|
Event
From Mayerling to Sarajevo @ Robert Classic French Film Festival
Sunday, March 6, 7 p.m.
From Mayerling to Sarajevo/De Mayerling à Sarajevo
Max Ophüls, 1940, 89 min., B&W, 35mm projection source
A little-seen masterwork by Max Ophüls ("Lola Montes," "The Earrings of Madame de ") traces the roots of World War I to doomed romance. In the wake of the murder-suicide of Prince Rudolph and his 17-year-old lover at Mayerling, stiff but broad-minded Archduke Franz Ferdinand (played by American actor John Lodge) becomes the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian empire. But a distinctly unhappy Emperor Franz Josef opposes both Franz Ferdinand's plans to reconfigure the empire and his courtship of Sophie Chotek (Edwige Feuillère) -- not only a mere countess but also a Czech. Made in France and premiering just before it fell to the Nazis, this was Ophüls' last picture before Hollywood and a surprisingly faithful, and lavishly produced, account of a Romeo-and-Juliet passion hindered not by family enmity but by levels of nobility.
The legendary film critic Robin Wood calls the film "one of Ophüls' most neglected and finest works," writing: "While its consciously defined political position falls within the bounds of progressive liberalism, its vision of love as in itself a revolutionary force is far more radical." The New Yorker's Richard Brody calls it "an exemplary political film, the counterpart to Jean Renoir's 'The Rules of the Game' (from 1939) as a work of vast historical vision in a quasi-operatic form."
With an introduction and post-film discussion by Robert Garrick, attorney, board member of the French-preservation nonprofit Les Amis, and former contributor to the davekehr.com film blog.
Sponsored by Les Amis
|
|
 |
LocationWebster University/Moore Auditorium (View)
470 East Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119
United States
Map is loading...
In order to see the map for this event, click the Privacy icon in the lower left corner of your screen and grant consent for Google Maps.
The Privacy icon looks like this:
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
