Fall of Eagles

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.

I recently watched the film "Nicholas and Alexandra" (Columbia, 1971), and wanted to continue refreshing my historical data, so I pulled out this series, which was broadcast on our local PBS station about 15 years ago. I taped most of it, as I found it fascinating, and fairly accurate according to most of the historical biographies I have read. The series is pretty bare bones as far as production values go, but the acting is very good. It can't compare to the lush photography or direction of "Nicholas and Alexandra" or the fictional "Dr. Zhivago," given their American studio budgets. Patricia Neal provides great introduction/narration. I would buy this series in a minute if it was available on DVD, and highly recommend it to anyone who loves late 19th/early 20th century European history.

For years my Dad has been searching for this series and now the wait is over. You can purchase the newly released DVD set at Amazon.UK. I could not find it on Amazon.com but it is available on the UK version. I have searched and searched the internet, libraries, and video stores and no luck. My Dad is friends with owners of video stores and they tried through their contacts but came up empty handed. For fun I decided to look again and found it has been released since Oct. 18th. I am not sure what the exchange rate is but it came to 34.99 in British pounds and that was with shipping. I can only guess somewhere in the area of $60. I did not think that was so bad considering the size of the series.

If you like mini-series I Cladius, you will like this series. I watched this as a young teenager and learn more on what brought the world, World War I that all of the boring history lessons I took in school. Also, the breath and scope of this TV mini-series just can not be remade today. Only HBO has the clout and finances to tackle this type of material.

The acting in this series is old school British theater and is a little talkative for the modern MTV generation who are use to more action, however, it is very rewarding to listen to the words and watch the scope of history unfold. You will understand that the end of the series that it is individuals who make history and individuals have the power to literally to change the world.

This mini-series is well worth your time and attention.

I was very impressed with Fall of Eagles. And what a distinguished cast of British actors!! (Including the German Curt Jurgens in a masterful performance as Prince Otto von Bismarck.) A contributor above remarks on the influence of General Ludendorff, not so much on World War One it would seem, but rather by his association with Adolf Hitler in the days after the Great War. While Ludendorff's impact during WWI was very great, the old man's influence afterwards was really only as a figurehead, a minor player, as an early adherent of Hitler.

One must keep in mind the condition of the German people at this period. The British sea blockade of Germany was not lifted until many months after the war had ended. The German people were starving and freezing. The Versailles Treaty demanded huge reparations from a prostrate Germany and limited the nation to a mere 10,000 man army, this with belligerent neighbors surrounding it, all eager for a piece of the helpless German state. Communism tried to gain power but failed in postwar Germany -- this not from any lack of effort on the part of the Communists themselves, but rather, I believe, that Marxist ideology itself does not have appeal to the German people per se. The successive Social Democratic governments were helpless to relieve the agony of the people. Is it any wonder that after the failure on the part of totalitarian Communism and the failure of democratic, liberal governments that, in their distress, the German people flocked to Hitler's banner, he who denounced and rejected the Versailles Diktat and who started the economy rolling again, meaning bread and jobs, where all these other political ideologies had failed so miserably?

I maintain that the rise of Hitler and all that followed in his wake was the direct result of the crushing demands by the victorious Allies forced upon a helpless nation in defeat. The victors of the First World War then, bear ultimate responsibility for Adolf Hitler's accession to power.

None of the above, however, detracts from this fine mini-series, the praises of which are not only from me, but also the other contributors here. Personally, my only criticism would be that rather than the archaic film clips shown from time to time throughout the production it would have been wiser instead to utilize Michael Hordern's commentary where deemed necessary for story continuity.