Kaiserspiel: Bismarcks Reichsgründung in Versailles is a historical drama which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2021.
The topic is the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 and the official proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles in January 1871.
The timing is significant. This historical drama premiered in 2021 to mark the 150-year anniversary of the moment when the German Empire was officially proclaimed.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: Christian Twente
** Writers: Dirk Kämper and Lothar Machtan
** Narrator: Gregor Höppner
** Language: German
** Subtitles: German
** Available on the ZDF website
** Run time: 88 minutes
There are two timelines in this drama.
The first timeline begins in July 1870 and ends in January 1871. There are several characters in this timeline: French characters on one side of the conflict and German characters on the other side.
The second timeline is set in June 1919 when World War One is formally ended by the Treaty of Versailles. There are only two characters in this timeline: two old women who meet each other at a palace in Switzerland in order to have a conversation about what happened in France in 1870 and 1871, almost fifty years before.
The cast, which I have divided into three categories, includes the following:
# 1. The German side of the conflict
The time is 1870-1871
The location is France
** Thomas Paine as Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) – Prussian minister president 1862-1890; German chancellor 1871-1890
** Peter Meinhardt as Wilhelm I (1797-1888) – king of Prussia 1861-1888; German emperor 1871-1888
** Holger Daemgen as Friedrich Wilhelm (1831-1888); crown prince 1871-1888; Emperor Friedrich III from March to June 1888
** Alexander Hauff as Lothar Bucher (1817-1892) – Bismarck’s personal assistant
** Ulrich Eberle as General Helmuth von Moltke (the elder) (1800-1891)
# 2. The French side of the conflict
The time is 1870-1871
The location is France
** Hubertus Hartmann as Napoleon III (1808-1873) – president of the French 1848-1852; emperor of the French 1852-1870
** Anna Tenta as (the younger version of) Eugenie de Montijo (1826-1920) – she was married to Napoleon III 1853-1873; Empress of the French 1853-1870
** Oona von Maydell as Louise Michel (1830-1905) – a teacher and a revolutionary activist
** Leonie Gareis as Marie Ferré (born 1844 or 1845) (died 1882) – a revolutionary activist
# 3. Two old women
The time is 1919
The location is Switzerland
** Marie-Anne Fliegel as (the older version of) Eugenie de Montijo (1826-1920) – she was married to Emperor Napoleon III 1853-1873 – she is a former empress
** Petra Kelling as Princess Luise of Prussia (1838-1923) – she is the daughter of the German Emperor Wilhelm I – she was married to Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden, 1856-1907
This drama is based on a true story. The basic facts are part of the public record. I could offer many details about what happens in this drama, but I am not going to do that, because I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.
I will merely offer some background information and some general observations.
The ZDF website includes a special page about this drama. On this page you can find background information about the drama. One item posted here is the following chronology which mentions some significant dates:
19 July 1870 – France declares war on Prussia
2 September - the Battle of Sedan. The French army is defeated. Emperor Napoleon III is captured. He is a prisoner of war.
4 September – A French republic is proclaimed in Paris. The French Empire is finished.
19 September 1870 to 28 January 1871 – The German forces lay siege around Paris. The war between France and Prussia comes to an end.
1 January 1871 – The German Empire is founded
18 January – The German Empire is officially proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.
22 to 28 May – The Paris Commune is crushed by French forces supported by German forces
28 June 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed
22 January 1963 – Germany and France decide to end the long-running conflict between them. A reconciliation pact is concluded
Since this drama is based on a true story, it is only fair to ask the following questions: how true is the story which is presented here? How high or how low is the historical accuracy of this drama?
I think this question must be answered in three stages, because the drama is divided into three parts.
# 1. The first timeline (1870-1871)
The German side of the conflict
Here we have Bismarck, his assistant Bucher, the German Emperor Wilhelm I, and his son Friedrich Wilhelm who is the crown prince.
These characters are real historical persons. We know a good deal about them. We know what they said and did; as well as why they did it.
In my opinion, the historical accuracy of this part of the drama is quite high.
# 2. The first timeline (1870-1871)
The French side of the conflict
Here we have Napoleon III, who is a prisoner of war, and his wife Eugenie, who is in Paris.
We also have two revolutionary activists in Paris: Louise Michel and Marie Ferré.
These characters are real historical persons. We know a good deal about the emperor and the empress. We know what they said and did; as well as why they did it.
We know a lot less about the two revolutionary activists. We do know they were close friends, but we do not know many details about what they did and said in 1870 and 1871.
In my opinion, the historical accuracy of this part of the drama is medium (neither high nor low).
# 3. The second timeline
The time is 1919
The location is the Palace of Arenenberg by Lake Constance (known as Bodensee in German)
Here we have two old women: a former empress of the French and a former princess of Prussia. Both of them were alive during the war of 1870-1871. Both of them were still alive in 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, almost fifty years later.
Did these two women really meet each other at the palace of Arenenberg in Switzerland in 1919? Did they have a frank conversation about the fatal events which happened in 1870 and 1871?
The ZDF page about the drama includes an interview with the writers where this question is raised.
The writers (Dirk Kämper and Lothar Machtan) do not use the word fictional, but if you read their statements carefully, it is clear that this meeting never happened.
Apparently, the writers noticed that both the French empress and the German princess were still alive in 1919. The empress lived until 1920, while the princess lived until 1923. And both of them had a residence in Switzerland.
The writers explain that the former empress had a series of intimate conversations with the French diplomat Maurice Paléologue over several years (1901-1911). The contents of these conversation were not to be published while the empress was still alive.
Having collected these facts, the writers decided that it would be a great idea to create a historical moment in which the French empress and the German princess meet each other almost fifty years after the war in order to talk about the fatal conflict.
The two women are real historical persons who were both alive in 1919, but the meeting in the Palace of Arenesberg never happened. It is a product of the writers’ vivid imagination. It is a good example of what can happen when poetic license is allowed.
In my opinion, the historical accuracy of this part of
the drama must be described as low or more precisely non-existent.
While we are focusing on the question of historical truth, there is one more aspect which must be considered here: the language spoken in the drama.
This historical drama premiered on German television and the characters speak German. Is this right or wrong? The answer is yes and no.
The German characters should speak German. This is very realistic, but what about the French characters?
The French characters also speak German! Not only when they are talking to a German character, but also when several French characters are talking to each other!
This is a clear violation of historical truth. It is a common flaw in historical dramas. If the drama is created in the UK or the US, all characters speak English, no matter who they are and no matter where they are from.
In this historical drama which is created in Germany all characters speak German, even though many of them are actually French!
What is the solution to this problem? The solution is obvious. Let each character speak the language which is natural for this character.
The revolutionary activists should speak French, but they do not. They speak perfect German!
This is, in my opinion, a flaw. I know some viewers do not care much about this.
Many German viewers want everything in German, and many American viewers insist on having everything in English. I do not agree with them.
Kaiserspiel covers an important chapter in European history. The topic is highly relevant.
The movie-makers have spent a lot of time and resources to create a drama which will inform and at the same time entertain the audience.
I like this drama and I want to give it a good rating, but I cannot go all the way to the top, because there are some flaws which cannot be overlooked.
This drama is good but not great. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
PS. Christian Twente is the director of several historical films, including Das Luther Tribunal - Zehn Tage im April (2017) and Karl Marx – Der deutsche Prophet (2018).
REFERENCES
# 1. Film and video
Kaisersturz is a docudrama which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2018
The topic is the history of Germany at the end of 1918 when the German emperor Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate and the German monarchy was abolished
** Director: Christoph Röhl
** Writers: Dirk Kämper and Lothar Machtan
** Run time: 90 minutes
Streit ums Reich: Der Sattler gegen den Kaiser is a documentary film which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2021
The topic is the history of Germany 1871-1918, a period known as the Second Empire
** Run time: 44 minutes
# 2. Books
The Tragic Empress: Intimate Conversations with the Empress Eugenie, 1901 to 1911 by Maurice Paléologue (English version published in 1928)
The Franco-Prussian War: The German Conquest of France in 1870-1871 by Geoffrey Wawro (2003)
Eugenie: The Empress and her Empire by Desmond Seward (2004)
Bismarck and the Creation of the Second Reich by Friedrich Darmstaedter (2008)
A Duel of Nations: Germany, France, and the Diplomacy of the War of 1870-1871 by David Wetzel (2012)
The Shadow Emperor: A Biography of Napoleon III by Alan Strauss-Schom (2018)
*****
Wilhelm I (1797-1888)
King of Prussia 1861-1888
German emperor 1871-1888
*****
Napoleon III (1808-1873)
President of the French 1848-1852
Emperor of the French 1852-1870
*****
Eugenie de Montijo (1826-1920)
Married to Napoleon III 1853-1873
Empress of the French 1853-1870
*****
Louise Michel (1830-1905)
Teacher and revolutionary activist
*****
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