Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953)

 

Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue - 1953

Coming up next is 1953's "Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue", a story about famed Scottish hero Rob Roy and his quest to gain amnesty for the Clan MacGregor.  This film has a particular interest for me, as Rob Roy was an ancestor of mine.

The film's cast includes Richard Todd, Glynis Johns, James Robertson Justice, Michael Gough, Finlay Currie, Jean Taylor Smith, Eric Pohlmann, and Ina De La Haye.

The clans of Scotland are not happy with the installment of King George I of England as the ruler of Scotland.  They want their own monarch.  So, they go to war.  Eventually, only a small band of rebels remains, and they are quashed by George I's forces.

Their leader, Rob Roy MacGregor, is captured.  All of this is watched over by the Duke of Argyll, who is Secretary of State for Scotland.  Argyll is a kinsman of Rob's.

The families of the Highlanders watch as the wounded come home.  Many are sad that their deceased loved ones are not among them.

The Duke of Montrose is jealous of the position held by the Duke of Argyll.  He uses Argyll's handling of the rebel situation to become Secretary of State for Scotland himself.

The Duke of Argyll is inclined to be lenient towards Rob MacGregor.  Rob's mother, Lady Margaret, is a member of the Argyll family, and she informs the Duke that she is engineering an escape plan for her son.

Those plans come off without a hitch.  Rob uses the opportunity to teach a lesson to the Duke of Montrose, who vows revenge.

After escaping from Montrose's clutches, Rob uses the time to propose to his sweetheart, Helen Mary.

The Duke of Montrose is swift in his revenge.  At Rob and Helen Mary's wedding, they are informed that the Clan MacGregor is disbanded by order of King George I, and the name MacGregor can no longer be used by any man in Scotland.

Rob is furious.  He organizes the clans together so they can fight the armies of King George once again.

The armies try hard to catch him, but Rob is always one step ahead of them.

Rob's mother is killed during a shootout at the MacGregor estate.  With her dying breath she utters, "It's so easy to set the heather on fire.  So hard to put it out."

Rob buries his mother quietly.  He promises open rebellion to avenge his mother's murder.

The Duke of Argyll counsels restraint, but Rob won't listen.  He once again organizes armies to fight against the King's forces.

In London, the fame of Rob and his rebellion grows.  Ballads and stories of his exploits appear on every street corner.  They come to the attention of Countess von Pahlen, who is the mistress of King George I.

The Countess and the King read about Rob.  The King is quite impressed at the rogue in Scotland.  He especially enjoys the story of how he tweaked the Duke of Montrose's nose.

After taking the rebellion one step too far, Rob travels to London to ask for amnesty for the MacGregors.  He offers his sword to the King.

The Duke of Montrose advises against amnesty.  The King says, "The king does not fear the bold enemy.  The king fears only the self-seeking friend."  Amnesty is duly granted.

Rob is then free to return to Scotland and the loving arms of his wife, Helen Mary.

Cast rundown:

   Richard Todd....................................Rob Roy MacGregor

   Glynis Johns.....................................Helen Mary MacGregor

   James Robertson Justice....................Duke of Argyll

   Michael Gough..................................Duke of Montrose

   Finlay Currie....................................Hamish MacPherson

   Jean Taylor Smith.............................Lady Margaret MacGregor

   Eric Pohlmann..................................King George I

   Ina De La Haye................................Countess von Pahlen

And that's it for Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue.  The film was shot in Scotland.  In his autobiography, Richard Todd said that the extras used for the battle scenes were soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had just returned from the Korean War.  Todd experienced an injury when he was shooting the opening battle scene: he stepped in a rabbit hole.

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Mayerling (1968)

 

Mayerling - 1968

Coming up next we have 1968's "Mayerling", a remake of the 1936 film of the same name in which we are treated to a lavish fictionalized telling of the love story of Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and Baroness Maria Vetsera.

The film's cast includes Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason, Ava Gardner, James Robertson Justice, Genevieve Page, Andrea Parisy, Ivan Desny, and Friedrich von Ledebur.

Our story begins with Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, being unknowingly arrested for taking part in some student demonstrations in Vienna.

His father, Emperor Franz Josef, urges Rudolf to find happiness in his duties and in his marriage to his wife, Stephanie.  Rudolf and his father have long been at odds.  "What is this wall between us?" asks Franz Josef.  Rudolf replies, "You'd know.  You built it.  Tear it down, Father."

Rudolf's married life is far from ideal.  His outbursts of temper are very trying to his wife, Stephanie, who struggles to find a foothold with the Austrian court, always being overshadowed by her mother-in-law, the dazzling Empress Elisabeth.

His unhappiness with life causes him to rush into a world of prostitutes, gypsy dancers, and morphine addiction.

He is also very heavily involved in a secret plot which will overthrow his father as ruler of Hungary, to be replaced by himself.

On an evening out, Rudolf meets a young woman.  The two don't share their identities with each other.  They have a wonderful time dancing, chatting, and enjoying the atmosphere around them.

Rudolf's real happiness comes whenever he gets the chance to see his mother, Empress Elisabeth.  The empress is seldom at court, and her son relishes any chance he can to talk with his beautiful mother.

Among Rudolf's duties is welcoming his friend the Prince of Wales on a visit to Austria and showing him the red carpet treatment.  "Incidentally, why are they always red carpets?" asks the prince.  "Stations make fine places for assassinations.  On red carpets, the blood doesn't show," jokes Rudolf.

At a gala ballet performance (also attended by his gossipy cousin Countess Larisch), Rudolf is bored to tears by his court life.

That is until he spies a familiar face in the audience: the mysterious young woman with whom he had chatted and spent such a happy time a few days previously.

We find out that she is Baroness Maria Vetsera, and she and Rudolf cannot take their eyes off of each other.

With the help of Countess Larisch, Maria successfully deceives her mother and is able to find her way to Rudolf's apartments.

The two dive into a passionate affair.  Rudolf finds in her a very calming presence and feels that he is a great deal better when she is near.

Of course, Emperor Franz Josef finds out about the affair and offers Rudolf a position with the army which will take him away for extended periods of time.  Rudolf, not knowing his father has engineered this because of the affair, is overjoyed at the chance of having something useful to do.

However, he still manages to break away from his duties to spend time with Maria.

Eventually, Maria's mother is made aware of her affair and orders her daughter away from Vienna to visit relatives in Venice.

In Maria's absence, Rudolf becomes deeply depressed and resorts increasingly to drunkenness and violent behavior.

Rudolf, we also find out, has petitioned the Pope for an annulment of his marriage.  In communicating with the Holy Father, he went behind his father's back.  The emperor tells Rudolf that the Pope has denied his request.

Maria returns to Vienna, and the two are more inseparable than ever.  He even takes her on a getaway to his hunting lodge at Mayerling.

By chance one day, Maria meets Empress Elisabeth, who asks after her son.  "Poor Rudolf.  He wasn’t meant for this life they make him lead.  I often wonder if anybody was," says a melancholy empress.

At a court ball, Rudolf sets tongues to wagging when he opens the dancing with Maria.  However, the majority of eyes are on the empress, who rarely attends events like this.  Proud of his wife, the emperor says of the guests, "They’re longing to rush home and tell all their friends they’ve just seen the world’s most beautiful empress."  The empress smiles and says, "There're not that many of us left."

However, Rudolf's wife Stephanie is not happy about Maria's appearance at the ball.  The emperor tells her to remain calm and remember that she's an Archduchess of Austria.

Rudolf even has the audacity to present Maria to his parents, who are reserved yet kind, even though the emperor has maneuvered to separate the two of them once and for all.

Late that night, Empress Elisabeth cautions her son and tells him of her fears for him.  She also mentions that with the madness prevalent in the family, anything can happen.

Rudolf is further dismayed when the planned coup to oust his father from ruling Hungary is exposed, and the emperor knows all.

He makes a suicide pact with Maria and the two of them spend their final moments together at Mayerling, where they had previously spent some carefree days.

Cast rundown:

   Omar Sharif.......................................Archduke Rudolf

   Catherine Deneuve.............................Maria Vetsera

   James Mason.....................................Emperor Franz Josef

   Ava Gardner.......................................Empress Elisabeth

   James Robertson Justice......................Prince of Wales

   Genevieve Page..................................Countess Larisch

   Andrea Parisy.....................................Archduchess Stephanie

   Ivan Desny........................................Count Hoyos

   Friedrich von Ledebur..........................Hofmarschall

And that's it for Mayerling.  I much preferred the French version to the English version.  This film details more of Rudolf's plot to have his father removed from the Hungarian throne.  It also shows his dependency on drugs.  More of Rudolf's relationship with his mother, Empress Elisabeth, is also shown in this film.  Ava Gardner was only nine years older than Omar Sharif, who played her son in the film.

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