Mayerling (1968 film)

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This article is about the 1968 film. For other uses, see Mayerling (disambiguation).

Mayerling
Original film poster
Directed by	Terence Young
Produced by	Robert Dorfmann Maurice Jacquin
Written by	Claude Anet (novel) Michel Arnold (book L'Archduc) Terence Young (screenplay) Denis Cannan (dialogue) Joseph Kessel (uncredited)
Starring	Omar Sharif Catherine Deneuve James Mason Ava Gardner
Music by	Francis Lai (original) Aram Khachaturyan (non-original; from Spartacus Suite
Cinematography	Henri Alekan
Editing by	Monique Bonnot
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	1968 (France UK)
Running time	140 min
Country	UK / France
Language	English
Budget	US $5,000,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Mayerling is a 1968 romantic tragedy film made by Les Films Corona and Winchester and distributed by MGM. It was written and directed by Terence Young with additional dialogue by Denis Cannan and Joseph Kessel. It was based on the novels Mayerling by Claude Anet and L'Archiduc by Michel Arnold and the 1936 film Mayerling, directed by Anatole Litvak. The film had a music score by Francis Lai with additional music by Aram Khachaturyan. The cinematography was by Henri Alekan.

The film stars Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason, Ava Gardner, Geneviève Page, James Robertson Justice and Andréa Parisy.

Although not completely historically accurate, the movie was well received, in part because of its lavish sets and costumes.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Mayerling is based on the true-life affair of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria (Omar Sharif) and his mistress, the Baroness Maria Vetsera (Catherine Deneuve), and their untimely demise (1889) at Mayerling, the Austrian Imperial family's hunting lodge.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Rudolf verbally spars with his father Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (James Mason) about wanting to implement progressive policies for his country. Ava Gardner plays his mother Empress Elisabeth. Rudolf also contends with the fallout from a loveless marriage with Princess Stéphanie (Andréa Parisy). Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that does not realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales (James Robertson Justice), later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides some comic relief with his snappy dialogue. The deaths remain a mystery, but the end suggests the two lovers made a suicide pact when they decided they could not live in a world without love or prospects for peace.