Fall of Eagles
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Movie Reviews of Fall of Eagles
Movie Review: A Fine Series With Some Excellent Moments
Summary: 5 Stars
Fall of Eagles is another of those wonderful BBC serial dramas from the 1970s, with elaborate costumes, highly literate scripts, and an attention to detail which is rarely found in these less patient times. In 13 episodes, this is the story of the last sixty years or so of the great Hapsburg, Hohenzollern, and Romanov dynasties. There is a large cast which includes many faces familiar to fans of Masterpiece Theater in the 1970s and early 1980s. This series was first shown on the BBC in 1974, then on PBS in the late 1970s, and then in severely edited form on TBS and Bravo in the 1980s. The episodes tend to be heavy on dialogue and light on action, but the scripts draw heavily from speeches, conversations, letters and diary entries of the various characters, providing an abundance of rich historical detail.
Since it has been so long since the series has been seen in its entirety, here is a brief summary of each episode:
1. Death Waltz. Dealing with the early years of the marriage of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and his beautiful young wife Elisabeth, this episode provides a good contrast between the absolutism of the Austrian court and the rise of European liberalism and the growing nationalism of ethnic groups like the Hungarians.
2. The English Princess. This chronicles the difficulties faced by Victoria, Princess Royal of England. The eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Vicky had been raised by her father to be a voice for constitutional government and liberalism. After Vicky married Frederick, Crown Prince of Prussia in 1858, she clashed repeatedly with the Prussian government over its plans to force the unification of Germany as an absolute monarchy. Very good performance by Curt Jurgens as Otto von Bismarck.
3.The Honest Broker. Continuing the German story line, this episode focusses on Bismarck after his successful unification efforts, particularly on his alienation of Vicky and Fritz's son Willy from his parents. After Willy becomes Kaiser William II, he then turns the tables on Bismarck and fires him, allowing for a very nice "I told you so" scene between Vicky and Bismarck at the end.
4. Requiem for a Crown Prince. Returning to Austria, this is the story of the Mayerling tragedy, in which Crown Prince Rudolf first murdered his teenage mistress and then shot himself. This episode is filmed as a crime drama, with dates and times repeatedly flashing on the screen as we see the murder/suicide first discovered, then covered up.
5. The Last Tsar. Here we have the story of Nicholas II as a playboy tsarevich who cavorts with a ballerina while courting a shy German princess named Alix. Nicholas finally convinces Alix to accept his proposals and change her religion to Orthodoxy and her name to Alexandra. This episode contains one of my favorite lines: When one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters asks if it is a good idea for first cousins to marry each other, the old Queen regally proclaims "The same blood only adds to the strength!" (This is a verbatim quote from one of the Queen's letters, by the way.) This episode ends with the death of Tsar Alexander III, Nicholas' father.
6. Absolute Beginners. This is the least "royal" episode. It concentrates on Lenin's rise to power within the Russian Marxist movement and his creation of the Bolshevik party. Some of the discussions drag a bit, and its not really clear what divides Bolshevik from Menshevik from Social Democrat from Social Revolutionary, but this episode does give a good idea of Lenin's energy, charm, and utter ruthlessness.
7. Dearest Nicky. Kaiser William II bombards Nicholas II with endless letters of advice and appallingly ugly paintings during the first years of the Tsar's reign. We get a good picture of Nicholas' fatalism and lack of initiative, and of Empress Alexandra's resolve to maintain the absolute monarchy and block any reforms within Russia. The scenes showing Nicholas and Alexandra's misery over their son and heir's hemophilia are particularly well done.
8. The Appointment. Another Russian story, set in the period after the 1905 Revolution and the establishment of a semi-constitutional monarchy. The main character is a double agent who simultaneously deals with the revolutionaries and the Tsar and the Empress, weakening reform efforts and increasing the instability. There's a particularly fine scene showing Alexandra interviewing the double agent while an orchestra plays "I am a Courtier" from Gilbert and Sullivan.
9. Dress Rehearsal. This deals with the Balkan Crisis of 1908, which nearly started World War I six years early. The diplomatic machinations and double crosses are well portrayed. There are some nice scenes showing King Edward VII of England visiting Nicholas and Alexandra and otherwise playing a pivotal part in helping to prevent conflict.
10. Indian Summer of an Emperor. The least well done episode, focussing on Franz Josef in the summer of 1914. This mainly consists of a series of discussions before and after the Sarajevo assassinations and is meant to illustrate the diplomatic missteps which led to war, but it tends to be tedious. There are some charming scenes showing Franz Josef with his platonic lady friend Katharina von Schratt, whom he visited every morning for coffee and conversation.
11. Tell the King the Sky is Falling. The best episode, depicting Russia during World War I as the few competent leaders try to convince Nicholas to make reforms before its too late. Gregory Rasputin is well played both as lecher and as holy man. There's a particularly strong performance by Rosalie Crutchley as Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, aunt of the Tsar and the most domineering of all the Romanovs.
12. The Secret War. Here we see the February Revolution that overthrows the Tsar and the subsequent negotiations between various Russian revolutionary/Marxist groups and the German government, leading to Lenin's triumphant return to Russia and his seizure of power in the October Revolution. Kaiser William II is allowed to be uncharacteristically cautious in warning his ministers not to trust the Bolsheviks.
13. End Game. The final episode, concentrating on the fall of the German monarchy and the last months of World War I. The increasing desperation of the German High Command is well depicted. My favorite scene shows the Kaiser with his wife, talking about their now estranged/dead British and Russian relations, with the German Empress breaking into tears when talking about the Tsar and Empress, saying "Why did they shoot the children? They didn't have to shoot the children!" over and over.
This is a fine series with some excellent moments. If you're not familiar with late nineteenth century/early twentieth century royal European history some of the episodes might be confusing, but history buffs and royal aficionados will enjoy it immensely.
Movie Review: Great interpretation of historical events
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always liked European history, and the issue of the fall of the royal dynasties is a very important aspect. When you consider that, for instance, the House of Habsburg was not only part of history, but "made" history for 800 years, you can realize how important this issue is. It is not only liking to see kings and emperors, but to understand that said men and women were the last rulers of centuries-long dynasties.
When I first saw these series, it was 1976, in Chile, in a very good Spanish translation. I was a child. I still remember several scenes, which now I have been able to remember watching these DVDs again. One, very comical, is when, during the Russian-Japanese War of 1905, Russia was contemplating to buy Chilean battleships (Chile was an important South Pacific power at that time). One of the ministers says "I did not know Chile had a navy". The Russians did not buy our ships, but the Japanese bought at least one, which fought the war with a Japanese name.
The whole series well deserves the 5 stars. The quality of the acting is superb. We must understand that this BBC series was more theatrical than big production. And the economical resourses for filming were probably not high. But the representation of the spirit of the time is great. This series fills in a blank, because as far as I know, there are no historical pictures dealing with most of these historical events.
Obviously you can always have prefered less of some aspects, and more of other one. But this series is what you seen, and you must take it as a whole, and admire it as such. I would have ommitted two chapters on Russia, one regarding Lenin and the other regarding the secret police. On the other hand, I would have included the death of emperor Franz Joseph and also the collapse of emperor's Karl "Doppelmonarchie". Also, probably the assasination of the Czar and his family (though probably the producers tried to avoid such a brutal episode). But it is only my opinion. As a whole, the work is monumental.
Regarding the acting, when I first "Fall of Eagles" in 1976, the great actor was obviously Curd Jürgens, who, incidentally was perhaps the best-well known international star of the series. His portrayal of Otto von Bismarck is really cinematrographic, and moreover, he looks exactly like BIsmarck. The producers were able to reproduce all his manners and cloth, even his boots. Now it has come to the attention of the public that Patrick Stewart had an important part as Lenin, and, moreover, in the advertising of this DVD series he appears as a very important face. That is certainly because he is now a very well known star. In 1976 probably ha was not so important. His acting, at least for me, is excellent. He believes being Lenin.
Other very good aspect of the series is the sense of continuity. Even though it is made up of separate episodes, which are not really connected one with other (there is no "To be continued ..." at the end of each episode), and often in different directing styles, always the same actors return to their imperial characters. You can see de year-long development of Emperor Franz Joseph's political wisdom, the egocentric though carismatic personality of Kaiser William II (which, was also a modern ruler, conducted well the economical progress of his country and implemented important social reforms), the eternal weakness and lack of political view of Czar Nicholas II, the honourable but negative personality of Empress Alexandra, the political skills of Bismarck to reach a political goal for his monarch and how he lived his triumphs and also his dismissal, etc., etc. You live history, you come to know and love the characters (even if you are critical to most of them).
Now, we must take also into consideration the bad aspects of this DVD set. These comments does not refer to the series, but to the DVD presentation. It seems that the chapters were not remastered. Probably there were no good original masters. But the images have notorious stripes several times, the photography does not seem clear enough (probably it was a problem of the original English productions of that time), the sound is not very good (I had to put it at a high level). And, there are no subtitles. I would have prefered at least subtitles in English, because, at least for me, I must concentrate well in the English dialogue in order not to lose a line. With bad sound, you must rise the volume too high. On the other hand, if the subtitles were in another language, for instance Spanish, it might bring many other viewers, for instance my Children and my wife.
But, in spite of these shortcomings of the presentation, this work is monumental. It deserves to be in any good library. Probably in the future a better remasterization will come, but for the next coming years, what now we have is a must for history lovers.
Movie Review: Despotism, Revolution, Social Chaos, and Priviledge
Summary: 5 Stars
I must admit I am a history fan so this series of 13 episodes of Fall of Eagles was a treat for me. There is little action and much dialogue but the dialogue teaches the history in a personal and appealing manner. Much of the script was taken from actual diaries and historic documents, so an intimate picture of the times is obtained.
The overall theme of the entire production is one of incredible social revolution as an entire era and conceptualization of mankind violently disintegrates into the horror of World War I. At the beginning of the series in the 1860s, the old world was organized by ancient dynastic empires ruled by despotism and the entire populations who bought into the concept of divine right. The lack of economic and social reform - particularly in the area of democratic representative and constitutional government - begins to create a growing tension which eventually lead to chaos, war, revolution, and then reform. Pity that reform did not come sooner in the chain of events. The lack of adaptive leadership in the privileged ruling families gradually moves all of Europe into the disaster of World War I which lead to the downfall of three Empires but also tragically killed a large percentage of Europe's young men, fighting in a conflict created by an outdated geo-political system with failed diplomacy. If there is a fault with the series it lies in not contrasting the stupidity and arrogant privilege of the ruling families to the incredible hardships and terror of death and disease experienced by ordinary citizens in World War I. The contrasts are drawn between the Romanovs, the Hapsburgs, and the Hohenzollerns as compared to an approach that might have contrasted those in privilege against those who suffer the consequences of that privilege.
The episodes on the Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary depict a highly conservative ceremony obsessed Emperor Franz-Josef slowly deteriorating and losing control. His brother Maximillian attempts to become Emperor of Mexico but is killed in the revolution. His mentally unbalanced son, Crown Prince Rudolf kills his teen age lover and then himself in the family hunting lodge. His flighty dramatic wife, Elisabeth is stabbed and killed by anarchist. Then his nephew, Crown Prince Franz-Ferdinand and his wife Sofia are assassinated in Sarajevo, an event that sparks World War I. The events of history are shown to be far more than this overly rigid man can endure and the defeat of Austria in World War I marks the end of the Hapsburg empire.
Alexander III, a conservative dictator Tsar, is assassinated and his son Nicholas Romanov becomes Tsar. Nicholas was a man who loved women, his wife, his children, but was woefully unprepared for leadership responsibilities of this magnitude. Russia fights a foolish war with Japan in which they lose almost their entire Navy. President Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the peace between Russia and Japan. The country is left without adequate reserves or resources but is drawn into World War I because of alliance with the Serbians, a country unwisely annexed by the Austrians. Nicholas could barely manage his religious fanatic wife, Alexandria, more less the disastrous diplomacy of Europe drifting toward war. A family man at heart, Nicholas is pulled between the conservative force of Alexandria and her religious advisor, Rasputin, and the rise of the Dumas, a ray of democratic light in the Russian darkness. The defeat in World War I by troops personally lead by the Tsar along with a collapsing economy, brought about the rise of Lenin and the Bolskyviks and the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty.
Prince Albert's bright progressive daughter Vicki runs into a stone wall in the character of Otto von Bismarck. Vicki and Crown Prince Frederick are sidelined by Bismarck and the old king while Bismarck moves Germany toward the height of European power. Unfortunately progressive Frederick dies and all this power falls to Kaiser Wilhelm II, a fascinating study in intellectual and personality flaws of the highest order. Kaiser Wilhelm II is possibly the most interesting character in the series. The tragedy of Nicholas and Alexandria revolves around small intellects and conservative beliefs that could not cope with the hemophilia of their son Alex while trying to rule a giant backward country falling apart at the seems. Wilhelm II by contrast is a small mind with ego-maniacal over-compensation tendencies paired with total lack of personal reflection or reality testing.
The characters of Nicholas II, Alexandria, and Wilhelm II were superbly played and brought this tragedy to life. The entire series gains momentum so that the final two episodes reveal the tragedy that gradually builds throughout the series.
Movie Review: Another Superior Miniseries from the BBC
Summary: 5 Stars
"Fall of Eagles" is, simply put, a miniseries about the march of three dynasties - the Romanovs, the Habsburgs, and the Hohenzollerns - to their annihilation in World War I. But, it is not a grand inquiry into causation. Rather, the emphasis is on how the personal lives and decisions of the three imperial families contributed to their own collapse. This calvacade of crowned heads, however, is offset by episodes where Lenin and Trotsky on the left, Pyotr Ratchkovsky on the right, and people like Sergei Witte, Paul Miliukov, and Georges Clemeanceau are all either trying to balance political extremes and stave off annihilation or actively seeking war and revolution for their own peculiar ends. The miniseries is therefore a three layer cake of imperial dithering and miscalculation at the top, bureaucratic and military blundering in the middle, and seething discontent from below. It is a nice snapshot of how the Europeans managed to unmake their world, often without any intention to do so and sometimes exactly with that intent in mind.
Performances throughout are uniformly good, whether they be large or small parts. And, the film buff will appreciate how the Royal Shakespeare contributed more than a few names to this enterprise. Indeed, it was very easy for me to forget the actors since they did not engage in significant grandstanding or scenery-chewing in any way divorced from their historical subjects (some of which were none too stable) so nicely did they inhabit their roles. The writing, overall, is excellent. And the whole is mercifully free of dramatic music and a continual emphasis on scandals and peccadilloes. This allows this miniseries to flow like a well-thought history lecture - perhaps a little dry here and there, but no less engaging and thoughtful with heavy empahsis on only what is relevant as opposed to salacious nonsense. The episode arrangement also allows the viewer to follow along without too much trouble, although the Marxist revolutionary scenes where the discussion revolves around theoretical constructions at the Party Congress could be tedious. Again, though, even such dryly meaty dialogue is saved by superior ensemble acting headed up by a formidable Patrick Stewart giving a great turn as a younger Lenin.
Since this is a remaster, the viewer might notice that the colors are not as sharp as one might expect. But this was adapted from a television miniseries of long ago, and the slight dullness and grain to the pictures is to be expected. I also found that I adjusted to it within just a few minutes without any detriment to viewing pleasure.
Uniforms and sets are faithfully reproduced and contribute mightily to the authentic "feel" of the work.
It is true that some historical liberties occur here and there. For example, Elizabeth of Austria was not in Vienna at the time her son, the Archduke Rudolph, took his own life and that of his lover. But, the writers and directors obviously took great pains to keep those embellishments to the bare minimum possible, keeping the whole out of the realm of historical fiction.
I also note that the original miniseries aired with a companion book by the same title. I have a copy, and it is an excellent primer on the European power politics of the pre-1914 world. But, I do not think such a book is necessary to enjoy the miniseries, although a little back-reading to whose unfamiliar with the subject might enhance overall enjoyment.
"Fall of Eagles" has its problems, but they pale next to the uniform excellence overall. A wonderful buy for the history buff, amateur Europeanist, or lover of epic scale miniseries. But, I would add that the price is a bit high, so the prospective purchaser might want to see if the local library has a copy for pre-screening.
Recommended without reservation.
Movie Review: Fall of Eagles FOR CHILDREN TOO--WITH INTERACTIVE GAMES SITES
Summary: 5 Stars
I want to thank John D. Cofield for his excellent review of the FALL OF EAGLES. Because he gave a brief synopsis of each episode, it was possible for me to understand what was going on. After watching each episode, I would run to the computer and read his summary to understand, who was who, and what was happening. Soon I would go to his description before AND after watching each episode. It made it so intriguing! I would have had little idea of what was going on without his description of the individual episodes. His review should be front and center on amazon's first page of reviews and not listed on the second page where others may not find it. Also, because of his description of each episode, my local library decided that they would purchase the Fall of Eagles DVD for the library. I told them that his summary could go in the DVD case so that families could understand each episode and explain it to their children (as well as to themselves). I will include his name so he receives the credit and from where I received the information. ALSO, there is a child/adult online teaching game, that is quite fun, to go with the Fall of Eagles. It was also necessary to provide background information to understanding this film series. Between every three episodes, I ran to the computer to take the online quiz game several times, so I could understand the events and the leaders of WW1. The game (complete with maps) is a lot of fun and takes ust a few minutes! I will also include that web site in the DVD case for the library. It is: [...] Thank you John D. Cofield for your contribution to this excellent series. My kids are having so much fun watching the Fall of Eagles, but it would be over our heads without your synopsis of each episode. I can't underestimate the value of the game site as well, which is essential to understand the series. If that web site doesn't work then Goggle "Causes of WW1". Then select "The Causes of the First Would War". Under that heading it says: "In the lesson you will investigate the causes of the First World War. You will be asked questions as you progress. A CORRECT ANSWER = 10 points, but if..." If you select that, you will find the interactive game for the Fall of Eagles. The geography of the countries was much different then, and I frequently went to that site to take the quiz to figure out what was going on, who was who, and where the countries were at that time. It got to be so much fun that my family wanted to watch the Fall of Eagles and learn about WW1 along with me. Because of this film series, our family has gone on to another fantastic INTERACTIVE web site in which WW1 articles are placed on a table, such as actual letters from WW1, the soldier's dog tags, scrapbooks and other authentic articles. You click on each article and the letters are read in the dialect of the soldier, or sister, or relative, who wrote the letters. It is a very interactive site--a lot of fun. You would be shocked to learn about the soldier's dog tags used in WW1. That site is found at: [...] The Fall of Eagles is a fascinating film series for the entire family using Cofield's summaries and these two web sites. We recommend it to everyone, as long as you include these teaching aids which make the series come alive! We watched it three months ago and are still researching WW1. Because of watching the Fall of Eagles it is exciting to watch the movie The Lost Prince and recognize and understand the personal history of the leaders involved in WW1. In our opinion it is the best series ever made by the British. I have British friends who are asking about the interactive learning sites, and Cofield's review, so they can watch the Fall of Eagles with their children.