MAYERLING
France/US, 1968, 140 minutes, Colour.
Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason, Ava Gardner, James Robertson Justice, Genevieve Page, Ivan Desney.
Directed by Terence Young.
Mayerling is the story, ill-fated, of Archduke Rudolf of the Austro- Hungarian empire and his love for Marie Vetsera. This film is another version of the story which was made in 1936 with Danielle Darrieux and Charles Boyer, directed by Anatole Litvak.
The film was directed by Terence Young who had made a number of standard British films in the 1950s, That Lady, The Red Beret, Storm Over the Nile. However, in 1962 he directed Dr No and followed up with From Russia With Love and Thunderball. He also directed a number of popular films like Wait Until Dark as well as The Valachi Papers with Charles Bronson. His later career was not as spectacular as his Bond years.
The film is lavish in its Technicolor photography and re-creation of the Austro-Hungarian? empire at the end of the 19th century. Omar Sharif is somewhat passive as the archduke as is Catherine Deneuve as Maria. There are good character performances by James Mason and Ava Gardner as the Emperor Franz Josef and the Empress Elizabeth. James Robertson Justice as a cameo as the Prince of Wales.
The film shows the lavish lifestyle of the empire, the dominance of Franz Josef and his influence over his sons. It is a romance, a doomed romance as finally the lovers commit suicide.
The film might be described as a lavish Mills and Boon-style treatment of the historical characters and events.
1. What emphasis did the title give to the film? Its meaning? Its role in the climax and the and?
2. Comment on the use of colour and music in the film. What did these add to it? The particular theme for the lovers? The use of wide screen and the court atmosphere of the film?
3. How important was the social background for this film? How well was it communicated visually, atmosphere, situations? The nature of the Austrian Empire? The emperor and his conservatism, dedication to power and politics, his manipulation of people, his attitude to the Church, for instance? The last decades of the Austrian Empire? The nature of the court and its behaviour? Hypocrisies? the importance of forms over reality? Its impact on people’s lives, marriages etc?
4. Where did the film place its sympathies? With whom was the audience meant to sympathise? Why? How effective was this? the introduction to Rudolf? To the Emperor? To Maria? the idiosyncrasies of the personalities to endear them to us or alienate us?
5. Your impressions of Rudolf? How strong a man was he? How strong could he be? His ideas and ideals? His involvement in sedition and revolution? His dependence on drugs and mistresses? The imposition of his marriage? His inability to respond to his wife? His sense of responsibility and irresponsibility? the role of politics, government, the army? Its relationship to Mitsy? to the gypsy girl? Was he a free man? Why?
6. How important in the film was the relationship between Rudolf and the Prince of Wales? The meaning of friendship to each of them? Being real towards each other? the contrast of their friendship and life and politics and pressures? Which sequences best illustrated this? The characterisation of Edward and his relationship to Queen Victoria and to British government? The differing strengths of character?
7. What influence had the Emperor and Empress on Rudolf? The relationship between father and son, barriers, attempts to break through, the manipulation by the Emperor? The Empress and her absence? Her varying presences for him? Her love for him? How well did the film portray those two people? as real persons? As royalty? the attitudes of the Empress, her relationship to the Emperor? her riding, her love for her son? Her goodbyes, her
attitudes towards Maria?
8. How attractive a character was Maria? Catherine Deneuve’s performance? Our sympathies? What effect did she have on Rudolf? Why was she different? Her visit to his palace for the meal? Why did they fall in love? Was she free in her response to him? The effect of being his mistress? Moral standards and hypocrisies?
9. What did the film say about marriage, love, romance?
10. Comment on the irony of the Baroness and procuring mistresses for Rudolf? Her mistaking his actions at the opera, her style in visiting Maria’s house? her influence and Liaison with the court? What comment on society was made through her character?
11. How well did the love grow during the film, their initial dancing, their meetings, the importance of the ballet sequence, the skating, the seclusion of Mayerling, and the embarrassment of the ball? How real the love at the end? Was the death credible?
12. The importance of the deaths at the end? Was this too much an opting out or did Rudolf have any alternatives? What choices did he have had he lived? How cruel was he to kill her? Was it the best thing? How convincing were their final conversations? The dramatic impact of the shootings? The use of music as background?
13. How important was the revolutionary background for the film? And its impact on Rudolf’s character? The frustration of the abortive attempts at revolution?
14. Comment on the use of detail in the film The detail of the court scenes, the palaces? Costumes, the important sequences of Rudolf as inspector General and the pictures of the army, ballroom scenes?
15. Did the film utilise small incidents as a dramatic comment on the love story? the initial meaning at the puppets and the meaning of the puppets story, the ballet story and the irony of the lovers?
16. Overall, was this a good film? Was it engaging, convincing, moving? Was it a good picture of the times? Of the nature of human relationships, society and individuals, love and romance, freedom?
