De Mayerling à Sarajevo (1940)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Max Ophüls

Writers:

Carl Zuckmayer (scenario)
Marcelle Maurette (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

29 October 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In the late 1800's, Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, falls for Sophie Chotek, a Czech countess...

Cast

Edwige Feuillère	...	La comtesse Sophie Chotek
John Lodge	...	L'archiduc François Ferdinand
Aimé Clariond	...	Le prince de Montenuovo (Sociétaire de la Comédie Française)
Jean Worms	...	L'empereur François Joseph (avec)
Jean Debucourt	...	Janatschek (Sociétaire de la Comédie Française) (as Debucourt)
Raymond Aimos	...	Le valet de François Ferdiand (avec) (as Aimos)
Gabrielle Dorziat	...	L'archiduchesse Marie-Thérèse (et)
Henri Bosc	...	L'ambassadeur de Serbie
Gaston Dubosc	...	Le comte Chotek
Marcel André	...	L'archiduc Frédéric
Eddy Debray
Jacques Roussel		(as Roussel)
Colette Régis	...	L'archiduchesse Isabelle
Sylvain Itkine		(as Itkine)
Jacqueline Marsan	...	Une jeune archiduchesse

Also Known As:

From Mayerling to Sarajevo (USA) (video title)
Mayerling to Sarajevo
Sarajevo (UK)
Da Mayerling a Sarajevo (Italy) [it]
De Mayerling a Sarajevo (Spain) [es]
Från Mayerling till Sarajevo (Sweden) [sv]
Prólogo de Uma Guerra (Portugal) [pt]
Sarajevon päiviä (Finland) [fi]
Serajevo (Greece) [el]
Von Mayerling bis Sarajewo (Germany) [de]

Runtime:

95 min | USA:89 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Company:

B.U.P. Française

Trivia:

Work on the film began in 1939 and was interrupted by the war. It was finished in the spring of 1940, only to be banned by the Germans. The first "official" premiere was 18 May 1945.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Veillées d'armes (1994)

The twilight of the Hapsburgs.

Mayerling:crown prince Rudolph committed suicide and,as emperor Francis Joseph had only one son,it's Francis Ferdinand,his nephew ,who inherited the empire,a medley of nations who were longing to free from the Hapsburg's yoke.

The movie mainly focuses on Francis Ferdinand's love story with Czech countess Sophie Chotek.Misalliance,hence morganatic marriage.John Lodge's character is bold,human ,very chivalrous and likable.The historians are more reserved as far as reality is concerned.Nevertheless,his "United States of Europa " plan was ahead of its time,and might have preserved the Hapsburgs from their impending downfall.

Edwige Feuillere is credible as Sophie Chotek,although,here again,the character might be too good to be true.The movie contains a colossal historical mistake:Franz Ferdinand's mother (Gabrielle Dorziat)was dead long before her son's wedding,and the numerous scenes in which she's featured are null and void.

The movie cleverly insists on the lack of precautionary measures in Sarajevo.Some went as far as saying that the thoughtlessness in Vienna led to the tragedy.

The movie was released at the beginning of 1940 ,before the Occupation and can be seen as some kind of propaganda vehicle,as was Marcel Lherbier's "entente cordiale".It ends with pictures from WW1 and Nazism. Max Ophuls was to do much better after the war,with such works as "le plaisir" "Madame de.." and "Lola Montès".