In 1940, M-G-M released FLORIAN, a film based on Felix Saltan’s 1934 novel about a Lipizzan stallion from Vienna’s famous Spanish Riding School. (Saltan was also the author of BAMBI.)
FLORIAN was produced by Winfield Sheehan, whose wife, opera star Maria Jeritza, just happened to own the only two Lipizzans in the U.S. at that time. (They had been presented to her in appreciation for some benefit concerts she had performed in Vienna in the 1930s.)
No expense was spared in bringing FLORIAN to the screen. A second unit was sent over to Austria to obtain location shots at the Spanish Riding School’s breeding farm near Graz, Austria. (This must have occurred during the summer of 1939 and just prior to the start of World War II in Europe.) The School’s riding hall was faithfully reproduced on a M-G-M sound stage. Cinematography was by the famous cameraman Karl Freund, an exceptionally good music score was prepared by Franz Waxman, and the large cast included many old-time character actors from Hollywood’s “golden age.” |
5 comments:
My Mother was a well known dressage rider in Europe and while the Circus was in Vienna she gave a demonstration of her riding abilities at the school and was awarded a gold medal from the head trainer, The Hof Reitmeister. I remember when I was a kid and the anounced her act the allways mention it.
When I was working in Europe I had the pleasure of attending a show at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and then visiting the stables. Beautiful horses in a fantastic city! It took my third visit to the city to time it out, but it was well worth it for the history alone.
Erik Jaeger
Madame Jeritza’s two Lipizzans were Pluto II-1 and Neapolitano Conversana. I once read that they were the first Lipizzans to be brought into the U. S.
Albert Ostermaier told me that MGM bought the Lippizan that Robert Young rode and Albert had trained it and taught Robert Young how to ride. I had purchased a copy of Florian and he and his wife Nancy was able to watch it once again before he passed away. The Lippizan association have copies of Florian for sale if anyone would like one.
I do have some pictures of Albert on what I believe to be the horse in the movie. Buckles, give me an email to send them to you and you can post them.
Dianne Olds Rossi could probably give you more information on Florian since she worked with Albert.
bucklesw@tampabay.rr.com
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