ATDTDA (2): Austrian Archduke (45.4)

[Joseph T]

On Feb 11, 2007, at 9:13 PM, Tim Strzechowski wrote:

>
>
> As a young man, Franz Ferdinand developed two great passions:  
> hunting and travel. It is estimated that he shot more than 5,000  
> deer in his lifetime. In 1883, he visited Italy for the first time  
> in order to see the properties left to him by Duke Francis V of  
> Modena. In 1885, he visited Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey. In  
> 1889, he visited Germany.
> In 1889, Franz Ferdinand's life changed dramatically. His cousin  
> Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his hunting lodge in  
> Mayerling, leaving Franz Ferdinand's father, Archduke Karl Ludwig,  
> as first in line to the throne. Henceforth, Franz Ferdinand was  
> groomed to succeed. [...]
>
Just watched "the Illusionist" which uses the mysterious "suicide" of  
a fictionalized prince Rudolph, Rupert in the film as an entry point  
for a good story.  There was a creepy hallway inthe hunting lodge  
lined with  hundreds of deer antlers.  The moment where Eisenheim the  
illusionist is playing with an orange and talking about the mysteries  
of time and space  on a gaslight stage is delightful and very ATD.