User Reviews

Depicting life in the German capital at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century with horse-drawn carriages and streetcars and only the occasional motorcar sounds like a nice idea. But soon the illusion is shattered. A see-through dress on an unmarried girl would not have been tolerated in the Victorian age. The hairstyle worn by the younger son looks impossible for a Prussian officer. That a gentleman would insult his brother's family by bringing his mistress to their house so that she might meet the Kaiser is unthinkable. But the worst offenses are committed in the dialog. Using a German translation of a JFK quote as well as other modern expressions might work in an outright comedy but not in a piece that takes itself as seriously as this one. Discussions about homosexuality at the dinner table as well as a conversation between valet and master about Freud and the sexual implication of dreams would never have happened, I am sure. It is a pity that the contents of this show does not match the scenery.