If you don't the classic story of Mayerling, you're in for quite the tumultuous drama. I'd already seen the Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer version, which although was a lesser production, had more meaning behind it. The leads were really in love, so you could easily root for them and believe they'd do anything to be together.
In this 1968 remake, Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve don't have much chemistry together. He has more chemistry with Ava Gardner, who plays his stepmother; no doubt there was supposed to be some incestuous innuendos on her end. It is in Technicolor, and you'll get to see some beautiful ballgowns and sets, but it's a little on the slow side. Ava and Catherine look very pretty, and Omar has some wonderful expressions through his perpetually dewy eyes, but if you have a tendency to get bored, this isn't the love story for you. Plus, who wants to see James Mason looking so frumpy? Fans of Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde will be swept up by the romance, but I'll stick with Doctor Zhivago when I want to see Omar fall in love with a blonde.
In this 1968 remake, Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve don't have much chemistry together. He has more chemistry with Ava Gardner, who plays his stepmother; no doubt there was supposed to be some incestuous innuendos on her end. It is in Technicolor, and you'll get to see some beautiful ballgowns and sets, but it's a little on the slow side. Ava and Catherine look very pretty, and Omar has some wonderful expressions through his perpetually dewy eyes, but if you have a tendency to get bored, this isn't the love story for you. Plus, who wants to see James Mason looking so frumpy? Fans of Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde will be swept up by the romance, but I'll stick with Doctor Zhivago when I want to see Omar fall in love with a blonde.