Maximilian (2017)

Maximilian: The Game of Power and Love – a miniseries in three parts – is the English title of a historical drama which premiered on Austrian and German television in 2017.

The story is set in the middle of Europe during the second half of the 15th century. The main character (Maximilian) was born in 1459. During his life he accumulated a long list of titles:

** From 1477 Duke of Burgundy

** From 1486 King of the Romans

** From 1493 Archduke of Austria (the Habsburg Empire)

** From 1508 Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (until his death in 1519)

Here is some basic information about this historical drama:

** Original German title: Maximilian: Das Spiel von Macht und Liebe

** Director: Andreas Prochaska

** Writer: Martin Ambrosch

** An Austrian-German co-production

** Language: German (no subtitles)

** Run time: 90 + 91 + 92 minutes = 273 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Jannis Niewöhner as Maximilian (1459-1519)

** Christa Therét as Maria von Burgund (aka Mary of Burgundy) (1457-1482)

** Alix Poisson as Margareta von Burgund (aka Margaret of York) (1446-1503) – the third wife of Charles the Bold (Maria’s father)

** Stefan Pohl as Wolfgang von Polheim (1458-1512) – Maximilian’s personal assistant

** Jean-Hughes Anglade as Louis (1423-1483) – King Louis XI of France 1461-1483

** Max Baisette de Malglaive as Charles (1470-1498) – son of Louis XI – Crown Prince (dauphin) until 1483 - King Charles VIII of France 1483-1498

** Caroline de Godard as Anne de France (aka Anne de Beaujeu) (1461-1522) – daughter of Louis XI

** Martin Wuttke as Ulrich Fugger the Elder (1441-1510) – a banker and a merchant

** Mark Zak as Matthias Corvinus (1443-1490) – King of Hungary and Croatia 1458-1490

** Sebastian Blomberg as Jan Coppenhole (1436-1492) – a businessman from Burgundy

** Yvon Back as Guy de Brimeu (1433/1434-1477) – Graf von Megen – an important official in Burgundy

** Miriam Fussenegger as Johanna von Hallewyn (a fictional character) – Maria’s personal assistant

** Lily Epply as Rosina von Kraig (a fictional character) – a chamber maid – Maximilian’s mistress

** Tobias Moretti as Emperor Friedrich III (1415-1493) – Maximilian’s father

** Andre Penvem as Guillaume Hugonet (?-1477) – chancellor of Burgundy

** Nicolas Wanczycki as Philippe de Commynes (sometimes spelled Commines) (1447-1511) – an author and a diplomat – at first he worked for Burgundy, but in 1472 he switched sides and began to work for France

This drama about Maximilian does not cover his whole life from the beginning in 1459 to the end in 1519. It covers only a short but important part of his life: the time from 1477 to 1482.

In 1477, Maria’s father Charles the Bold (Duke of Burgundy) was killed in battle. His daughter Maria inherited his title and she became the Duchess of Burgundy. But since she was a woman, she was not allowed to rule alone. She had to get married. And fast. Otherwise a powerful neighbour might take over her land.

** King Louis XI wanted her to marry his son Charles. The purpose was to create an alliance between France and Burgundy. Against the Habsburg Empire.

** Emperor Friedrich III wanted her to marry his son Maximilian. The purpose was to create an alliance between the Habsburg Empire and Burgundy. Against France.

The first two episodes are set in 1477. In episode three the story moves forward to 1479 and then to 1482, after which it ends.

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 74 per cent, which corresponds to (almost) four stars on Amazon. On the German version of Amazon there are at the moment more than forty reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.1 stars.

If you ask me, both these ratings are quite appropriate. Why? The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story. It is interesting and often fascinating, but I cannot go all the way to the top with this product, because there are two significant flaws:

# 1. Historical truth is violated on several occasions; not only minor details but key points of the story-line. This was done for dramatic purposes. I will not offer any details about this here, because I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. Once you have seen this drama, you may use the internet to find out how and where historical truth has been violated.

# 2. There are many characters and it is not always easy to find out who is who. Only two characters are easy to recognize: Maximilian and Maria. Many male characters look almost the same: they are 40-50 years old, they have a beard and dress almost the same way (usually in a large fur coat).

It is not always clear where we are and who is talking: are we in France? In Austria? Or in Burgundy? I think the movie-makers could and should have done more to help the viewer understand where we are and who is talking.

I have to remove one star because of these flaws. Therefore I think this drama deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. A note on languages: some actors are German, while others are French. In the original soundtrack, the Germans speak German, while the French speak French. But when the drama is shown on Austrian and German television, the French dialogue is dubbed and all characters speak German. On the German DVD, all dialogue is in German. It is not very realistic when you hear the King of France and his son (the Crown Prince) speak German to each other!

The US version of Amazon offers this drama on Prime Video. The title is Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne. In this version, the three long episodes have been divided into six short episodes. Each episode runs for ca 45 minutes. As far as I know, this version has the original soundtrack (German and French dialogue) plus English subtitles.

Amazon UK offers a DVD with the English title Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne. Unfortunately, the Amazon UK website does not say if this DVD comes with English subtitles.

PS # 2. In connection with the drama, Austrian and German television showed a documentary film about Maximilian which covers his whole life. Director: Manfred Corrine. Run time: 49 minutes. The title is: Maximilian: Liebe, Geld und Macht. An alternative title is: Maximilian: Der Brautzug zur Macht.

*****

 

 Maximilian painted by Albrecht Dürer (1519)

*****