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Fall of Eagles, a review by Antares

Fall of Eagles





Year: 1974
Film Studio: Koch Entertainment Distribution, BBC Television
Genre: Drama, Mini-Series, Television
Length: 650 Min.

Review
       In the late summer of 1914, the noted English diplomat Sir Edward Grey was quoted as saying; . The event of which he spoke was the declaration of war amongst the major powers of Europe, precipitating the First World War. What was meant by this statement was that the ruling houses of the major monarchal powers would not survive the onslaught of both modern warfare and modern political reforms that were about to sweep over a war torn and decimated Europe. The Hapsburgs, Hohenzollerns and the Romanovs had ruled their individual nations autocratically for centuries, but with the entangling alliances that were formed after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, each would be drawn into the escalating conflict that would bring about an end to their respective dynasties. It is upon these entangling alliances that the BBC mini-series Fall of Eagles is based. Starting with the inter-connecting marriages between most of the ruling houses of Europe and the offspring of Queen Victoria of England, roughly 75 years of monarchal mischief, mayhem and malevolence are showcased in 13 episodes, ending with the abdications of the aforementioned rulers prior to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1918.
   
       I had viewed a few of the latter episodes of this mini-series on the Bravo network back in the late nineties, and had been drawn into the drama of these doomed despots and eagerly awaited a release on DVD. Now after viewing the series as a whole, I must admit that while it is entertaining, it also comes across as more of a soap opera than an in-depth treatise on the events which brought about the beginning of the war. Much time and many episodes are spent on trivial palace melodrama and political intrigue amongst all of the ruling houses. This leaves the mini-series a little bit flat on excitement and makes one wonder why the story needed to spread out over thirteen episodes.

       Another point of contention for me was the fact that many of the main characters suddenly disappear and their fate and destinies are brushed over quite insignificantly. Which leads me to wonder if this is the complete story in this DVD package? I could have sworn that one of the episodes that I watched on Bravo, dealt with the execution of the Romanov family during the Russian Revolution of 1917. My memory tells me that there was a scene of the family being herded into a small room and a few of the Bolsheviks walk in and suddenly open fire upon them. I could bring wrong and my memory could be failing me, but I also vaguely remember more interaction between the Kaiser and his two main generals, Otto von Bismarck and Erich Ludendorff, concerning the disposition of the war.

       All in all, if you were a fan of the two brilliant BBC productions Upstairs, Downstairs or I, ClaudiusReview Criterion

(From Fall of Eagles (1974) on June 16th, 2010)

The Man with Rain in His Shoes, a review by Tom

Title: The Man with Rain in His Shoes
Year: 1998
Director: Maria Ripoll
Writing: Rafa Russo (Writer)
Rating: 15
Length: 92 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:Plot:
Out-of-work actor Victor Bukowski (Douglas Henshall - This Year's Love) is desperate to stop his ex-girlfriend Sylvia (Lena Headey - Face) from marrying another man.
Then, miraculously, he is given a second chance to go back and correct the mistakes which led to their relationship breaking down.

But will turning back the clock really change anything at all?

Set against the colourful backdrop of London's Notting Hill, IF ONLY is a magical and hilarious romantic comedy with a fantastic cast which also includes Charlotte Coleman from FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and Neil Stuke from television's GAME ON.

Awards:
Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers

When I first saw this movie, I find it dull for the most part, but picking up at the end. It was about the same this time around. I decided to rewatch this movie now when I saw that Lena Headey is starring in it. The last time I didn't know her yet.

Rating:

(From Tom's Time-Travel Movie Reviews on August 9th, 2010)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: Wonderfalls: The Complete Series
Year: 2004
Director:
Rating: NR
Length: 573 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English, Spanish


Plot:
Although a recent graduate of Brown University, Jaye Tyler decides to ignore her degree, live in a trailer and work at a tourist gift shop in Niagara Falls called Wonderfalls - much to the despair of her well-to-do family. But Jaye's aimless life takes a startling turn after a lion figurine begins talking to her. Her family calls it an "episode," but Jaye knows better. Fearing for her sanity, Jaye nevertheless starts doing exactly what an increasing number of inanimate objects tell her to do and is amazed when her outrageous actions begin changing people's lives in unexpected ways.

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Commentary
Featurettes
Music Videos
Scene Access

A really great series. Also one of the first series which got a DVD release even though it was cancelled early on its run (stupid FOX). I am not sure if I should be sad or happy that there is only this one season. At least this way we got one perfect short season with a concluded story arc (thankfully no cliffhanger ).
Jewel Staite (Kaylee from Firefly) has a recurring guest role (Heidi, Eric's wife).
As I am currenlty also watching "True Blood", I cannot help to notice the many similarities between those two series. In both we have a female protagonist who can hear things others can't (the one hears animal figures talk, the other can read minds), a gift which makes others think she is crazy. And both are wearing a yellow uniform at their jobs. Both have a bartender in love with her. And both have a black best friend who is in love with her brother, and there is also a gay character in the main cast in both series.

#	Episode	Rating
01	Wax Lion
02	Pink Flamingos
03	Karma Chameleon
04	Wound-Up Penguin
05	Crime Dog
06	Muffin Buffalo
07	Barrel Bear
08	Lovesick Ass
09	Safety Canary
10	Lying Pig
11	Cocktail Bunny
12	Totem Mole
13	Caged Bird

(From Tom's Random Reviews on February 27th, 2010)