TV Gold

With its inclusion as an offshoot of the ?Survivors? website, I was certainly intrigued by the limited information presented about the classic 1974 Historical BBC Drama Series ?Fall of Eagles?. Over the past few months I had rather been in two minds as to whether it would be worth seeking out this DVD release which strangely, as far as I could find, only seemed to be available from Amazon. I have occasionally drifted from my usual science fiction interest into the ?70s classic drama? genre with easily and fondly remembered releases like ?I, Claudius? and ?Secret Army?, however I, like many I presume, had never heard of this particular BBC production before. Part of me was saying ?it?s set in a time I know nothing about and is probably far too arty and inaccessible? (as noted ?Fall of Eagles is basically a stunning dramatisation of the declining years and final collapse of three of the most powerful European dynasties ? the Hapsburgs, Romanovs and Hohenzollerns ? between the mid-19th century and the end of the First World War?). However, on the other hand looking at the cast photos and impressive cast list maybe this drama would not be too highbrow and might adequately convey an interesting tale over the complete length of the production. Well to cut a long story short I eventually decided to nab a copy of the release which arrived back on 23rd November 2004. On receipt I was delighted to see the same high quality colourful packaging (featuring appropriate type setting and illustrations) backed up by the highly informative and detailed viewing notes booklet I?ve become accustomed to and greatly appreciate reading from DD Home Entertainment. Once again credit is certainly due to the time and dedication that Andy Priestner puts into these releases (including ?Survivors? & ?Secret Army?) both in product packaging and his participating as cast interview invidulator.

Now as with all box sets that I acquire I treat them as a ?long-term? viewing investment product. Not for me the ?sit down and attempt to watch it all in one go? attitude, preferring instead to casually, gradually work my way through the contents over a number of weeks. With regard to ?Fall of Eagles? this release consists of thirteen episodes (originally shown weekly between 15th March ? 7th June), each of about fifty to fiftytwo minutes duration spread over four discs so for me that works out at about two episodes per week over seven weeks which commenced on Tuesday 2nd (with a ?second-chance-Sunday? rerun). Such is my appreciation of this newly discovered series I would like to share comments and observations on each episode (without going too deeply into either the individual episode plot or overall series story arc) as and when I have seen them which may help other people gain a better understanding of this largely forgotten series and it?s extremely impressive cast (featuring a wealth of famous names) and join with me in taking the decision to acquire the most welcome DD Home Entertainment release, the first time this series has ever been released!

So without further a do, let?s talk about the first episode, entitled <span style='color:blue'>?Death Waltz?</span> which begins the epic story back in the year 1853. The series opening titles of a golden family crest against a black background matched to the dark, suspenseful ?storm-laden? theme tune sets the tone immediately and is reciprocated in the closing titles with a similar albeit by necessity, slightly longer sequence. A very useful brief narration by Michael Hordern accompanied with dramatic period painting stills (something that becomes fairly common through most episodes and in some cases occurring more than just at the start) helps to set the scene before leading into an elegant ball scene. It is clear through the entire episode the impressive period detail so typical of BBC productions both in setting and costumes which look pin sharp in clarity thanks to the digital remastering now common for all past material prepared for DVD release. It is also worth mentioning about the welcome location filming which features some brief horse riding/horse drawn carriage scenes and conversations between characters outside the main stately house the episodes events are primarily based which certainly further enrich and add to the convincible depth of the episode?s storyline. Now such is the nature of this series there are no characters that appear in every episode which gives weekly dramatic performances by individual participants even greater impact. None more so than the simmering conflict between Pamela Brown?s ?Archduchess Sophie? and a very young Diane Keen as the beautiful Princess Elisabeth, something which, I feel, is a key aspect of this opening episode. From my perception of the episode I casually discern that Sophie is very much rooted in the traditions of the past, whilst Elizabeth is more enlightened and curious about her changing environment, hence the character conflict.

Looking now towards the second episode, <span style='color:blue'>?The English Princess?</span>, and moving forward to 1858, we find a new story with new characters and here the famous faces really seemed, for me, to come thick and fast. The first rather brief scene I was surprised to see noted comedy actor Frank Thornton (best known for ?Are You Being Served??) playing Prince Albert alongside Perlita Neilson?s portrayal of Queen Victoria. Another creditable performance by Denis Lill (?Survivors?) and the distinguished elder statesman Maurice Denham as respectively Prince Frederick of Prussia and Kaiser Wilhelm I also feature. However the performance in this episode that I was most impressed with was that of Otto von Bismark, brought to life in a rare, but most welcome performance by Curt Jurgens. Prior to this I only knew of him through his participation in the 1977 James Bond film ?The Spy Who Loved Me? as the arch villain Carl Stromberg. Throughout this episode he brings a determined convincing and enjoyable conviction to the character in, what I believe, is a rare television appearance.
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Sarah Tarrant wrote in her message:
> The series opening titles of a golden family crest against a black
> backgroundmatched to the dark, suspenseful ?storm-laden? theme
> tune sets the tone immediately and is reciprocated in the closing
> titles with a similar albeit by necessity, slightly longer sequence.

The title music for "Fall of Eagles" is not credited in the programmes. To put that right the music is:

Opening titles: Opening of first movement of Mahler's Fifth Symphony
Closing titles: Central "crisis" section from first movement of Shostakovich's Sixth Symphony.

Tony

Tony

Thanks for your information regarding the theme music to 'Fall of Eagles', I'm
afraid I'm not that up on classical music, however the piece chosen to
accompany this series is indeed most appropriate.

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So without further a do, let?s talk about the first episode, entitled ?Death Waltz? which begins the epic story back in the year 1853. The series opening titles of a golden family crest against a black background matched to the dark, suspenseful ?storm-laden? theme tune sets the tone immediately and is reciprocated in the closing titles with a similar albeit by necessity, slightly longer sequence. A very useful brief narration by Michael Hordern accompanied with dramatic period painting stills (something that becomes fairly common through most episodes and in some cases occurring more than just at the start) helps to set the scene before leading into an elegant ball scene.
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REPLY

I frankly found the 3 episodes that focused on the Hapsburg dynasty in Austria
to be less interesting than the others, which dealt with Germany and Russia. Possibly, this was because Austria was by the late 19th century a subordinate power compared to the others, although, ironically it was their aggressiveness
that ignited the First World War. I just don't feel that the Empress Elisabeth's
mental and marital problems warranted an entire episode, and the tragic murder/suicide pact of her son Crown Prince Rudolf certainly appeals to our
"prurient interests" and the loss of the liberal Prince's influence negatively affected
the Austro-Hungarian Empires evolution, but the tragic events themselves also did not warrant such detailed treatment, considering that vastly more momentous events such as how the Germans and Russians ended going to war in 1914 because of Austrian arrogance is not really dealt with, nor was the fate of the Tsar and his family after the monarchy was overthrown in 1917.

<!--QuoteBegin-bar_kochba132+Apr 18 2005, 08:16 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bar_kochba132 @ Apr 18 2005, 08:16 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->So without further a do, let?s talk about the first episode, entitled ?Death Waltz? which begins the epic story back in the year 1853.  The series opening titles of a golden family crest against a black background matched to the dark, suspenseful ?storm-laden? theme tune sets the tone immediately and is reciprocated in the closing titles with a similar albeit by necessity, slightly longer sequence.  A very useful brief narration by Michael Hordern accompanied with dramatic period painting stills (something that becomes fairly common through most episodes and in some cases occurring more than just at the start) helps to set the scene before leading into an elegant ball scene.
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REPLY

I frankly found the 3 episodes that focused on the Hapsburg dynasty in Austria
to be less interesting than the others, which dealt with Germany and Russia.  Possibly, this was because Austria was by the late 19th century a subordinate power compared to the others, although, ironically it was their aggressiveness
that ignited the First World War.  I just don't feel that the Empress Elisabeth's
mental and marital problems warranted an entire episode, and the tragic murder/suicide pact of her son Crown Prince Rudolf certainly appeals to our
"prurient interests" and the loss of the liberal Prince's influence negatively affected
the Austro-Hungarian Empires evolution, but the tragic events themselves also did not warrant such detailed treatment, considering that vastly more momentous events such as how the Germans and Russians ended going to war in 1914 because of Austrian arrogance is not really dealt with, nor was the fate of the Tsar and his family after the monarchy was overthrown in 1917.
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I hear, and acknowledge what you have said regarding the opening trio of episodes although it is I feel all part of the entire overview of the story. Perhaps you have a point regarding Empress Elisabeth however it is certainly marvellous to have an actress of Diane Keen's stature and ability recreating this historical character despite the character development material she was presented with.

I myself, certainly found the opening few episodes quite surprising in that I had no idea what subject and location were going to be featured. It did, I felt, make for a difficult portion of the series to follow with this continual switching around, however it did give a broad overview of the various strands of the 'family houses' developments through the early years. Having said that there was so much historical information to cover over such a short period of transmission time it was difficult to catch your breath.

I'll have to reflect a bit more regarding your other (seemingly) very detailed points before commenting further.

best wishes

Sarah
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As I'm already fairly familiar with the Tsar's story and the Russian revolution, I found the opening episodes dealing with Austria and Germany to be both novel and fascinating. My family is from the Trentino region of northern Italy, which was dominated by Austria until WWI (hence my board name, "TrentinaNE", with the NE representing New England, where I live now). However, I'd never really known much about the Austrian Empire and how it came to be. While this series picks up, as bar_kochba132 notes, when that Empire was already in decline, the attitudes of people who are accustomed to ruling and can't imagine a time when they won't come through very clearly and provide insight into the forces that lead to the Great War. I also thought the personal conflict between Sophie and Elisabeth encapsulated the larger conflict between traditional empire and burgeoning liberalism.

I watched the first 4 episodes this weekend, as I wanted to see Rachel Gurney as the older Elisabeth (knowing her previously only from Upstairs, Downstairs). I think I'll watch them all again, however, before moving on to the Russian episodes as there was a lot of historical information with which I wasn't very familiar that I want to keep straight as the series progresses. (Though I'm chomping at the bit to see Charles Kay and Patrick Stewart as Nicolas II and Lenin, respectively!)