin, Ireland troubled by critics about his music. He is preparing to premiere his work, "The Messiah". Along side Handel's story is the story of a boy, Jamey, who finds trouble in stealing things to survive poverty. The lives of the two intertwine a bit.

All six of these composer's series videos follow a similar pattern in that a child comes in contact with a famous composer. That's why these films work with children. They have a connection. I wouldn't waste time showing this to a college class as those students are a bit older in general (ya think!). However, for elementary age students, these movies have tremendous potential for teaching both about music history and social studies.The Composers' Specials 6 DVD Collector's Set

bringing back memories
I was just browsing amazon.com's music thing and was looking for clasical music and I found the name Handel and I remembered
seeing it in music class I remembered the name of the movie and did a search on amazon.com this is an awesome movie and all the kids in music class liked it but they kept asking why Jamie's voice was so high and sounded girlish anyway this is my favorite but I also recommend Beetoven lives upstairs which is in this series

Great film for kids in music class!
This is a FANTASTIC film that should be in the libraries of every elementary and intermediate grades music teacher. I have used it as a way to introduce Handel's music and talk about the Baroque era. I teach inner-city kids, who loved the film and were VERY open to learning more about Handel and his music after seeing it!

The story is entertaining and funny--fictional, of course, while providing some of the very basics of Handel's life and work. Of course, you hear his music almost all the way throughout!

Don't let the college professor nay-sayers sway you from this one. If you're in the trenches with a music classroom full of kids everyday, like I am, this one's worth its weight in gold.

You gets what you pay for
I am teaching a music appreciation class at a College and was struck by the number of positive reviews this item received. They could have been written by friends and relatives of the cast, producers, etc. I found that there was very little about Handel or about his music and times.
I bought several other videos in this series and have come to same conclusion - Save your money. This is a miss.

Bravo!
This movie is a must have for all Handel fans! George Fredric Handel meets a young boy named Jamie. Jamie is a talented singer, and Handel chooses him to lead the chorus. But when bullies get in Jamie's way, you don't know what could happen! Altogether this is a 5-star movie.