Handel's Last Chance

Set in 1742, and featuring music from Handel's "The Messiah," "The Royal Fireworks Music" and "Water Music," this historical drama introduces us to James (Tod Fennell), a Dublin street kid, who is enrolled by his desperate mother (Seana McKenna) in an upper-crust school. James feels like an outsider, but things begin to improve when he is selected as a principal choirboy for Handel's oratorio, "The Messiah." In the course of events, James is befriended by the renowned composer, who suffers from a temporary lack of self-esteem. When the boy is falsely accused of wrongdoing, Handel (Leon Pownall) comes to his rescue. "The Messiah's" premiere brings Handel glory and restores him to his rightful place in the musical world.

Handel, orginally German, later became a British baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos.

The film won the "Oppenheim Gold Seal Award," and "Best Movie" from the Gemini Awards.