Trivia: Ava Gardner plays Empress Elizabeth, the mother of Archduke Rudolf (Omar Sharif). In real life, Gardner was only ten years older than Sharif.
Mayerling (1968)
Directed by: Terence Young
Starring: James Mason, Omar Sharif, Ava Gardner, Catherine Deneuve
Empress Elizabeth: Do you know what he said to me the day he was married?"Mother, say a prayer for me." And I said "what prayer shall I make for you?" And he said "Pray to God that I should never fall in love."
Archduke Rudolf: I see only one advantage in providing our army with out-of-date maps: if they fall into the hands of our enemies, they mislead them too.
Empress Elizabeth: And my granddaughter? I hate that word too.
Archduke Rudolf: Oh! She's enchanting. Luckily she takes after neither of her parents.
Empress Elizabeth: Perhaps, a melancholy temperament can skip a generation. Like insanity.
Archduke Rudolf: In this family that could not have been meant as a joke. Not in this family. Never.
