Mária Terézia - Série 1

I am pleased that this cooperation between the four states was successful. The two-part opus tells a story of first years of Maria Theresa’s reign and it was very nice. They didn’t skimp on making it and it shows. The costumes and the castle’s environment are breathtaking and the characters are original. I particularly enjoyed every moment when a new character portrayed by a Czech or a Slovak actor appeared. But I enjoyed other characters as well. I was fascinated by how France cheated the whole of Austria-Hungary, which wasn’t the last time it happened or how the Hungarians, who, unlike the French, were really nice, approached the situation. It is true that the story is very general. I could easily imagine an epic TV series, which would go into more details of Maria Theresa’s early reign. I believe it would be worth it. The first part is to get to know the story and the second part is already full of politics. One thing I didn’t like, however, is when a director goes crazy and includes unnecessary sex scenes in the film. It was quite laughable here and I would have gladly given a naked Vojtěch Kotek a pass. Even though he was really great here otherwise. As well as Maria Theresa portrayed by an Austrian actress. The biggest surprise was the character played by Táňa Pauhofová who was extremely annoying in the beginning but later showed how well she can manipulate people. I am satisfied that Czech TV together with Slovak, Hungarian and Austrian ones finally made a story on a topic that is not well known here. (2018.01.03)

Boring blurb like out of a text book with no historical grounding, focused on relationships. You can hear the paper rustle during the miserable dialogs. Legs of ham for actors. The interiors are exactly what you might see on any castle tour. In term of Central European television, this is a megalomaniac project, but what’s the point if it tells us nothing new? (2019.12.29)

Maria Theresa's Pentalogy is particularly noteworthy as an example of a modern television co-production from some of the countries of the former Habsburg monarchy. Maria Theresa must be reintroduced to the youngest generation, not least because the gap in time is constantly widening. The TV saga therefore targets the widest audience willing to sit down in front of the screen on the first day of the new year and appreciate something seemingly worthwhile. If at least some of them eventually open the book or at least a few linked entries on Wikipedia, that's probably the best we can hope for. (2022.01.03)

I had an unexpectedly good time watching it. Even though it was more of an intimate film heavy on dialogue, I wasn't bored at all. The best thing about this film were definitely the costumes, the creators did an excellent job with them. I can't help feeling that the plot was too condensed. I feel that the given time period deserved a bit more space. Two episodes were obviously not enough, hence the short and hasty ending. Otherwise, a very decent TV film. 4*- (2018.06.25)