| Fall of Eagles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Serial drama |
| Created by | John Elliot |
| Narrated by | Michael Hordern |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Stuart Burge |
| Running time | 50 to 55 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 15 March (1974-03-15) – 7 June 1974 (1974-06-07) |
Fall of Eagles is a 13-part British television drama aired by theBBC in 1974. The series was created byJohn Elliot and produced byStuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, focussing on three ruling dynasties: theHabsburgs ofAustria-Hungary, theHohenzollerns ofGermany and theRomanovs ofRussia. The scriptwriters wereKeith Dewhurst, John Elliot,Trevor Griffiths, Elizabeth Holford,Ken Hughes,Troy Kennedy Martin,Robert Muller,Jack Pulman,David Turner andHugh Whitemore.
The series tells the story of the final decades of three great empires brought to downfall by historical events. Each empire used aneagle in its heraldry. The central theme is the effects of centuries of despotism, with a lack of social reform and the devastating effects ofWorld War I, that caused revolutionary movements to form.[1] It begins in the aftermath of theRevolutions of 1848 and continues through theArmistice of 11 November 1918, covering about 70 years of history in 13 episodes.[2] The episodes' vignettes move between the three empires: Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia.
| No. | Title | Time period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Death Waltz" | 1853–1860 | |
Franz Josef has beenAustrian emperor since 1848, yet he remains unmarried five years into his reign. His mother,Archduchess Sophie, is determined to ensure theHabsburg line and favours her nieceHelene as the future empress. However, Franz has other ideas and prefers Helene's 15-year-old sisterElisabeth, whom he marries. She struggles to deal with her new position as Empress of Austria, motherhood and her domineering mother-in-law. Endeavouring to carve some of her own space, she resumes a friendship with her old Hungarian mentor Count Majlath. Her fixation with his country is unwelcome at the Austrian court. | |||
| 2 | "The English Princess" | 1858–1871 | |
In the hope of promoting a liberal and united Germany,Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom andPrince Albert arrange for their eldest daughterVictoria ("Vicky") to marryPrince Frederick ("Fritz"), son ofWilhelm I,King of Prussia. However, despite her love for Fritz and their growing family, the English princess is unprepared for the constraints of her new life inBerlin. Her politically liberal views and her influence over her husband clash with those ofOtto von Bismarck and the Prussian doctrine ofblood and iron. Bismarck wins influence over the King and surprises Europe with swift victories during the decisiveAustro-Prussian War andFranco-Prussian War. | |||
| 3 | "The Honest Broker" | 1887–1890 | |
With Germany united under Prussia, Bismarck seeks a stabilising alliance with the Austrians and Russians through theLeague of the Three Emperors. His plans extend to influencing the Kaiser's grandsonWilhelm. In 1888, Wilhelm I and his successor Frederick III both die (theYear of the Three Emperors). Kaiser Wilhelm II rapidly assumes the throne; Bismarck is forced to resign when his policies and political style clash with those of the young emperor. The ageing chancellor seeks support from Vicky, but she spurns him and blames his meddling for her estrangement from her son. | |||
| 4 | "Requiem for a Crown Prince" | 1889 | |
On 30 January 1889, tragedy strikes the House of Habsburg when liberalCrown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and his young mistressBaroness Mary Vetsera are found dead at the hunting lodge atMayerling in theVienna Woods, 24 km southwest of the capital, in an apparent murder-suicide by Rudolf. In Vienna, and at Mayerling, imperial officials contrive to hide the events of theMayerling incident to prevent a massive public scandal, misleading the emperor and the empress about the true nature of the deaths. Rudolf's letters and the report by Professor Widerhoffer finally reveal the truth to the royal couple. The episode, narrated in hindsight, ends with news of theassassination of the Empress in Geneva in 1898. | |||
| 5 | "The Last Tsar" | 1894 | |
Tsar Alexander III doubts the ability of his son and heir-apparent,Nicholas, to one day rule the Russian Empire. The youngtsarevich is similarly apprehensive. Despite his longstanding affair withPetersburgian ballerinaMathilde Kschessinska and the disapproval of hismother over his marriage choice, he is resolved to marryPrincess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, seemingly the suitable match. Travelling to Germany, Nicholas II is supported in this by his relatives, including his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm and Alix's grandmother, the ageing Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the autocratic conservatism of the Imperial Government has resulted in discontent among factory workers, under the aegis of the revolutionaryVladimir Lenin. | |||
| 6 | "Absolute Beginners" | 1903 | |
Nicholas II has now beentsar for nine years and refuses to share his absolute authority with a parliament urged by social reformers. Now married and in London, Lenin is founding his own more radical brand of Marxism and manoeuvres to divide theRussian Social Democratic Labour Party and its publicationIskra from his primary rivalJulius Martov. He befriendsLeon Trotsky, anddespite ill health, at theSecond RSDLP Congress, Lenin moves to consolidate control. One by one, moderates and liberals are side-lined or expelled, leaving the party split intoBolsheviks andMensheviks. Meeting at the grave ofKarl Marx, many former comrades bid him farewell. | |||
| 7 | "Dearest Nicky" | 1904–1905 | |
Nicholas II is preoccupied by strikes and the humiliatingwar with Japan; the continual unsolicited advice and gifts of his cousin, Wilhelm II; and the health of his only sonAlexei, who is haemophilic. A rising tide of discontent among St. Petersburg's working class leads to the assassination of the interior ministerVyacheslav von Plehve. Police attack ademonstration led by police spy and priest Fr.Georgy Gapon, killing many. Nicholas believes that his people are still loyal and resists change. Wilhelm attempts to forge an alliance with Russia. Nicholas, considering Germany's assistance, is willing to sign, but his ministers insist that they must first show it to France for consideration. | |||
| 8 | "The Appointment" | 1905 | |
WhenGrand Duke Sergei is murdered, Nicholas II dismisses his police chief and considersPyotr Rachkovsky as a suitable replacement, even though he seems untrustworthy and is rumoured to useagents provocateur. BothSergei Witte andEmpress Alexandra also have grave concerns about him and his methods, but for different reasons. Nevertheless, with unrest fomenting and the memory of Bloody Sunday still fresh, he is appointed after seeking additional authority from the Tsar. Nicholas grants some concessions, including the creation of theDuma, as Rachkovsky begins using his forces in a deadly purge of troublemakers and revolutionaries in St. Petersburg and beyond. | |||
| 9 | "Dress Rehearsal" | 1908–1909 | |
Britain's KingEdward VII makes a visit to the Royal Russian yacht to discuss analliance with Russia. Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister,Alexander Izvolsky, begins intriguing to have theBosphorus opened to theBlack Sea Fleet, preferring access to theDardanelles over guaranteeing Serbian sovereignty against Austria in the Balkans. He quickly finds himself outplayed byAlois Lexa von Aehrenthal when Austria rapidly annexes the Turkish territory ofBosnia and Herzegovina, precipitating theBosnian Crisis. In its wake, and with the sting of the loss to Japan still fresh, Russia is again outwitted and embarrassed by diplomatic intrigues and forces beyond its borders. | |||
| 10 | "Indian Summer of an Emperor" | 1914 | |
Franz Josef fears for Austria-Hungary's future in the hands of his reform-minded nephew and heir-presumptiveFranz Ferdinand, especially because of the time that he spends with Kaiser Wilhelm II. However, he soon gets news of theassassination of Franz Ferdinand and his lower-ranked wife,Sophie Chotek, in Sarajevo. Initially, he accepts the "providence" of the event and refuses calls to mobilise the army and to punish Serbia. However, the Kaiser quickly insists on immediate and decisive action against Serbia, dismissing the preparedness and will of Russia, downplaying the military threat from France and setting achain of events in motion that leads to the outbreak ofWorld War I. | |||
| 11 | "Tell the King the Sky Is Falling" | 1914–1916 | |
With the resolve and the morale of the Russian army plummeting, Nicholas II decides to leave the capital to take personal command of the army, leaving Alexandra behind as his eyes and ears in Petrograd. His son Alexei soon joins him, but his frail constitution leads to another health scare. Alexandra, becoming increasingly unpopular and insecure, has come to rely heavily on the advice and cures of faith healerGrigori Rasputin, who also advises the Empress on which religious people should be in government. As a result,Alexander Protopopov is appointed as a minister, but his ineptitude leads other politicians, such asMikhail Rodzianko andAlexander Trepov, to scheme for change. | |||
| 12 | "The Secret War" | 1917 | |
As World War I continues, Kaiser Wilhelm II, tiring from his responsibilities, allowsLudendorff,Hindenburg,Admiral von Holtzendorff, and Bethmann-Hollweg to propose riskier strategies for 'total victory' (such asunrestricted submarine warfare against neutral shipping). With Rasputin now dead,Alexander Kerensky incites open revolt in the Duma, which supports his insistence on the abdication of the Tsar. The Kaiser, fearful of creating a "Bolshevik nemesis", reluctantly allows Lenin and his compatriots to travel through Germany from exile in Switzerland. With the help of industrialistHelphand, theRussians finally arrive to a heroic homecoming in St. Petersburg. | |||
| 13 | "End Game" | 1918 | |
With Franz Joseph now dead (succeeded by his grand-nephew,Charles I & IV) and the Romanovs executed by the Bolsheviks, Kaiser Wilhelm II is the lone eagle still standing. German troops move west from the now peaceful Russian front, but theSpring Offensive fails, with the Allies makingsurprising advances across France and Belgium. Wilhelm's optimism of his soldiers’ fighting will is not fully shared bythe General Staff, particularly because of the desperate erosion of the home front. Wilhelm's cousin Prince Max is madechancellor as a concession to reform, but that only hastens the clamour for change. The1918 German Revolution finally forces the Kaiser's abdication, and heflees into exile in the Netherlands. | |||
Cast, in order of first appearance, and sorted by episode and empire. The narrator of the series wasMichael Hordern.
The music accompanying the main title and credits is theTrauermarsch (Funeral March), the first movement ofMahler'sSymphony No. 5. The closing theme music is the central section from the first movement ofShostakovich'sSymphony No. 6.
One positive review of the series states: "This ambitious series captivates the audience by depicting the years of revolution, in which the well cemented monarchies of central and eastern Europe slowly disintegrate. However, the show does not attach any sentiments with royalty or the happenings in wake of its collapse."[3]
Fall of Eagles was released on video and DVD in autumn 2004 in the United Kingdom, with the release including a photo gallery and a comprehensive 40-page historical notes booklet written by Andy Priestner providing further details on the historical events and characters in the series. It includes new interviews with Gayle Hunnicutt (The Golden Bowl,Dallas,The Martian Chronicles), Charles Kay (Edge of Darkness,To Serve Them All My Days) and directorDavid Cunliffe (The Onedin Line,The Sandbaggers,Victoria and Albert).[4] It was later released in May 2006 in the United States,[1] without the companion booklet.
A separate book based on the series titledThe Fall of Eagles: The Death of the Great European Dynasties (ISBN 9780340216415) byCyrus Leo Sulzberger II was first published by Crown in 1981.[5]