Fall of Eagles

Fall of Eagles is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the ruling dynasties of Austria-Hungary (the Habsburgs), Germany (the Hohenzollerns), and Russia (the Romanovs). The scriptwriters were: Keith Dewhurst, John Elliot, Trevor Griffiths, Elizabeth Holford, Ken Hughes, Troy Kennedy Martin, Robert Muller, Jack Pulman, David Turner, and Hugh Whitemore.

Overview
The series tells the story of the final decades of three great empires brought to downfall by historical events. Each empire used an eagle in its heraldry. The central theme is the effects of centuries of despotism, with a lack of social reform and the devastating effects of World War I, that caused revolutionary movements to form. It begins in the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848 and continues through the Armistice of 11 November 1918, covering about 70 years of history in 13 episodes. The episodes' vignettes move between the three empires: Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia.

Cast
Cast, in order of first appearance, and sorted by episode and empire. The narrator of the series was Michael Hordern.

Austria-Hungary
Episode 1 Episode 4 Episode 10
 * Pamela Brown – Archduchess Sophia, mother of Franz Josef
 * Miles Anderson – young Emperor Franz Josef of Austria
 * Diane Keen – Elisabeth
 * Sandor Elès – Count Andrassy
 * Ann Penfold – Helene, Elisabeth's older sister
 * Donald Gee – Count Majlath
 * Kathleen Michael – Princess Hildegard of Bavaria
 * Noel Fredericks – Aide to Franz Joseph
 * Rachel Gurney – older Empress Elisabeth of Austria
 * Laurence Naismith – older Emperor Franz Joseph
 * Emrys James – Count Taaffe
 * Anthony Newlands – Philip of Coburg
 * James Cossins – Count Josl Hoyos
 * Frank Wylie – Police Commissar Gorup
 * Susan Tracy – Crown Princess Stephanie, Rudolph's wife
 * Irene Hamilton – Baroness Vetsera, mother of Countess Vetsera
 * Rosamund Greenwood – Fraulein von Ferenczy, Maid to Elisabeth
 * Kenneth Benda – Professor Widerhoffer, royal physician
 * Carleton Hobbs – Abbot Grünböck
 * Michael Sheard – Losehek, valet to Prince Rudolf
 * Patrick Durkin – Bratfisch
 * Vernon Dobtcheff – Count Stookau, uncle of Countess Vetsera
 * David Neal – Baltazzi
 * Olaf Pooley – Police President Baron Krauss
 * Leon Lissek – Police Agent Bayer
 * John Herrington – Stationmaster
 * Peter Harcourt-Brown – Gamekeeper
 * Nora Swinburne – Katharina Schratt
 * Peter Woodthorpe – Archduke Franz Ferdinand
 * T. P. McKenna – Count Conrad von Hotzendorf
 * Michael McStay – Count Count Montenuovo
 * Neville Barber – Count Paar
 * Peter Copley – Bethmann-Hollweg
 * George Merritt – Ketterl
 * Robert Tayman – First Adjutant
 * Ian Ricketts – Second Adjutant
 * Noel Davis – Austrian Ambassador (Count Szögyény)
 * Brian Hawksley – Sir Arthur Nicolson
 * Roy McArthur – Archduke Karl
 * Heather Page – Archduchess Zita
 * Clyde Pollitt – Kottwitz
 * Melanie Peck – Maid
 * Jay Neill – Heller
 * N/A – Ambassador László Szőgyény-Marich Jr.

German Empire
Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 13
 * Gemma Jones – Vicky, oldest child of Victoria
 * Maurice Denham – Kaiser Wilhelm I
 * Denis Lill – Fritz
 * Basil Henson – von Moltke
 * Geoffrey Chater – Charles
 * Roger Hammond – Albrecht
 * Perlita Neilson – young Queen Victoria
 * Frank Thornton – Prince Albert
 * Anthony Roye – Dr. Martin
 * Antony Carrick – Dr. Wegner
 * Sandra Clark – Wally
 * Mike Elles – Bertie, young Edward VII
 * Adam Cunliffe – Willy, young Wilhelm II
 * Uncredited – Queen Augusta of Prussia
 * Curt Jürgens – Otto von Bismarck
 * Barry Foster – older Kaiser Wilhelm II
 * Frederick Jaeger – Holstein
 * Tony Jay – Tsar Alexander III
 * John Barcroft – Eulenberg
 * David McKail – Mackenzie, physician
 * Valerie Phillips – Dona, Wilhelm II's wife
 * Barry Foster – older Kaiser Wilhelm II
 * Marius Goring – Hindenburg
 * Michael Bates – Ludendorff
 * Griffith Jones – Hintze
 * Eve Pearce – Empress Dona
 * Laurence Hardy – Prince Max
 * Colin Baker – Crown Prince (Little Willy), son of Wilhelm II
 * John Robinson – Müller, Admiral
 * Geoffrey Toone – Groener
 * Erik Chitty – Hertling, Chancellor
 * Peter Schofield – Ebert
 * Kevin Brennan – Count Bentick
 * Jon Croft – Sergeant

Russian Empire
Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8
 * Gayle Hunnicutt – Alexandra, fiancée of Nicholas II
 * Charles Kay – Tsar Nicholas II
 * Patrick Stewart – Ulyanov (Lenin)
 * Lynn Farleigh – Krupskaya, Lenin's future wife
 * Freddie Jones – Sergei Witte, Transport Minister
 * Jan Francis – Mathilde Kschessinska, ballerina
 * Ursula Howells – Marie, wife of Alexander III
 * David Collings – Paul Miliukov
 * Isla Blair – Ella
 * Robert Brown – Uncle Serge
 * John Nightingale – Cousin Serge
 * Howard Rawlinson – Constantin
 * Mavis Edwards – Queen Victoria
 * Kevin Stoney – Father John
 * Denzil Ellis – Wahl
 * John Sanderson – Young Nicholas
 * Leila Hart – Singer
 * Bruce Purchase – von Plehve
 * Edward Wilson – Martov
 * Michael Kitchen – Trotsky
 * Mary Wimbush – Zasulich
 * Paul Eddington – Plekhanov
 * Peter Weston – Baumann
 * David Freedman – Lieber
 * Julian Fox – Tupuridze
 * Raymond Witch – Martynov
 * Svandis Jons –  Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova
 * Robert O'Mahoney – Krasikov
 * Kenneth Colley – Father Gapon
 * Peter Dyneley – von Bülow
 * John Turner – Prince Mirsky
 * John Welsh – Archbishop
 * Robert Keegan – Ivan Fullon
 * Michael Golden – Putilov
 * Roy Sampson – General Alexey Danilov
 * David Dodimead – Kokovtsev
 * James Mellor – Kourapatkin
 * John Quarmby – Lambsdorf
 * Alan Hockey – Doctor
 * Glynne Thomas – Spokeswoman
 * Eileen Helsby – Mother
 * Roger Nott – Secretary
 * John Surman – Secretary
 * Sharon Terry – Tatiana, 2nd daughter
 * Michael Bryant – Ratchkovsky
 * David Swift – Trepov
 * John Stratton – Hesse
 * David Dodimead – Aleksandr Khvostov
 * Victor Winding – Azeff
 * Peter Pratt – Singer
 * Rio Fanning – Petitioner
 * Arnold Peters – Clerk
 * Michael Cotterill – Valet de Chambre
 * Peter Jolley – Tsar's aide
 * Desmond Cullum-Jones – Police Sergeant
 * John Beardmore – Police Inspector
 * Paul Haley – Medal Sergeant

Episode 9 Episode 11 Episode 12
 * Peter Vaughan – Isvolsky
 * Derek Francis – Edward VII
 * John Bennett – Clemenceau
 * John Moffatt – Aehrenthal
 * Frank Middlemass – Stolypin
 * Andrew Keir – Wickham Steed
 * Shirley Dixon – Mme. Izvolsky
 * Tom Criddle – Sir Edward Grey
 * Ed Devereaux – Purtales
 * Haydn Wood – Officer
 * Peter Whitaker – Secretary
 * Michael Aldridge – Grigory Rasputin
 * Charles Gray – Rodzianko
 * John Phillips – Grand Duke Nicholas
 * Nigel Stock – General Alexeiev
 * Hugh Burden – Protopopov
 * Frank Mills – A. F. Trepov
 * Rosalie Crutchley – Michen
 * Ann Castle – Ella
 * Miriam Margolyes – Anna Vyrubova
 * Piers Flint-Shipman – Alexis
 * Pippa Vickers – Anastasia
 * Alix Crista – Maria Golovina
 * Anthony Collin – Manus
 * Barbara Keogh – Barbara (Yakovleva)
 * Martha Nairn – Olga
 * Hetty Baynes – Tatiana
 * Prue Clarke – Marie
 * Marius Goring – Hindenburg
 * Michael Bates – Ludendorff
 * Michael Gough – Helphand
 * Tom Conti – Glazkov
 * Jim Norton – Kerensky
 * Malcolm Terris – Mieczysław Broński-Warszawski
 * Esmond Knight – General Ruzski
 * Alan Cullen – Admiral Henning von Holtzendorff
 * Basil Clarke – Pyotr Voykov
 * Ronald Govey – Chkheidze
 * John Rae – Prince Lvov
 * Tom Kempinski – Bolshevik Soldier
 * John Rhys-Davies – Zinoviev
 * Leonard Fenton – Nikolai Markov
 * Eric Carte – Aide to Kaiser
 * Colin Jeavons – Printer
 * Isabelle Stanton – Socialist Émigré
 * Ann Zelda – Helphand's Secretary

Music
The music accompanying the main title and credits is the Trauermarsch (Funeral March), the first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 5. The closing theme music is the central section from the first movement of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6.

Reception
One positive review of the series states: "This ambitious series captivates the audience by depicting the years of revolution, in which the well cemented monarchies of central and eastern Europe slowly disintegrate. However, the show does not attach any sentiments with royalty or the happenings in wake of its collapse."

Media
Fall of Eagles was released on video and DVD in autumn 2004 in the United Kingdom, with the release including a photo gallery and a comprehensive 40-page historical notes booklet written by Andy Priestner providing further details on the historical events and characters in the series. It includes new interviews with Gayle Hunnicutt (The Golden Bowl, Dallas, The Martian Chronicles), Charles Kay (Edge of Darkness, To Serve Them All My Days) and director David Cunliffe (The Onedin Line, The Sandbaggers, Victoria and Albert). It was later released in May 2006 in the United States, without the companion booklet.

A separate book based on the series titled The Fall of Eagles: The Death of the Great European Dynasties (ISBN 9780340216415) by Cyrus Leo Sulzberger II was first published by Crown in 1981.