Civilisation (1969) Part 9 of 13 - The Pursuit of Happiness

The pursuit of happiness and of love. Again Kenneth Clarck delivers a masterful exposé in the right sense of the word as being a great piece of writing or film that reveals the hars truth about a certain situation or fact. Here it is about the age before the French Revolution centering on what the French rightly called 'La douceur de vivre'. Perhaps these days one thinks of this concept as badly as 'Bourgeoisie' that had its own roots in the century beforehand, and one might get right if only when one accepts that the pursuit of happiness, freedom or pleasure aren't really of this world. However, wait for the real argument for the pursuit of love that comes at the end in true operatic style. Like television today opera once was solely seen as about entertainment and enjoyment. Oh yes, one can indeed think of passion, and thus the pursuit of happiness, as a necessary part of life, let alone the very reason for our existence on the earth.
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