"Fall of Eagles" (1974) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Creator:

John Elliot

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

15 March 1974 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

British drama about the collapse of three great European dynasties - the Romanovs, the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns.

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series | Animal In Title | Bird In Title

Cast

Michael Hordern	...	Narrator (9 episodes, 1974)
Charles Kay	...	Tsar Nicholas II (7 episodes, 1974)
Barry Foster	...	Willy (7 episodes, 1974)
Gayle Hunnicutt	...	Tsarina Alexandra (6 episodes, 1974)
Laurence Naismith	...	Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary (3 episodes, 1974)
Griffith Jones	...	Hintze (3 episodes, 1974)
Patrick Stewart	...	Lenin (3 episodes, 1974)
Curd Jürgens	...	Otto von Bismarck (2 episodes, 1974)
Marius Goring	...	Von Hindenburg (2 episodes, 1974)
Michael Bates	...	Von Ludendorff (2 episodes, 1974)
Maurice Denham	...	Kaiser Wilhelm I (2 episodes, 1974)
Bruce Purchase	...	Von Plehve (2 episodes, 1974)
Lynn Farleigh	...	Krupskaya (2 episodes, 1974)
Denis Lill	...	'Fritz', Prince Frederick William / ... (2 episodes, 1974)
Freddie Jones	...	Witte (2 episodes, 1974)
Eve Pearce	...	Empress Dona (2 episodes, 1974)
Laurence Hardy	...	Prince Max (2 episodes, 1974)
Colin Baker	...	Crown Prince Willie (2 episodes, 1974)
Peter Copley	...	Bethmann-Hollweg (2 episodes, 1974)
John Robinson	...	Muller (2 episodes, 1974)
Peter Dyneley	...	Von Bulow (2 episodes, 1974)
Geoffrey Toone	...	Groener (2 episodes, 1974)
Robert Brown	...	Uncle Serge (2 episodes, 1974)
Erik Chitty	...	Hertling (2 episodes, 1974)
David Dodimead	...	Kokovtsey (2 episodes, 1974)
Sandra Clark	...	Wally (2 episodes, 1974)
Peter Schofield	...	Ebert (2 episodes, 1974)
Kevin Brennan	...	Bentinek (2 episodes, 1974)
David Collings	...	Milyukov (2 episodes, 1974)
Isla Blair	...	Grand Duchess Ella (2 episodes, 1974)

Runtime:

50 min (13 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary: [after the murder or his wife and the suicide of his son] Nothing has been spared me... in this world...

Back at last

I haven't seen "Fall of the Eagles" since it was first broadcast in the 1970's. I remember watching the first episode, which I believe featured Curt Jurgens playing Otto von Bismarck. It totally hooked me for the subsequent 12 episodes. I vividly remember Jurgens bellowing "I am Bismarck!!!!" when "The Iron Chancellor" is suddenly put out to pasture.

Another standout is Gayle Hunnicutt as the Tsarina Alexandra. I can still see her fiercely admonishing the clueless and lethargic Nicholas (Charles Kay) to, "Be Ivan the Terrible!!!! Be Peter the Great!!!" It's a real shame this beautiful and talented actress hasn't had a more prominent career.

About 5 years ago, I tried searching for a copy of the program. There was nothing anywhere. I even sent an email to the BBC. I received a very polite response from a BBC researcher who advised me that she was able to locate some documentation related to the program, but had no information about availability either for broadcast or home video. At that point, I sadly concluded that it was lost forever.

Well, I'm happy to discover that other enthusiasts had more perseverance than I did. I just ordered the set from Amazon, and can't wait to watch it once more.