Congress of Love or The Congress Amuses Itself (French: Le Congrès s'amuse, German: Der Kongreß amüsiert sich) is a 1966 historical comedy film directed by Géza von Radványi and starring Lilli Palmer, Curd Jürgens and Hannes Messemer. It was produced as an international co-production between Austria, France and West Germany. It was shot at the Sievering Studios in Vienna and on location across the city at Hofburg Palace, Schönbrunn Palace, and the Prater. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hertha Hareiter and Otto Pischinger. It takes place at the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the same setting for the classic Weimar era 1931 film Congress Dances. It features many of the leading delegates to the Congress, with the exception of the British representative Lord Castlereagh.

Synopsis

Beginning with a framing scene in a museum, the story leaps back a century and a half to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the victorious allies and other powers father in Vienna for a major congress to establish the new borders of Europe in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The cynical Austrian foreign minister Klemens von Metternich plans to manipulate the other delegates to his will, but faces complexities in his own private life.

Cast

See also

Bibliography

  • Klossner, Michael . The Europe of 1500-1815 on Film and Television: A Worldwide Filmography of Over 2550 Works, 1895 Through 2000. McFarland & Company, 2002.
  • Von Dassanowsky, Robert. Austrian Cinema: A History. McFarland, 2005.

External links