Directed by Emmy-awarded Andreas Prochaska Starring Jannis Niewöhner (RUBY RED) Christa Théret (LOL – LAUGHING OUT LOUD) Original Maximilian – Das Spiel von Macht und Liebe Title Written by Martin Ambrosch Directed by Andreas Prochaska (DAY FOR A MIRACLE, ANATOMY OF EVIL) Starring Jannis Niewöhner (RUBY RED) Christa Théret (LOL – LAUGHING OUT LOUD) Alix Poisson (MR.MORGAN’S LAST LOVE) Tobias Moretti (LUIS TRENKER) Jean-Hugues Anglade (BETTY BLUE) Raphael Lenglet (CANDICE RENOIR) Broadcaster ZDF and ORF Genre Historical Drama Format 6 x one hour Produced by A co-production of MR Film, Beta Film, Vema, ORF and ZDF SYNOPSIS Known as ‘The Last Knight’ for his bravery and battle skills, the great European emperor Maximilian and his story is as spectacular as it is familiar: It is the tale of a boy who must become a man. It is the story of a prince who must learn to be king. But above all, it is the struggle of a son who steps out of his father’s shadow with the help of a most unexpected ally: a beautiful woman every bit as headstrong as the prince himself, held hostage by her own people. Her name: Marie de Bourgogne. Marie and Maximilian’s marriage is much more than a bond of political reasoning. It is personal animosity turned intimate love affair; it is two of Europe’s most prodigious dynasties coming to each other’s rescue; and it is the passionate symbol of change from the Middle Ages embodied by the unyielding, yet not untamable, future emperor Maximilian to the age of rebirth and awakening, the Renaissance, personified by the beautiful, strong- minded Burgundian Princess Marie. It is the year 1477. The European continent is ravaged by wars to the north, west, south and east, by diseases like the Black Death and for those lucky enough to be spared from such misery there is always still the Inquisition. In these tested times, 18 year-old Maximilian of Austria, from the ever-surging House of Hapsburg, longs to break out of the confinement of the Viennese “Burg” to restore his family’s claim to greatness. Max’ father Friedrich III is ‘Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation’ by title but, in reality, he is all but a sitting duck: Attacks from the Turks in the south, from the fearless Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus in the east and constant menace and aggression from France’s King Louis XI and King Charles the Bold of Burgundy have left the House of Austria virtually powerless - and poor. Young, brave, restless Maximilian may have studied the ancient philosophers all his life, but in the eye of the storm he knows it is up to him, termed the ‘Last Knight’ for his exceptional dueling and battle skills, to save the House of Austria from its foes and secure to the empire its former power and future reach... The last thing the young prince had wanted to depend on, however, is someone else’s grace – and money – least of all that of a woman! At the same time, in the French-assaulted, Flemish Low Lands of Burgundy, a powerless princess every bit as hard-nosed as Maximilian has other plans than marrying a “stinking, uneducated Austrian barbarian” to free herself from imprisonment by her own Flemish underlings. To the surprise of both youngsters, however, what looks like a mere marriage of reason sparks the flames of true love, forging a mighty bond between a youthful prince’s candor and a young woman’s charisma and beauty that would forever leave its mark on history, paving the way from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, Humanism and eventually the Age of Enlightenment. 2 PRODUCTION NOTES It is a production of superlatives, uniting a grandiose cast, highly detailed sets, sumptuous costumes and furnishings, and a budget of 15.5 million euros: MR Film, Beta Film, ORF and ZDF shoot the three-parter “Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne“, a captivating love story towards the end of the Middle Ages. Under the direction of Emmy awarded Andreas Prochaska („Anatomy of Evil”, “Day for a Miracle”), the production stars young Berlinale up-and-comer Jannis Niewoehner alongside Alix Poisson, Jean-Hugues Anlgade and Tobias Moretti; portraying the lead female role of the strikingly beautiful Mary of Burgundy is the young breakout French star and multiple César nominee Christa Théret. Martin Ambrosch (“Sarajevo”, “Anatomy of Evil”) wrote the script. 60 castles, palaces, church naves and medieval streets, 3000 extras, 550 horses, 800 costumes and 100 suits of armor provide the logistics for the exceptional love story that laid the foundations of the Hapsburg world kingdom. Among the most outstanding historical sets are well-known sites such as the castles of Rosenburg, Rapportenstein, Franzensburg/Laxenburg and the Votiv-Church in Vienna. A team of 100 worked for months in a 4000 square meter hall in Vienna to construct and produce all sorts of set-decorations, costumes, wigs, weapons and – for the two battle-scenes – fake dead bodies. DIRECTOR‘S AND AUTHOR‘S NOTE Maximilian is the absorbing, tragic, and very moving story of two young people – Marie de Bourgogne and Maximilian von Hapsburg – who early on have to learn to accept and shoulder responsibility. In three episodes we tell the story of a search for love and the struggle for dominance in a disorderly Europe on the cusp between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. One of these young persons, Maximilian, leaves his homeland in order to rush to the aid of the other one, Marie, whose homeland is being torn away from her. The power in Europe lies in the hands of a few families who want to increase their power through intrigues and marriages. The ambitious, hard-working bourgeoisie fights to obtain its share of good fortune; but the wealthy elite has little interest in these people and their rights. Money, on the other hand, is everything. Has much really changed since then? No. We look into a past that, despite all of the visually stunning, unfamiliar images, mirrors in a fascinating way our own present. In order to relate history adeptly one needs a suspense-packed story that is told well. And that‘s exactly what Maximilian is meant to be. We want to bring history to life. Andreas Prochaska and Martin Ambrosch 3 CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS MAXIMILIAN I – the last knight Maximilian of Austria is a sensual, passionate young man of action. His main characteristic is an unwavering faith in himself and dislike of his father, emperor of the Hapsburg Empire, whose main strategy is to sit out his enemies – a conduct that fills his son with shame. Longing to one day become “the greatest emperor since Charlemagne”, young Maximilian’s first great love is Rosina of Kraig, lady-in-waiting to his sister Kunigunde. Regardless of anything to come, Rosina will always occupy a special place in Maximilian’s heart, says the young prince. But this is before Maximilian actually meets the noble Duchess of Burgundy Marie. Enchanted by her picture and even more captivated when he meets her in person, Maximilian is soon more than happy to fulfill his father’s most urgent wish: for his son to marry Marie in order to merge the vast, but impoverished, kingdom of the Hapsburgs with the riches of Burgundy. While Rosina recognizes in Marie a dangerous rival - one who could displace her as the woman Maximilian worships and desires above all others - Maximilian flings himself into the task of rescuing the beautiful, defenseless princess. MARIE DE BOURGOGNE – the eligible heiress Marie is the only child of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, the descendant of a minor line of the French Valois family. Famed for her spirit and beauty, and sole heir to the stupendously wealthy Duchy of Burgundy, Marie is considered the most eligible young lady in Europe. The succession laws barring a woman from ascending the throne, Marie appears the defenseless and powerless ruler of a kingdom anything but united in supporting her. Civil war looms. Conflicts smouldering for years flare up again. But with her arch-rival Louis XI of France ready to exploit her weakness, wipe out his inconvenient Burgundian neighbors and to marry her to his misshapen son Charles, Marie summons all the courage and determination of a true leader to fight him off and make way for her short-lived but deep love affair and marriage with Maximilian. 4 Other Main Players of the House of Hapsburg FREDERICK III - the wait-and-see Emperor Frederick is Archduke of Austria, Duke of Carinthia, Regent of all Inner Austria, King of the Romans and Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. As his epithet “the Peaceful” - or, less flatteringly, “the Idle” - suggests, his temper is the exact opposite of his son’s. Frederick’s political strategy is unspectacular but often successful in the long run. Frederick is elected Emperor precisely because the other sovereign princes consider him weak. Frederick faces problems within the Empire and without, where he has his own wars to fight against the Hungarian Matthias Corvinus and the Ottoman Empire. His unwavering belief in the God-entrusted greatness of the House of Hapsburg is the one thing Frederick manages to pass on to Maximilian, and to which the “AEIOU” insignia on all his possessions lays claim with its (possible but controversial) meaning “All the earth is Austria subject” (“Alles Erdreich ist Österreich untertan”). WOLFGANG VON POLHEIM - the faithful friend Wolf von Polheim is a very attractive man, well-built with fine features and the same sense of knightly gallantry as Maximilian. Wolf grew up with, and received the same education at court, as Maximilian.