Mayerling (1957) DVD Release! Films Around the World, Inc. is excited to announce the DVD release of MAYERLING on Amazon! This 1957 television “spectacular” starred real life just-married Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer in their television premiere – the first of their two “on screen” appearances together. This hugely-expensive LIVE television production was broadcast just once, over NBC, on February 24, 1957. The primitive archival film copy has been digitally mastered from the original kinescope negative and released on our new “Mr. FAT-W Video” silver and blue label. Set in Vienna in the late 1880s, MAYERLING is based on the real-life ill-fated love affair between Crown Prince Rudolf of Habsburg, and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera. Crown Prince Rudolf (Mel Ferrer) was a playboy with little interest in his royal duties, consorting with rebels agitating for the overthrow his father’s reign over the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Forced into a loveless arranged marriage by his father the Emperor, he drifts aimlessly into a life of drink and debauchery. One fateful day, enjoying an afternoon In Vienna’s famed Prater Amusement Park, he muses that most women want something from him because of his position, and that “there is no innocence left in the world;”, at that moment Baroness Mary Vetsera (Audrey Hepburn) appears, a girl of only 17 and the embodiment of beauty and innocence. Enchanted by her undeniable sweetness, Prince Rudolf “rescues” the young beauty from being accosted by a drunk, and despite having neither a formal introduction nor a suitable older companion, they have an enchanted afternoon at the Park; neither is aware of the other’s social position. By chance, they find themselves seated in boxes across from each other at the Royal Opera House. As their eyes lock across the space separating them, they recognize each other from the Park; it isn’t long before they begin a love affair that eventually becomes public knowledge in the small circle gossips surrounding the Royal Court. Eventually, the Emperor confronts his son, and demands that he break off the affair, failing which Mary will banished to a convent. The lovers recognize that the only for them to truly be together, is to be joined in the “beyond”. Together they plan to leave Vienna for the nearby hunting lodge called “Mayerling;” their affair ends in death for each of them. This true-life romance/tragedy, not unlike the fictitious story of Romeo and Juliet, is splendidly captured in this televison “spectacular,” as “Specials” were then called. Mel Ferrer, known for his stiff acting, manages to show moments of real tenderness in the arms of his real life wife, Audrey Hepburn. It’s Audrey’s performance however, that captivates the audience. Her soulful eyes enchant the viewer and melt their hearts. She perfectly projects the purity and naivety of the young and in love Baroness. Audrey Hepburn fans will not be disappointed by her performance in MAYERLING, until now believed to have been lost from view. The small screen comes alive with her entrance – she is just exquisite, at the absolute peak of her movie career. The enormous sum spent on the production – more than 250 times the average per capita American income at the time – elevates the program to world-class, even by modern standards. The sets and costumes were impressively done for this made for television production; the supporting cast includes both present and future stars, such as Raymond Massey and Lorne Greene; the acting and directing and writing are all superb. For Audrey Hepburn fans and film buffs this production, really equivalent to a movie, is a fascinating tale of romance and misery between two star-crossed lovers. The ending is suspenseful and leaves much to the imagination. For the first time since the original live 1957 broadcast, MAYERLING can be seen purchased from Amazon and Movies Unlimited, in the US and Canada, and will shortly be available for purchase from Amazon by Hepburn fans in Europe. For more information on the efforts made to make this live television event into a DVD: The program was archivally preserved by a “kinescope" which was in substance a B&W 16mm movie of a studio monitor. Although the program cost more than $500,000 — at a time when the per capita income of Americans was about $2,000 — the kinescope budget was a paltry $1,500. Clearly, it was not thought that the production had a future beyond the single live network broadcast; only a few prints were made, which were loaned, not given, to a few people involved with the production. Kinescopes have such poor quality that for many years they were thought to be unusable for modern video and television. However, advances in digital technology have made it possible to master MAYERLING from the original kinescope negative and print materials in high definition, which mysteriously brings out more details than could be seen with the naked eye watching the television broadcast; the master was then upgraded using the latest digital programming — the grainy appearance was softened, blurred edges are put back in focus, brightness/darkness was adjusted, hand-editing replaced numerous frames with a flash of light with a duplicate frame preceding the bad frame, sound was upgraded to remove most static/pops/hisses, and so on. The finished HD master was then edited to make versions with and without commercials available, and then “stepped down" to standard definition for video; the four acts were digitally marked so that a “skip ahead" goes from act to act. Finally, permission for the video release was obtained from Sean Ferrer, Luca Doti, and Mel Ferrer’s widow. Alexander W Kogan, Jr. Films Around the World, Inc. https://filmsaroundtheworld/ Rare Audrey Hepburn Tumblr rareaudreyhepburn.tumblr/
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:52:59 +0000
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