Stephen Frears knows how to get around the palace intrigue. The 82-year-old Brit starred in 1988's “Dangerous Liaisons” with John Malkovich and Glenn Close about the fateful affairs of French aristocrats and “The Queen” (2006) as Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. Nevertheless, he says in interviews with APA and other media representatives that he has never worked in a city with such beautiful baroque palaces as Vienna. “I kept saying that the remake of 'Dangerous Liaisons' should be shot here,” laughs the director, “These rooms are so beautiful!”
Vienna's grand baroque palaces were a majestic backdrop for nearly six weeks in the spring of 2023 for “The Regime” (the series had the working title “The Palace” at the time). Some scenes were shot inside. Outside Schönbrunn Palace. This is the first thing we see when the six-part series begins. In post-production, the castle was given a few more floors, and mountains surrounded the scenery in the background. Basically, it was the former summer residence of the Habsburgs.
Stephen Frears, winner of a BAFTA for best director for the miniseries “A Very English Scandal,” and two-time Oscar nominee (“Grifters” and “The Queen”) are comfortable in these big spaces, and that's how white looks. Way there. Schönbrunn was used inside and outside the chancellor's palace, but also shot in the monumental Hercules Hall of the Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna's Alsergrund district.
Some of the footage comes from the Palazzo Pallavicini near the Vienna Hofburg, where Carol Reed filmed parts of “The Third Man” (1949), a special scene for Freires because the classic is one of his favorite films. “So I stood where Carol Reed and Orson Welles stood, and I was very happy,” enthuses the director. “The rooms are breathtaking.”
Jessica Hobbs joins the Friars in her fascination with Vienna. The New Zealand-born filmmaker directed half of the three episodes and has experience with the Netflix series “The Crown.” You might think she's used to luxury, but the 57-year-old says the Viennese locations are simply “extraordinary.” “I spent three seasons on 'The Crown' and I had never seen or approached anything on this scale before,” says the enthralled director: “The scenery and beauty was amazing. We loved shooting in Vienna.