Maximilian - The game of power and love
Maximilian - The Game of Power and Love is a historical film by MR Film , an Austrian - German co-production from 2017 . The three-part television film directed by Andreas Prochaska was first broadcast on ORF on March 1, 2 and 3, 2017 . On January 30, 2017, the film was presented in the Urania cinema in Vienna . The three-part series was first broadcast on German television on October 1, 2 and 3, 2017 on ZDF .
After the rich ruler of Burgundy is ambushed and dies, his daughter Maria finds herself pushed into a dangerous role. In order to secure her kingdom, she has to get married as soon as possible. Mary of Burgundy is played by Christa Théret and Maximilian I, who becomes her husband, by Jannis Niewöhner .
action
Part 1
Preface: “In the 15th century, Emperor Friedrich III ruled . about the Holy Roman Empire . From the west, Ludwig XI. , King of France, after supremacy over Europe. Between France and Austria, Charles the Bold extended the Duchy of Burgundy to the Netherlands. He is the richest and most powerful prince in Europe. But with the siege of Nancy , his fortunes of war ran out of him. "
After the death of her father, the Duke of Burgundy, in 1477, both the King of France and the powerful gentry in Ghent put pressure on Mary. But Kaiser Friedrich is also involved in this game, as he needs money to be able to survive in the fight against the Hungarians and Turks. In addition, his empire in the west is threatened by the French. His son Maximilian is supposed to remind Maria of the promise of marriage that her father and Friedrich made when their children were born and to ask for Maria's hand.
Maria is now trying to rule alone, which France turns against her because a woman is not entitled to such a position. King Ludwig is determined to marry Mary to his son Charles , who is just nine years old , in order to gain access to rich Burgundy. France cleverly tries to influence the wealthy Burgundian citizens who are affectionate to the country and incites them to ask Maria to have a say in the choice of her future husband. However, Maria manages to write a letter to Maximilian and to send her loyal chambermaid Johanna von Hallewyn to Wiener Neustadt so that she can get an idea of the young man Maria considers a barbarian . Johanna can only tell her positive things, she is also very impressed by Maximilian's treasurer and friend Wolf von Polheim, whom she met on this occasion. Maximilian is touched by Maria's beauty, which her portrait promises and now believes that it is his destiny to stand by Maria, and that a marriage with her will be his happiness, even if she is originally due to political interests, which he refused. So he goes to Ghent. However, King Ludwig is determined to make sure that he never gets there.
Part 2
Maximilian is on his way to Maria with a large entourage. The whole thing is financed by the wealthy businessman Ulrich Fugger , who in return expects good business with wealthy Burgundy. At the same time Maria is coming under increasing pressure as sent by Ludwig French troops the country to plunder and pillage . In addition, she is massively harassed by Jan Coppenhole and the Great Council of the Rich. When one of them, Adolf von Egmond , tries to rape her that night, she kills him. Together with Johanna and her stepmother Margarete, she removes the body.
Maximilian is crossing a plague-infested area without knowing it and would have almost sunk into it if his friend Polheim hadn't come to his aid just in time. Unfortunately, he got infected and was delirious for a long time. When the French court found out about it, it provided a powerful boost there. When Maria's confidante, Chancellor Guillaume Hugonet and Guy de Brimeu , are charged with treason before the Grand Council, Maria, in desperation, agrees to marry the Dauphin. She realizes too late that her promise was in vain, as the two men will be killed anyway. Once again, the duchess who has been taken into custody manages to send a desperate letter through her confidante Johanna Maximilian.
Maximilian, who has since recovered, immediately realized how serious Maria’s situation is. But since he was held in Cologne until he had paid the costs caused by his troops, he sent his friend Polheim to Ghent with Johanna so that he could marry her in his place . Just in time to keep Maria from meeting Dauphin Charles at the border, Polheim arrives and marries Maria on behalf of Maximilian. Shortly after the wedding ceremony, a bloody incident occurs when the French ambassador Philippe de Commynes wants to pick up Maria and Polheim cuts the hand of an ambassador standing next to him, on his behalf, with the sword.
When Maximilian arrived at court, the Burgundians and courtiers met him with suspicion. Maria rides towards him serious and beautiful to look at. That night, the squire Bertram instigated by Olivier le Daim tries to kill Maximilian. However, the couple were prepared for him and now decide to fight France with all determination from now on.
part 3
At a celebratory meal, Maximilian succeeds in convincing his new subjects that he is sincere and has their well-being in mind. Maria and Maximilian get very close that night and their love for one another begins.
Maximilian can win financial support from Ulrich Fugger for his planned war against France. Little did he suspect, however, that Johanna's husband von Hallewyn, out of jealousy of von Polheim, instigated an intrigue that forced Maximilian to make a decision on the basis of the unyielding laws of Burgundy. He should agree to a mutilation of Johannas. Polheim tries to help by taking sole blame on himself. Now Maximilian has to condemn his friend and makes the wise decision that Polheim has to fight a losing position in the war against France in order to atone for Burgundy with his death.
Months pass and Maria and Maximilian's first child is born. With rumors spread that it was a girl, the couple are forced to show their son in public. During these festivities, Olivier Le Daim stabs Maximilian in the ribs with a dagger at an unguarded moment. Fortunately, he survived the attack. Le Daim and Commynes are now forced to admit their failure to King Ludwig, who is so furious that he suffers another stroke, which he succumbs to.
In the upcoming battle, Maximilian is confronted with the image from his dream when he is faced with the underage Dauphin. Polheim fights directly at his side, who succeeds in killing his opponent von Hallewyn. After three days the battle is decided and the Dauphin is on the run. Maximilian returns happily to Maria, who is pregnant again. And Polheim and Johanna also get together.
Four years had passed when Maria did not survive a riding accident in 1482.
Epilogue : “Maximilian fought for years against the citizens of Flanders and against France until he was able to secure the Burgundian inheritance. Elected Roman-German Emperor in 1507, he founded an empire in which the sun never set. In love he was never happy again. "
Production notes, publication
.JPG)
The shooting took place in autumn and winter 2015 in Vienna , Lower Austria , Styria , Hungary , the Czech Republic and Belgium . The film was shot at around 60 castles and palaces, locations included Zwettl Abbey , Rosenburg Castle , the Rappottenstein and Kreuzenstein castles , the Franzensburg in Laxenburg and the Votive Church in Vienna , the Sacré Coeur Pressbaum , the Dobra castle ruins and Grafenegg Castle . 3000 extras, 550 horses, 800 costumes and 100 pieces of armor formed the backdrop.
The film, based on the submission by Peter Prange , was supported by the Vienna Film Fund , the Austrian TV Fund and the Province of Lower Austria , Austrian Broadcasting and ZDF were involved . The film and the beta film were produced by MR Film . Michaela Ronzoni and Julia Sengstschmid were responsible for the historical processing and conception. Dietmar Zuson was responsible for the sound, Thomas Oláh for the costume design and Bertram Reiter for the production design. The budget was 15.5 million euros.
The three-part series was released on October 4, 2017 by Polyband / WVG on DVD and Blu-ray.
In 2018, the broadcasting rights for the three-part series were acquired by the US pay-TV group Starz .
synchronization
The German dubbing for the French actors was done by the dubbing company Neue Tonfilm München , dialogue directors: Clemens Frohmann and Andreas Prochaska, dialogue book: Clemens Frohmann and Marina Rehm. Cast: Franziska Striebeck, sound: Benedikt Mühle, cut: Claudia Enzmann.
| role | actor | speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Mary of Burgundy | Christa Théret | Sophie Rogall |
| Margaret of York | Alix Poisson | Carin C. Tietze |
| Philippe de Commynes | Nicolas Wanczycki | Torben Liebrecht |
| Olivier de la Marche | Raphaël Lenglet | Patrick Schröder |
| Olivier le Daim | Thierry Pietra | Matthias Copper |
| Louis XI. | Jean-Hugues Anglade | Martin Umbach |
| Dauphin Charles | Max Baissette | Angelo Ciletti |
| Charlotte de Savoie | Sylvie Testud | Alexandra Mink |
| Guy de Brimeu | Yvon Back | Thomas Wenke |
| Guillaume Hugonet | André Penvern | Erich Ludwig |
| Anne de France | Caroline Godard | Vanessa Lill |
| Jeanne | Melusine Mayance | Laura Jenni |
| Plague doctor | Christian Strasser | Walter von Hauff |
reception
Reviews
DerStandard.at wrote: “Based on a script by Martin Ambrosch, director Andreas Prochaska staged a four-and-a-half-hour spectacle that lives up to the praises of advance. With a great sense of atmosphere, an excellent ensemble of actors and impressive locations, the image of an era emerges in which 'The game of power and love', as the subtitle says, had far-reaching consequences. "" Maximilian [...] manages to capture dusty images and Shake off the narrative traditions of Central European public television and move into the top league of serial storytelling with cleverly woven arcs of tension (book: Martin Ambrosch), exciting optics (camera: Thomas Kiennast) and a story that relentlessly climaxes the event (director: Andreas Prochaska) and still not seem like a Game of Thrones for the poor. "
The Tiroler Tageszeitung wrote that the worst thing about Maximilian was the subtitle, which was reminiscent of The Song of Ice and Fire : “The saga about the last knight , told with great attention to historical detail, offers cleverly orchestrated suspense, impressive show values, the Thomas Kiennast camera also circled with appropriate pride, and - particularly gratifying - dialogues that trust that not every possible and impossible impulse has to be formulated. "
The press described the film as a "romanticized love story spiced with intrigue" and judged: "A three-part history ham worth seeing, also thanks to the great actors."
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung criticized that the makers of the film had “fallen into the trap of letting political topicality flow too clumsily - instead of letting the viewer think for themselves.” After Maria von Burgund 's words about sheltering refugees, Angela Merkel's words “ We can do it ! "Said," the audience suddenly gets the uncomfortable feeling that a historical drama is serving as a political message here. "
The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that the epic reveled “in tried and tested medieval knights. People eat, stink, butcher, butcher, poison, behead, sometimes bathe and at the end, because it was so beautiful and should be even more beautiful, wonderfully married. "The conclusion was:" ... unlike with the brain already in bed this ham would be unbearable. "
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung characterized the three-part series as a soap opera and "sensitive costume clothes". She described the film's core problem as the fact that its opulence is "anchored entirely in the emotional". She certified the dialogues as having "the level of originality of fortune cookies ".
Kino.de saw it very differently, found only words of praise for the film and wrote: “The elaborate three-part series is excellent historical television with many references to the present.” It also said that Hollywood “wrote the story of the 'last knight' Maximilian [... ] probably told quite differently ”and the film was“ very European, but no less worth seeing ”. The actors are "not world stars", but "more worth seeing than many Hollywood faces". The film was photographed in an artful way that met the highest standards. The two most important people in charge would also vouch for “outstanding quality”: Martin Ambrosch (script) and Andreas Prochaska (director). The story "is unquestionably worth telling" and the three-part series is an event because of the implementation. "Big TV" would already be signaled by the opening credits and the powerful music. The image design is also "a pleasure". Cinematographer Thomas Kiennast “apparently did without artificial light sources”. This “aesthetic [let] many recordings appear like paintings and give the film a very special atmosphere”. “The two main actors are no less worth seeing: The French Christa Théret embodies the Duchess as a modern woman with pleasantly subtle irony, Niewöhner plays Maximilian as a knight without fear and blame, but also provides the necessary nuances that can be understood why Maria falls in love with him. "
Audience ratings
The first part was followed by 739,000 viewers when it was first broadcast on ORF , which corresponded to a market share of 25 percent. On average, the three-part series on ORF was followed by 761,000 viewers when it was first broadcast.
| part | First broadcast Austria (ORF) |
Spectators Austria |
First broadcast in Germany (ZDF) |
Viewers Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st March 2017 | 739,000 | October 1, 2017 | 2.36 million |
| 2 | 2nd March 2017 | 788,000 | 2nd October 2017 | 2.46 million |
| 3 | March 3, 2017 | 755,000 | 3rd October 2017 | 2.28 million |
| documentation | March 3, 2017 | 532,000 |
Awards and nominations
- 2017: Prix Europa - nomination in the category "TV Fiction"
- 2017: Bambi Awards 2017 - Nomination in the Actor National category for Jannis Niewöhner
- 2018: Romy Awards 2018 - Award in the category of best television film , nomination in the category of best image creation for television film
Historical background
Mary of Burgundy (French Marie de Bourgogne ; 1457–1482) was the only child and thus sole heir of Duke Charles the Bold . When her father died in 1477 during the Battle of Nancy , she became Duchess of Burgundy and had to fight that of King Louis XI. Defend inheritance rights claimed by France. In order to maintain her position, she married Maximilian I Archduke of Austria in 1477, who became iure uxoris Duke of Burgundy and thus secured the claim to the inheritance of Charles the Bold. After the heir to the throne Philip the Fair (1478), the couple had a daughter Margarete (1480) and another son (1481), who died just under four months after his birth. Maria, who was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, died in 1482 at the age of only 25 as a result of a riding accident. Maximilian is said to have never got over her death.
Maximilian I Archduke of the House of Habsburg (1459–1519), known as “the last knight”, was Duke of Burgundy from 1477, Roman-German King from 1486 , Lord of the Austrian Hereditary Lands from 1493 and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1508 . He was the son of Emperor Friedrich III. (HRR) and his wife Eleonore Helena of Portugal . In 1494, at the instigation of a third party, Maximilian married Bianca Maria Sforza (1472–1510) for strategic reasons , but she played a rather subordinate role in his life.
Historical deviations
In contrast to most of the television series in recent years, Maximilian - The Game of Power and Love was by no means advertised with references to a particularly precise historicity or by emphasizing intensive historical factual research. For example, the director Andreas Prochaska said in an interview:
- ... The figure of Maximilian that I encountered during my research is a very exciting one. For me his story is also the coming-of-age story of a monarch. At certain points I deliberately did not research and tried to focus my gaze only on the scripts, because too much factual knowledge can get in the way of the dramaturgy.
It therefore remains to be seen whether most of the historical discrepancies can be traced back to dramaturgical considerations, faulty expertise or other causes. In the following, only historical deviations are listed in which the documented historical facts have been drastically changed and the history or the historical background was "falsified".
- King Ludwig XI dies in the series. before the Battle of Guinegate , which took place in 1479. In reality, Ludwig did not die until 1483, so he not only lived to see the Battle of Guinegate, but also Maria's death in 1482.
- In the series, the marriage between Maria and Maximilian is a stopgap solution for her, neither of them want this marriage at first. In the series, Maximilian also learns from his father that he and Maria were promised each other by their fathers after their birth. There is no historical evidence for such a promise. In reality, the marriage between the two of them was the result of negotiations that had been intermittent for several years. At the time of Karl's death, the marriage had been decided, a possible wedding date had already been planned and all existing obstacles to marriage (such as the close relationship between Maria and Maximilian, which required a papal dispensation) had already been removed. Everything indicates that Maria ultimately only continued the policy her father had planned, and this may also have been the reason that her adherence to the marriage with Maximilian was accepted by her estates themselves. There is no historical evidence that Mary wanted to rule herself.
- In the series, the emperor wants to marry his daughter Kunigunde to the Hungarian King Matthias, which the twelve-year-old girl is spared because King Matthias decides to marry someone else. That in no way corresponds to the established facts. However, in the 1460s, Matthias is likely to have actually tried to marry the emperor's daughter, who was still a toddler at the time, but the marriage project failed because the emperor was against it.
- The series gives the impression that the Duchy of Burgundy, over which Mary wants to rule, is a fiefdom of the French crown. In reality, the country complex consisted not only of the Duchy of Burgundy, after which Maria's ancestors were named, but also comprised a number of other duchies, counties and lordships such as Brabant, Flanders, Luxembourg, Holland, Zealand, Hainaut etc., of which the larger part were fiefdoms of the Holy Roman Empire . After the death of Charles the Bold and the lack of a male heir, the emperor would have had the opportunity to withdraw the part of the “Burgundian inheritance” belonging to the empire as a completed imperial fief and then either to reassign or pledge it. Such a measure would not only have brought the emperor money, it would also have given the emperor the opportunity to dissolve the country complex that Charles the Bold and his ancestors had created by giving it to various imperial princes and imperial estates or other allies. The fact that the emperor did not use or attempt to use this option is related to the fact that he or his dynasty benefited from Maria as the sole heiress. In the series, on the other hand, the impression arises that the emperor cannot oppose the French king politically except for the marriage project and that for him the Burgundian marriage is only a short-term fundraising coup anyway. This not only simplifies the actual political situation there, but also changes it decisively in relation to the facts.
- In the series, Maximilian uses a trick to prevent the Dauphin from marrying Maria at the last minute. He sends his friend Wolf to the Netherlands, where he marries Maria “per procurationem” for him just before they leave for France . In reality, Maximilian and Maria had married "per procurationem" in April 1477, before Maximilian had even started the journey to see her. In addition, such weddings from the late Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century are documented for most of the high nobility marriages of that time and in order to dissolve a "pre-marriage" already concluded in this form, the church or a papal dispensation was usually required. As a trick, that would certainly not have worked in Maximilian's time.
- There are also a number of little things. For example, between the French king and his daughter Jeanne, when it comes to their marriage, there is a scene in which he is shown as a loving father, although in reality he probably didn't care much for this daughter. Another invention (with no historical reference) is the scene in which the emperor stabs his son Maximilian in the back while he was ill because of financial difficulties. Maximilian's father-son conflict is also an invention of film production. Serious historical evidence pointing to such a conflict has not yet emerged, although the suggestion for this is likely to come from secondary literature in popular science or from academic papers based on an anti-Habsburg view from the 19th century. However, these have been refuted since the end of the 20th century.
documentation
Following the third part, the documentary film Maximilian - The Bridal Procession to Power by Manfred Corrine was broadcast on ORF . This was produced by ORF, MR-Film, ZDF and Arte , supported by the Austrian TV Fund and the Federal Ministry of Education . Excerpts from this and other films are underpinned by statements from historians who sprinkle explanatory background information about the time and explain the past epoch in the overall context. In contrast to the television film, the documentary covers Maximilian's entire life from 1459 to 1519. In play scenes, Maximilian looks back on his life in dialogue with his daughter Margarete . Maximilian is played here by Johannes Silberschneider , Margarete by Marie-Christine Friedrich . The historians Manfred Hollegger , Sigrid-Maria Großering , Dietmar Heil (Regensburg) and Bertrand Schnerb (Lille) will have their say , while Cornelius Obonya will be the off-speaker .
On Arte documentation on 19 August 2017 the title was love, money and power - Maximilian I. shown.
Web links
- Maximilian - The game of power and love in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Maximilian. The game of power and love adS tv.orf.at
- Fight, lust, intrigue: "Maximilian - The game of power and love on ZDF" adS presseportal.de
- Maximilian - The game of power and love Information about the three-part series + all three parts + the full length documentation (available until January 3, 2018) adS zdf.de
- Maximilian. The game of power and love on the MR Film website
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of release for Maximilian - The game of power and love . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ↑ a b c Vienna Film Fund: . Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ↑ a b c Premiere for Andreas Prochaska's top-cast ORF / ZDF film event “Maximilian. The game of power and love ” . OTS notification of January 31, 2017, accessed on February 1, 2017.
- ↑ No prime time space for historical ZDF three-part series . Article dated July 28, 2017, accessed July 28, 2017.
- ↑ NÖN: "Maximilian": Emperor of the turning point . Article dated February 7, 2017, accessed February 7, 2017.
- ↑ "Maximilian: The Game of Power and Love" (AT): ORF / ZDF production with Niewöhner, Theret, Moretti, Anglade, Karl, Steinhauer and many more . OTS notification dated August 6, 2015, accessed February 1, 2017.
- ↑ ZDF / ORF: 15.5 million for opulent three-part series . Article dated August 6, 2015, accessed February 1, 2017.
- ↑ ZDF and ORF play a “game of power and love” . Article dated August 6, 2015, accessed February 1, 2017.
- ↑ Maximilian - The game of power and love adS jpc.de
- ↑ Kurier: TV event “Maximilian” goes on air in the USA . Article dated April 18, 2018, accessed April 18, 2018.
- ↑ derStandard.at: ORF three-part series “Maximilian”: Spectacle over four and a half hours . Article dated January 31, 2017, accessed February 1, 2017.
- ↑ derStandard.at: ORF three-part series no “Game of Thrones” for the poor . Article dated February 26, 2017, accessed February 26, 2017.
- ^ Tiroler Tageszeitung: TV film "Maximilian": Shining light in dark times . Article dated February 27, 2017, accessed March 8, 2020.
- ^ Diepresse.com: Maximilian as the superhero of the Habsburgs . Article dated March 1, 2017, accessed March 2, 2017.
- ↑ Katrin Schregenberger: "Maximilian" and the Merkel quote. www.nzz.ch, September 29, 2017, accessed on September 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Willi Winkler: When the brain is already in bed. sueddeutsche.de, September 30, 2017, accessed October 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Oliver Junge: In the fog of history. faz.net, October 1, 2017, accessed October 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Maximilian - The game of power and love: Historical three-part series about the unusual love story between the Habsburg Prince Maximilian and Maria, Duchess of Burgundy. adS kino.de. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ↑ a b Kleine Zeitung: 739,000 viewers for “Maximilian” . Article dated March 2, 2017, accessed March 2, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d A total of 2.1 million on ORF-eins TV highlight “Maximilian” . OTS bulletin of March 4, 2017, accessed March 6, 2017.
- ↑ Quota meter: Primetime check, Sunday, October 1, 2017 . Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ "This Time Next Year" is not recommended for sequel . Article dated October 3, 2017, accessed October 4, 2017.
- ^ Expensive ZDF epic disappointed, "Tatort" anniversary scores . Article dated October 4, 2017, accessed October 4, 2017.
- ↑ Seven ORF nominations at the Prix Europa 2017 . OTS announcement of September 1, 2017, accessed on September 2, 2017.
- ↑ Bambi 2017: The nominees in the categories Actor and Film National have been determined . Article dated November 2, 2017, accessed November 3, 2017.
- ^ Kurier: ROMY Academy: It's about the best of the best . Article dated March 3, 2018, accessed March 3, 2018.
- ^ ORF announcement , website ORF.AT; a similar statement by the main actor can be found in the ORF press release
- ↑ cf. Sonja Dünnebeil: Commercial property heir daughter - On the negotiations about the marriage of Mary of Burgundy . In: Sonja Dünnebeil - Christine Ottner: Foreign policy action in the late Middle Ages: Actors and goals (= research on the imperial and papal history of the Middle Ages . Supplements to JF Böhmer, Regesta Imperii, Volume 27). Böhlau, Vienna / Cologne / Weimar 2007, pp. 159–184
- ↑ cf. Karina Graf: Kunigunde, Archduchess of Austria and Duchess of Bavaria-Munich (1465–1520). A biography . Dissertation, University of Mannheim, 2000, p. 33f. digital
- ↑ cf. Helmut Neuhaus : The Empire in the Early Modern Age (= Encyclopedia of German History. Volume 42). Munich. R. Oldenbourg Publishing House. 2nd edition 2003. pp. 15ff.
- ↑ cf. for example Christine Juliane Henzler: The wives of Charles VII and Ludwig XI. Role and position of queens and mistresses at the French court (1422–1483) . Böhlau, Cologne / Weimar / Vienna 2012, ISBN 978-3-412-20879-0 .
- ↑ cf. for example Susanne Wolf: The double government of Emperor Friedrich III. and King Maximilians (1486–1493) (= research on the imperial and papal history of the Middle Ages. Volume 25). Böhlau, Cologne et al. 2005, ISBN 3-412-22405-7 . ( online )
- ↑ Manfred Corrines accompanying documentary "Maximilian - The Bridal Train to Power" for the three-part TV series . Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Love, Money and Power - Maximilian I.": How to encircle France | Frankfurter Rundschau . Article dated August 19, 2017, accessed August 20, 2017.