Those were the times! When this exciting mini-series about Russia's Tsar Peter the Great was broadcast on the West German television station ARD in Advent 1986, we were in the heyday of American mini-series such as "North and South" and "The Winds of War".
The life and work of Peter the Great was presented in four parts with an exuberant star cast. What a shine! What a treat!
And the great thing was that many stars from German-speaking countries were also used. In those years, many Russian roles were often cast by German-speaking actors. And this despite the fact that - thanks to Gorbachev - some scenes could already be filmed in Moscow. Further scenes were shot in beautiful Vienna, at Schönbrunn Palace.
To the actors! First of all, the great West German actor Jan Niklas (*1947) must be mentioned as the young Tsar Peter. His powerful and intense playing caused enthusiasm not only in the USA. Jan Niklas was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Mini-Series in 1987.
ACADEMY AWARD winner Maximilian Schell (1930-2014) was seen as older Peter. The Fassbinder heroine Hanna Schygulla (Silver Bear at the BERLINALE 1979 for THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN) played the Tsar's long-time lover and second wife.
Also there were: Vanessa Redgrave as the scheming Tsar's sister, Omar Sharif and Helmut Griem (1932-2004) as friends and advisors, Laurence Olivier as the King of England, Trevor Howard as Isaac Newton, the Golden Globe winners Ursula Andress and Elke Sommer (as Queen of Prussia), Renee Soutendijk (Peter's lover as a carpenter in the Netherlands), Mel Ferrer, Ulli Philipp, Günther Maria Halmer and the Kassel-born ZAUBERBERG (1982) star Christoph Eichhorn (*1957) as King of Sweden . What a cast!
At the time of broadcast, the great actress Lilli Palmer (1914-1986) had been dead for almost a year. She was posthumously nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series in 1987 for her touching role as the Tsar's Mother. That would have been the deserved crowning of a fantastic career!
While filming in Moscow, main actor Maximilian Schell met and fell in love with his future wife, Natalya Andrejchenko. In the series they were also a married couple, but a more than unhappy one. At the time, that was a welcome ray of hope in the darkness of the Cold War. Three years later the world would look completely different...
One of the most beautiful mini-series of the 1980s! Absolute recommendation!
The life and work of Peter the Great was presented in four parts with an exuberant star cast. What a shine! What a treat!
And the great thing was that many stars from German-speaking countries were also used. In those years, many Russian roles were often cast by German-speaking actors. And this despite the fact that - thanks to Gorbachev - some scenes could already be filmed in Moscow. Further scenes were shot in beautiful Vienna, at Schönbrunn Palace.
To the actors! First of all, the great West German actor Jan Niklas (*1947) must be mentioned as the young Tsar Peter. His powerful and intense playing caused enthusiasm not only in the USA. Jan Niklas was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Mini-Series in 1987.
ACADEMY AWARD winner Maximilian Schell (1930-2014) was seen as older Peter. The Fassbinder heroine Hanna Schygulla (Silver Bear at the BERLINALE 1979 for THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN) played the Tsar's long-time lover and second wife.
Also there were: Vanessa Redgrave as the scheming Tsar's sister, Omar Sharif and Helmut Griem (1932-2004) as friends and advisors, Laurence Olivier as the King of England, Trevor Howard as Isaac Newton, the Golden Globe winners Ursula Andress and Elke Sommer (as Queen of Prussia), Renee Soutendijk (Peter's lover as a carpenter in the Netherlands), Mel Ferrer, Ulli Philipp, Günther Maria Halmer and the Kassel-born ZAUBERBERG (1982) star Christoph Eichhorn (*1957) as King of Sweden . What a cast!
At the time of broadcast, the great actress Lilli Palmer (1914-1986) had been dead for almost a year. She was posthumously nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series in 1987 for her touching role as the Tsar's Mother. That would have been the deserved crowning of a fantastic career!
While filming in Moscow, main actor Maximilian Schell met and fell in love with his future wife, Natalya Andrejchenko. In the series they were also a married couple, but a more than unhappy one. At the time, that was a welcome ray of hope in the darkness of the Cold War. Three years later the world would look completely different...
One of the most beautiful mini-series of the 1980s! Absolute recommendation!