Monday 16 January 2023

Vienna Blood series 3 / Trailer: Vienna Blood - seizoen 3 [BBC First]


Vienna Blood series 3 - Meet the cast and creatives and discover the filming locations

 

Vienna Blood is set in 1900s Vienna: a hotbed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas play out in the city’s grand cafes and opera houses

 


Published: 1 December 2022

https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/mediapacks/vienna-blood-series-3-cast-filming-locations

 

The third series of thrilling crime drama Vienna Blood (3 x 90’) – written by acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Deep State, Leonardo) and based on the best-selling Liebermann novels by Frank Tallis – will air on BBC Two in December.

 

Filmed in English and on location in Vienna and Budapest, season three is directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) and stars Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game, Dracula, Avenue 5) as Max Liebermann, and Juergen Maurer (Vorstadtweiber, Tatort) as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt.

 

Vienna Blood is set in 1900s Vienna: a hotbed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas play out in the city’s grand cafes and opera houses.

 

A brilliant young English doctor Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer) investigate a series of unusual and disturbing murders. Max’s extraordinary skills of perception and psychology and Oskar’s forceful tenacity lead them to solve some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases.

 

Produced by Endor Productions and MR Film for ORF (Austria) and ZDF (Germany), licensed to over 100 territories, including the UK (BBC), US (PBS), France (France 3) and Spain (Movistar), Vienna Blood has been a hit around the world. In the UK, the premiere of the second season was one of BBC Two’s top performing dramas of the year, while in France it was the No.1 show of the night, garnering a 14.6% share for France 3. In Austria, it delivered a huge 25% share for ORF and in Germany posted a market share of 12.3%, with high online viewing figures.

 

Sue Deeks, BBC Head of Programme Acquisition, says: “We are truly delighted to welcome Vienna Blood back to BBC Two and iPlayer. What better way to spend a winter’s evening than to watch Max and Oskar as they attempt to solve three more ingenious murder mysteries in such a gloriously opulent setting.”

 

Carlo Dusi, Managing Director of Endor Productions, comments: “It was a pleasure and an honour to film three more fantastic stories from the brilliant Steve Thompson across Vienna and Budapest and have the opportunity to bring more of the world originally created by the great Frank Tallis in his Liebermann novels to a global audience. We cannot wait for viewers worldwide to discover Max Liebermann and Oskar Rheinhardt’s latest adventures through Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer’s incredible performances, once again under Robert Dornhelm’s magical direction. The new season also features a range of wonderful supporting characters, both old and new, and we hope that our loyal Vienna Blood audience will love the new season as much as we all loved making it!"

 

Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, VP Scripted Acquisitions & Co-Productions at Red Arrow Studios International says: “It’s such a pleasure working with MR Film, Endor Productions and the entire creative Vienna Blood team, who continue to outdo themselves each season with gripping new crime cases and more sumptuous locations that fans of the show have come to expect. We can’t wait to bring this much- anticipated new season to viewers around the world.”

 

Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm, co-managing directors of MR Film,say: “It’s always amazing to produce such a successful series. What is added to Vienna Blood is the unique atmosphere that builds up over the seasons and is always spiced up with new thrilling cases. Under Robert Dornhelm’s direction, our outstanding cast once again draws us into the Vienna at the turn of the century, with all of its glamour and dark sides. Together with our great and loyal partners at Endor Productions, RASI and MovieBar as well as ORF and ZDF and various supporting institutions, we wish joyous and gripping hours with Max and Oscar to our worldwide audience!”

 

Red Arrow Studios International has led the co-financing of the series and is the international distributor. Germany’s ZDF and Austria’s ORF are co-production partners and will premiere the show in their respective territories. Other funding partners include National Film Institute Hungary, Televisionfund Austria & TV-Filmfund Vienna

 

kat@katblair.co.uk

 

Vienna Blood Filming Locations

 

Film 7: Deadly Communion

The Loos House is the exterior of Kristina’s Vogl’s fashion house. The house contrasts vividly with the other buildings in Vienna’s Michaelerplatz square thanks to its sleek, relatively unadorned design. Those qualities proved quite contentious when architect Adolf Loos built the place back in 1912 for the tailors Goldman und Salatsch. Apparently, the less architecturally adventurous among the Viennese (which included Emperor Franz Joseph) did not take kindly to the design, though the Loos House now counts as an iconic example of Viennese Modernism.

 

Another historical building, the Hazai Bank, provides the interior of Mode Salon Vogl. This monumental building was originally constructed in Secessionist style by Károly Reiner to be the stately headquarters of Hazai Bank in Budapest, opening for business in 1914. Following the German occupation of Hungary in 1944, Swedish consul Raoul Wallenberg rented space in the bank. Wallenberg declared it as an official Swedish Consulate that could not be entered by Nazi authorities to eventually shelter many Magyar Jews. At the same time Wallenberg sometimes lived in the building himself, until his mysterious disappearance in early 1945. After WWII, British diplomats moved in and the new embassy became a bastion of Western culture. Throughout the Cold War the local authorities closely observed every person who entered or exited the building. More recently the embassy relocated.

 

Max’s Apartment is found in the Bedo House building in Budapest. Also known as the Hungarian Art Nouveau House, the building was designed in 1903 by Emil Vidor. Vidor was responsible for ensuring perfect stylistic unity between the buildings, their furnishings, and even the ornate stained-glass windows which we see in Vienna Blood. Today Bedo is a unique collection of the early 1900s.

 

The funeral parlour where Max and Oskar search for a man with a special connection to death, was shot in Vienna’s Central Cemetery (Wiener Zentralfriedhof) which is one of the largest cemeteries in the world and opened in 1874.

 

Párisi Udvar Hotel is the location for the cafe where Leah and Clara drink to Clara’s success as a journalist. It is situated in Budapest’s city centre on the Pest side next to the river Danube.

 

Film 8: The God of Shadows

Kirche am Steinhof - Max’s hospital’s exterior is shot in the Steinhof. It was originally a psychiatric hospital and centre for pulmonology.

 

The hospital lies in Penzing, the 14th district of Vienna, was built according to the plans of architect Otto Wagner and opened in 1907.

 

The Postal Museum is where we find Mendel Liebermann’s haberdashery business. This museum in Budapest holds a collection that started in 1881. Today, the Postal Museum holds numerous antique items of postal, telegraph, radio and television history, while also possessing a collection of significant pieces from recent times.

 

Michaelerplatz: Max and Oskar race through an elegant square in Vienna towards the end of the film. One side of Michaelerplatz forms the entrance to the Hofburg palace complex. The fountain we see, was created by the sculptor Edmund Hellmer and is called “Macht zu Lande” (“Power on Land”).

 

The National Museum of Hungary is the setting for an auction in this episode. This institution traces its foundation to 1802 when Count Ferenc Széchényi set up the National Széchényi Library. In 1846, the museum moved to its current location where it resides in a neo-classical style building designed by Mihály Pollack. In 1848 the Hungarian Revolution was partially spurred by the reading of Sándor Petőfi's 12 points and the famous poem Nemzeti dal on the front steps of this museum which helped make it a major part of Hungary’s national identity.

 

Dr Ignaz Seipel Platz, formerly known as Universitätsplatz (University Square) is the stage for Oskar and Max running in search of a masked assailant. This was once the heart of Vienna’s old university quarter. Today, the Austrian Academy of Sciences is located inside the Alte-Uni (Old Uni) building. The old university’s assembly-hall building was built by Jadot de Ville-Issey in 1753 with a façade structured by light and shadow and an astronomic observatory behind. On the right of the narrow square is the Early Baroque Jesuit Church.

 

Film 9: Death is Now a Welcome Guest

The Vígszínház Theatre is the setting for the rehearsals of Ibsen’s Doll’s House that we watch in Film 9. This 125-year-old comedy theatre is one of the most beautiful theatres in central Europe. At the turn of the century, as Budapest became a world renowned city, its citizens wanted a theatre that suited its own tastes and needs. In 1896, the imposing Vígszínház was built in one year, designed and created by two brilliant architects, the Austrian Ferdinand Fellner and the Prussian Hermann Helmer.

 

Belvedere Palace Gardens: Film 9 ends with Max and Oskar walking through the Baroque gardens of Vienna’s Belvedere Palace. The main garden is situated between the Lower and the Upper Belvedere and extends over three large terraces. The design, by Dominique Girard, garden architect of the Elector of Bavaria, showcases all the essential elements of Baroque Garden architecture: symmetrical flower parterres, water basins, tiers and steps, trimmed hedges and more. On the south side of the Upper Belvedere, the reflection pond offers a sophisticated visual: the mirroring effect creates a visible duplication of the monumental palace façade.



Max’s Apartment is found in the Bedo House building in Budapest. Also known as the Hungarian Art Nouveau House, the building was designed in 1903 by Emil Vidor. Vidor was responsible for ensuring perfect stylistic unity between the buildings, their furnishings, and even the ornate stained-glass windows which we see in Vienna Blood. Today Bedo is a unique collection of the early 1900s.



 

Where the glory days never ended: the Hungarian Art Nouveau House

https://visithungary.com/articles/where-the-glory-days-never-ended-the-hungarian-art-nouveau-house

 

Budapest

Greater Budapest

If you also find the aristocratic world of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy fascinating, we have good news for you: there is a place, deep in the heart of Budapest, that will transport you back to the early 20th century. The Hungarian Art Nouveau House is a unique collection, where everything spins a tale of the early 1900s – from the walls and furniture, down to the very last coffee cup.

This tale of adventure begins in 1903, when the land was purchased by a wealthy factory owner, Béla Bedő and his family. Emil Vidor was the architect commissioned to design the house. He had previously studied the architectural trends of the time in various Western European capitals, and had even worked with Miklós Ybl in designing Saint Stephen’s Basilica, the Opera House and a number of other high-profile buildings in Budapest. With such extensive experience under his belt, it is hardly surprising that both the interior and the exterior of the Bedő House display characteristic elements of Art Nouveau, such as natural motifs and asymmetrical forms. 

 

Art Nouveau, down to the smallest detail

The façade of the house, with its special enclosed balconies, is adorned with ceramic flowers made in the famous Hungarian Zsolnay porcelain manufactory. The unique bean-shaped windows open onto the magnificent fountain in the inner courtyard.

 

It is worth noting that – as was customary at the time – Vidor designed not only the building, but also the furnishings intended for it, as there were no interior designers at the time, but for wealthy families, tasteful furnishings were just as important as they are today. Thus, the architect was the one responsible for ensuring perfect stylistic unity between the buildings, their furnishings, and even the ornate stained-glass windows.

 

The house included a number of individual apartments, where staff employed by the Bedő company could rent homes adjacent to the owner’s family, as well as a number of offices. 

 

The ravages of time

However, hard times fell upon the once-flourishing house. The two World Wars, the siege of Budapest, and the 1848 and 1956 wars for Hungarian independence all severely impacted the building, and its successive owners gave it ever-new functions. Over the years, it was repurposed as an antique shop, a carpentry workshop, a large-scale kitchen, and even a college lecture hall.

 

A second chance

At the turn of the millennium, the building came into the custody of its current owners, Tivadar Vad and his wife. The new owners – as a tribute to the house’s past – attempted to restore the interior and exterior of the house to its original condition, thereby creating the Hungarian Art Nouveau

REVIEW

Vienna Blood: Deadly Communion, review: Freudian drama relishes its own perversions

   

2/5

 

By

Anita Singh,

 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

14 December 2022 • 10:30pm

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2022/12/14/vienna-blood-deadly-communion-review-freudian-drama-relishes/

 

When Vienna Blood (BBC Two) first appeared in 2019, this period detective drama had a whiff of Sherlock about it, owing to the fact that the two shows shared a scriptwriter, Steve Thompson. It was nowhere near as good, but it was at least trying to perk things up with a bit of quirkiness and an awkward, odd-couple chemistry between the two leads: a gruff detective inspector and a young psychoanalyst.

 

Based on the novels by Frank Tallis, the show proved a ratings hit for BBC Two. Now we’re into series three, and, on the evidence of the first episode, the plots are taking a darker turn. It has also abandoned all pretence of being anything out of the ordinary. Detective Oskar Rheinhardt (Jürgen Maurer) and the (now famed) Freudian analyst Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) no longer have a quirky chemistry – the older man finds the younger one annoying and a little distasteful in his preoccupation with sex, opinions which the viewer may share.

 

Vienna Blood’s main selling point is its setting in turn-of-the-century Vienna, which allows for some beautiful buildings and costumes but otherwise lends things a chilly air. In this episode, a seamstress was found murdered with no obvious sign of injury. Closer inspection (like so many dramas of this type, it loves a beautiful female corpse) revealed that she had been stabbed with a hat pin through the brain stem. Then a second victim was identified, and our detective duo had a serial killer on their hands.

 

Liebermann very quickly deduced that the women had been murdered at the point of sexual climax. “It’s a kind of penetration,” he explained. “What’s the matter with you, Max? Why do you find it so fascinating? Sometimes you actually sound like you’re enjoying it,” an unhappy Rheinhardt told Liebermann. My thoughts exactly. There is a happy medium between Silent Witness and Midsomer Murders, and this isn’t it.

 

The drama is a German-Austrian co-production, and perhaps we should expect more acquisitions like this as the BBC’s budget shrinks. It does have a charismatic lead in Maurer, who is the main reason for watching it. But the plot was plodding – an uninspired cast of male suspects, and a female fashion designer who was clearly hiding something. The next episode at least sounds promising: the case of a retired soldier convinced that he is living under a curse.

Fin-de-siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture is a 1979 transdisciplinary non-fiction book written by cultural historian Carl E. Schorske and published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Described by its publisher as a "magnificent revelation of turn-of-the-century Vienna where out of a crisis of political and social disintegration so much of modern art and thought was born," the book won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The book is lavishly illustrated with both color and black-and-white reproductions of key artworks, helpfully referenced from the text which explains their relevance to the themes in question.

 

Partly reconstructed from Schorske's articles published in the American Historical Review, the book is structured into seven thematically interlocking chapters. Each chapter considers the interrelationships between key artists with the development of psychoanalysis and what was — at the time — viewed as an end of history.

 

In the 'Introduction' the author claims that the text was born from his desire 'to construct a course in European intellectual history, designed to help students to understand the large, architectonic correlations between high culture and socio-political change' (p. XVIII). In his view, Vienna was a peculiar cultural environment due to the late ascendancy and early crisis of its liberal middle class between the 1860s and the 1890s. This compression of the socio-political liberal hegemony provided the opportunity for a 'collective Oedipal revolt' against the liberal inheritance, promoted by "Die Jungen" (the Young Ones), spreading from politics in the 1870s to literature and art in the 1890s. The chronologically compressed and socially circumscribed character of the Viennese experience created a more coherent context for studying the different ramifications of its high culture (p. XXVI).

 

The second essay, "The Ringstrasse, its critics, and the birth of urban modernism" looks back to explore the liberal cultural system in its ascendancy through the medium of urban form and architectural style ... but it looks forward too … to the critical responses on the part of two leading participants in it — Otto Wagner and Camillo Sitte — reveal the emergence of conflicting tendencies, communitarian and functionalist, in modern thought about the built environment (p. XXVIII).



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