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The Fallacies of Hope
Episode 12 of 13
Kenneth Clark traces the progressive disillusionment of the artists of the Romantic movement during the 19th century.
'Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive', wrote Wordsworth of the early days of the French Revolution, but the storming of the Bastille led not to freedom but to the Terror, the dictatorship of Napoleon and the dreary bureaucracies of the 19th century.
Kenneth Clark traces the progressive disillusionment of the artists of the Romantic movement through the music of Beethoven, the poetry of Byron and the sculpture of Rodin.
Last on
Mon 27 May 202422:00
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Death and lunacy in art
Duration: 02:20
About BBC Four Collection programmes
Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current BBC editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Writer | Kenneth Clark |
| Narrator | Kenneth Clark |
| Director | Michael Gill |
| Producer | Michael Gill |
| Producer | Peter Montagnon |
Broadcasts
- Sun 11 May 196920:15BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
- Thu 19 Aug 197620:10BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
- Fri 23 Sep 198319:45BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
- Sat 20 May 198918:10BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
- New Year's Day 199414:05BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
- Wed 30 Mar 200519:00
Wed 27 Apr 201122:00BBC HD
Sun 1 May 201117:25BBC HD- Mon 27 May 202422:00
Featured in...
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Civilisation
Kenneth Clark's classic 1969 series tracing the history of Western art and philosophy.




