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|ShortSummary=[[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Josef]] is Emperor of Austria and unmarried. His mother [[Princess Sophie of Bavaria|Archduchess Sophie]] is determined to ensure the Habsburg line and favours her niece Helene as the future Empress. However, Franz has other ideas when he prefers her sister [[Elisabeth of Bavaria|Elisabeth]]. |
|ShortSummary=[[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Josef]] is Emperor of Austria and unmarried. His mother [[Princess Sophie of Bavaria|Archduchess Sophie]] is determined to ensure the Hapsburg (now Habsburg) line and favours her niece Helene as the future Empress. However, Franz has other ideas when he prefers her sister [[Elisabeth of Bavaria|Elisabeth]]. |
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|ShortSummary=Tragedy besets the |
|ShortSummary=Tragedy besets the royal family, when [[Crown Prince Rudolf]] of Austria-Hungary and his young [[Baroness Mary Vetsera|mistress]] are found dead at the hunting lodge at [[The Mayerling Incident|Mayerling]]. |
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{{Episode list |
{{Episode list |
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Revision as of 20:59, 29 January 2009
| Fall of Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Serial drama |
| Created by | John Elliot |
| Narrated by | Michael Hordern |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Stuart Burge |
| Running time | 50 to 55 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC |
| Release | 1974 |
Fall of Eagles is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge.
The series portrays historical events from the 19th century to 1918, dealing with the ruling European dynasties in Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia.
It boasted an impressive cast including Curd Jürgens, Gemma Jones, Maurice Denham, Barry Foster, Gayle Hunnicutt, Patrick Stewart, Rachel Gurney, Charles Kay, Frank Thornton, Denis Lill, Diane Keen, Laurence Naismith, Lynn Farleigh, John Rhys-Davies, Paul Eddington, Freddie Jones, Charles Gray, Mary Wimbush Pamela Brown, Tony Jay, Tom Conti, Miriam Margolyes, Andrew Keir and Marius Goring.
The scriptwriters were Keith Dewhurst, John Elliot, Trevor Griffiths, Elizabeth Holford, Ken Hughes, Troy Kennedy Martin, Robert Muller, Jack Pulman, David Turner and Hugh Whitemore.
Episodes
| # | Title | Time period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Death Waltz" | 1853-1860 | |
|
Franz Josef is Emperor of Austria and unmarried. His mother Archduchess Sophie is determined to ensure the Hapsburg (now Habsburg) line and favours her niece Helene as the future Empress. However, Franz has other ideas when he prefers her sister Elisabeth. | |||
| 2 | "The English Princess" | 1858-1871 | |
|
Queen Victoria's eldest daughter Vicky marries Fritz of Prussia. The English princess is unprepared for her new life in Germany, where her liberal views clash with the Prussian doctrine of blood and iron. | |||
| 3 | "The Honest Broker" | 1887-1890 | |
|
Bismarck's aim of a unified German empire is furthered through a new League of the Three Emperors. His plans also extend to Fritz and Vicky's son Wilhelm, who has become estranged from his parents. | |||
| 4 | "Requiem for a Crown Prince" | 1889 | |
|
Tragedy besets the royal family, when Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and his young mistress are found dead at the hunting lodge at Mayerling. | |||
| 5 | "The Last Tsar" | 1892-1894 | |
|
Alexander III of Russia doubts the ability of his son and heir, the immature Nicholas, to rule Russia. The young Tsarevich is similarly apprehensive. Meanwhile, the autocratic conservatism of Tsarism is breeding revolutionaries. | |||
| 6 | "Absolute Beginners" | 1903 | |
|
Nicholas II has been Tsar for nine years. In Russia, the question is no longer whether revolution, but how and led by whom? In London, Vladimir Lenin is developing his own, more radical, brand of Marxism and maneuvers to divide the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party from his rival Julius Martov. | |||
| 7 | "Dearest Nicky" | 1904-1905 | |
|
While Nicholas is pre-occupied by war with Japan and the health of his son, as well as the continuous unsolicited advice of his cousin the Kaiser, a rising tide of discontent among St. Petersburg's working class leads to the assassination of the interior minister Vyacheslav von Plehve and then to a disastrous demonstration led by a police spy George Gapon. | |||
| 8 | "The Appointment" | 1905 | |
|
When Grand Duke Sergei is murdered, Nicholas dismisses his Police Chief and considers Pyotr Ratchovsky as a suitable replacement, even though he is rumored to use agents provacateur. Both Sergei Witte and Empress Alexandra also have grave concerns about his methods. | |||
| 9 | "Dress Rehearsal" | 1908-1909 | |
|
Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Izvolski, who has his sights set narrowly on the Dardanelles and the freedom of the Russian fleet rather than peace in the Balkans, find himself diplomatically outmaneuvered by Austrian Foreign Minister Alois Lexa von Aehrenthal. | |||
| 10 | "Indian Summer of an Emperor" | 1914 | |
|
Franz Josef fears for Austria-Hungary's future in the hands of the imperial heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. | |||
| 11 | "Tell the King the Sky is Falling" | 1915-1916 | |
|
While the Russian army drowns in its own blood, and Russian politicians Alexander Trepov, Alexander Protopopov, and Mikhail Rodzianko thrash about, Nicholas and Alexandra have begun to rely heavily on the advice of Grigori Rasputin. | |||
| 12 | "The Secret War" | 1917 | |
|
As Alexander Kerensky incites revolution in Russia, Lenin and his comrades are stuck in Switzerland. However Germany, with the help of Dr Helphand may prove to be an unexpected ally in ending their exile. | |||
| 13 | "End Game" | 1918 | |
|
As America enters the war and British tanks makes advances across France, Kaiser Wilhelm's optimism is not shared by generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff. | |||
Cast
DVD Release
Fall of Eagles was released on video and DVD in 2004 in the United Kingdom, with the release including a comprehensive viewing notes booklet written by Andy Priestner providing further details on the historical events and characters in the series and new interviews with Gayle Hunnicutt, Charles Kay and David Cunliffe (one of the directors). The DVD was also released in May 2006 in the United States, without the companion booklet.
