The Great Mr. Handel

The Great Mr. Handel is a 1942 British Technicolor historical film directed by Norman Walker and starring Wilfrid Lawson, Elizabeth Allan and Malcolm Keen. The film is a biopic of the 18th-century German-British composer Georg Friedrich Händel, focusing in particular on the years leading up to his 1741 oratorio Messiah.

Cast

 * Wilfrid Lawson as George Frideric Handel
 * Elizabeth Allan as Mrs. Cibber
 * Malcolm Keen as Lord Chesterfield
 * Michael Shepley as Sir Charles Marsham
 * Max Kirby as Frederick, Prince of Wales
 * Hay Petrie as Phineas
 * Morris Harvey as John Heidegger
 * A. E. Matthews as Charles Jennens
 * Frederick Cooper as Pooley
 * Andrew Leigh as Captain Coram

Production and release
The film was made by the Rank Organisation at Denham Studios, using Technicolor. After a private screening, the company head J. Arthur Rank criticised its lack of glamorous appeal. The film was not a box office success on its release.