Fall of Eagles

[Marv Soloff]

Well, I just ran part 4 - the Mayerling segment of this mini-series.
It is gorgeous to look at and as hollow as a coconut. It just does not
move me to get inside the teleplay as many of the other BBC series do.
I can follow the action but cannot feel any empathy for the characters
on the screen. This may be me - I need to get involved with the action.
I am not saying (again) that "Fall of Eagles" is not worth the time or
effort to watch it, it just is not pushing the right buttons for me.

Marv

[Bill Anderson]

Rats. Well, better luck next time.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

[David Oberman]

Marv Soloff <mso...@verizon.net> wrote:

I would skip the rest of it if I were you, then, Marv. If you didn't
think the confrontation scene between Irene Hamilton as the baroness &
Rachel Gurney as the enraged empress ("We remember you, baroness!")
was riveting, I don't think you'd find the high points of the rest of
the series worth watching.

"One does not leave majesty with one's back turned!" -- Rachel Gurney,
Empress Elizabeth

____
I will wage war against destiny!

-- Beethoven

[tomcervo]

On Jul 22, 10:35�pm, Marv Soloff <msol...@verizon.net> wrote:
> Well, I just ran part 4 - the Mayerling segment of this mini-series.
> It is gorgeous to look at and as hollow as a coconut. It just does not
> move me to get inside the teleplay as many of the other BBC series do.
> I can follow the action but cannot feel any empathy for the characters
> on the screen.

I think that was the intention.
The two previous movies of this story tended to treat it as Romeo and
Juliet. The teleplay here depicted it as the squalid mess it was.
Rudolf was unhappily married and had just broken off with his
mistress. He was depressed as well by the court establishment
thwarting every attempt he made to liberalize the dual monarchy, and
by a dose of clap. Mary Vetsara was Miss Right-Now, good looking minor
nobility, common as dirt by court standards, whose family expected her
to use her looks to improve their situation. They went off together
for a few days, and one night he shot her and then a few hours later,
himself.
Not exactly Boyer and Darrieux, is it?
The teleplay instead emphasized the coverup and paid back-handed
tribute to the mighty efforts of the secret police to make royalty
look royal. It's actually darkly humorous unless you've got a wall
full of Diana souvenirs.