Fall Of Eagles (1974/British TV Mini-Series)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C+ Episodes: B
There were so many royal families and powerful like
entities up until the early 20th Century in Europe that it is
amazing that when they fell, they fell badly.
In 1974, the BBC created and broadcast the ambitious Fall Of Eagles,
a 13-part mini-series about the Hobenzollerns (Germany), Hapsburgs
(Austria-Hungary) and Romanovs (Russia) and how the war to end all wars ended
their reign. Taking place just before
WWI kicks in, the 10.5 well-written, well-acted hours paint a rich picture of
the good life, its dark underside, the power and how ignorance caused it to be
squandered.
Early performances by a then-unknown Patrick Stewart,
Michael Kitchen, John-Rhys Davies and Miriam Margolyes head up a strong cast of
top-rate actors doing top rate acting.
Each installment leaves no stone unturned, showing the way of life, the
arrogance and remarkable naïveté of those with so much not seeing how the rest
of the world and people around them were really living. At a time when such things are being denied
at a worldwide low-point for us all, the series reminds us how effective
quality television can be in telling it like it is on that level that seems
high, yet extremely limited. The series
has a good budget, but art is used to suggest battles and wars they did not
have the money, time or even need to shoot.
Ironically, it seems to suggest their further distance from reality.
The 1.33 X 1 image is slightly washed-out looking analog
PAL video that sadly may just be the condition of the master tapes. The show is nicely taped and effective
directed by eight different filmmakers, including Gareth Davies and Michael
Lindsay-Hogg, so the flaws are often exceeded by how effectively this was
made. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is
more compressed than expected, as if someone was trying to hide some background
noise and hiss. Extras include stills
and interviews with the cast and crew.
- Nicholas Sheffo
