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Your Love is Dooooooomed
Oct. 31st, 2005 12:51 amI ended up watching a bit of Saraband for Dead Lovers, a somewhat obscure but interesting British film (it was apparently the first color film done by Ealing Studios), which is based on a story I find fascinating, as it's both tragically romantic and kinda hard-boiled.
It deals with the love affair between Sophie Dorothea, the neglected and mistreated wife of the future George I, and Count Konigsmark, a Swedish soldier of fortune. It's pretty out-there stuff, which is why I knew about it way before I heard of the movie.
Konigsmark was the head of the royal guards (for George before he was King of England and was only the ruler of Hanover), and had quite a reputation. His sister was also the powerful mistress of some local king or other. He and Sophie Dorothea fell head over heels for each other. Not only did they have an affair, but they planned to run away together. Well, Georgie discovered it, and though he had much more interest in his mistresses than Sophie, he wasn't going to let that happen. So, on the eve of their elopement, he had Konigsmark killed. But he couldn't acknowledge it because of the fall-out (i.e. see Sister Dearest). So his body was hidden inside the wall (or the floor, or similar) of the palace, and thus Konigsmark just "disappeared" and there was no proof. (Until way way later they were doing renovations and discovered a skeleton. Hmmmm). Meanwhile, Sophie was sent to a remote castle, the walls of which she never left until she died many years later. Georgie never let her out again.
Basically, if you wrote this up for a novel, people would think you had a lurid imagination.
And people thought Charles and Diana had a messed-up marriage. Fun.
It deals with the love affair between Sophie Dorothea, the neglected and mistreated wife of the future George I, and Count Konigsmark, a Swedish soldier of fortune. It's pretty out-there stuff, which is why I knew about it way before I heard of the movie.
Konigsmark was the head of the royal guards (for George before he was King of England and was only the ruler of Hanover), and had quite a reputation. His sister was also the powerful mistress of some local king or other. He and Sophie Dorothea fell head over heels for each other. Not only did they have an affair, but they planned to run away together. Well, Georgie discovered it, and though he had much more interest in his mistresses than Sophie, he wasn't going to let that happen. So, on the eve of their elopement, he had Konigsmark killed. But he couldn't acknowledge it because of the fall-out (i.e. see Sister Dearest). So his body was hidden inside the wall (or the floor, or similar) of the palace, and thus Konigsmark just "disappeared" and there was no proof. (Until way way later they were doing renovations and discovered a skeleton. Hmmmm). Meanwhile, Sophie was sent to a remote castle, the walls of which she never left until she died many years later. Georgie never let her out again.
Basically, if you wrote this up for a novel, people would think you had a lurid imagination.
And people thought Charles and Diana had a messed-up marriage. Fun.
