TV Gold

A further three years have now elapsed as we open this ninth episode of the series entitled <span style='color:blue'>?Dress Rehearsal?</span>. As the opening caption states we focus initially on ?The Russian Royal yacht ?Standart? on which King Edward will meet Tsar Nicholas at Reval, June 1908?. Now here, for the first (and hopefully last time) I have to say how unconvincing I find this particular set, in particular those staged on the yacht?s main deck. I can see what they were trying to do, matching the surroundings as closely as possible to the photo still of the ?Standart? but at the end of the day, I feel, they simply don?t pull it off. It is partly the harsh bright lighting and intermittent seagull sounds but also when the cast move too close to the edge of the set you can clearly see the surrounding backcloth material. Having said that the later night time scenes with the main cast dancing the evening away just manages to rescue the attempted recreation although use of a real ship might have been better. A valiant attempt but in the final analysis it doesn?t quite work. From my perspective the episode?s plot appears to centre around the political machinations of Foreign Minister Isvolsky and certainly noted actor Peter Vaughan makes good use of the material he has to work with in portraying such a shifty and underhand central character so convincingly. Although, personally finding this opening episode of the third disc rather slow paced and difficult to follow I got the basic understanding of the plot and how events ultimately lead to the World War I. Lastly on this episode, and, ever on the look out for familiar faces not mentioned in the beautifully illustrated and very informative viewing notes booklet I recognised the white haired appearance of a character called Clemeneeau played by John Bennett. For me Bennett is best known for his memorable oriental henchman role of Li H?sen Chang in the classic late seventies Doctor Who story (and my personal favourite (period detail meets science fiction (a winning combination!))) ?Talons of Weng-Chiang?.
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<span style='color:blue'>?Indian Summer of an Emperor?</span> is certainly an apt title for this tenth episode of the series, focusing as it does on the Austrian leader Franz Josef ably brought to life by actor Laurence Naismith. Now moving the series on another six years to 1914 a great deal of the episode features the Austrian leader?s fairly rural surroundings. Although military staff are ever present around him the residence does convey the appearance of a retirement home, a real cosy slightly relaxed feel. Scratching back in my memory of a holiday in Austria in the mid-80?s this is fairly typical of housing in Austria I think. Despite his casual environment Franz Josef still attempts to retain a fading grip on power, ever wary that the future of Austria in younger more ambitious hands such as his nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It is through this character that a link with German Kaiser is forged leading off to scenes involving Willy both with his young Austrian ally and on his own. One of these leads me to mention another familiar face putting in an appearance. It is fairly late in the episode but talking with Willy is Reichschancellor Bethmann-Hollweg played by one time Doctor Who guest star Peter Copley (the occasion being the classic ?Pyramids of Mars? story). As the Austrian Chief of the General Staff it was great to see noted actor T.P. McKenna feature in bringing this historic character to life. At first I almost didn?t recognise him however the more I listened to him and studied Count Conrad?s features I knew it was the same man whom I had previously seen making appearances in both Blake?s Seven (?Season One?s ?Bounty? as ex-president Sarkoff) and Doctor Who (1988?s highly enjoyable ?Greatest Show in the Galaxy? as intergalactic explorer, ?the Captain?). Again regarding the plot it is a difficult one to succinctly sum up although I feel it does an adequate job in conveying the ongoing developments towards the inevitable and imminent war.
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