Product Details

• Actors: Ted Dykstra, Kyle Labine, Ian D. Clark, Rosemary Dunsmore, Kevin Jubinville
• Directors: Stuart Gillard
• Writers: David Devine, Raymond Storey
• Producers: David Devine, Leif Bristow, Richard Mozer
• Format: Classical, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony
• VHS Release Date: December 5, 1995
• Run Time: 53 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303869041
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,259 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great introduction to classics, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bach's Fight for Freedom [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Like the other videos in this series (Beethoven Lives Upstairs, etc.), this story focuses on only a short time of the composer's life. It will not serve as a total biography of Bach, or introduction to all of Baroque music. But what it does so successfully is engage the young viewers' interest in the period, setting, and some of the music of Mr. Bach. By inserting a young actor/character in these videos, the producers have successfully created a link to the young viewers. This is a fine story, and can open up a world of further inquiry to Bach, his life, times, and music. (And adults will enjoy it too!)

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly historical, but entertaining nonetheless, July 6, 2000

By 

C. Moss "Buxthehude" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach's Fight for Freedom [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video offers an excellent window into the personality of Johann Sebastian Bach although it is as much fiction as fact. I highly recommend this for children who have an interest in learning about the great composer, or even teenagers would enjoy it. It is about as accurate as "Amadeus" was about Mozart: some myth, some screenplay, and many historically accurate facts as well. Overall, this is a valuable story about one of our greatest composers, and it is in many ways a praiseworthy film.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good video for kids, not for the musicologist!, October 9, 2003

By 

William Carey (Tucker, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach's Fight for Freedom [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Since the videos in this series are just about the only child-friendly introductions to these composers on the market, and children do seem to like them, it is easy to forgive their many flaws. And this one does have MANY flaws. It is chock full of inaccuracies in virtually every scene, has very badly-written dialogue and scenes, falls flat in terms of drama and suspense and goes down in history for one of the worst, most blatant uses of "deus ex machina" at the end that will be sure to disappoint even young children. There's also a scene where an actor holds a recorder to his lips (or at least, close to his lips) while a flute is playing on the soundtrack! Some parents may also disapprove of Bach and other characters drinking what appears to be wine, and Bach's comment about kicking one of the other characters in the ... (his wife stops him short). Nevertheless, the videography is compelling, the music is wonderful, the boy is ADORABLE and children find the Duke to be particularly amusing. To sum up: Despite the movie's drawbacks, there is hardly a better method available to introduce children to Bach and Baroque music in general.