The Abdication

{{Infobox film

| name = The Abdication

| caption =

| image = The Abdication FilmPoster.jpeg

| director = Anthony Harvey

| producer = James Cresson
Robert Fryer

| screenplay = Ruth Wolff

| based_on = Ruth Wolff
(based on her play)

| starring = Peter Finch
Liv Ullmann

| music = Nino Rota

| cinematography = Geoffrey Unsworth

| editing = John Bloom

| color_process = Technicolor

| studio = A Robert Fryer-James Cresson Production

| distributor = Warner Bros.

| released = {{Film date|1974|12|05|UK|1974|10|03|USA|df=y}}

| runtime = 103 minutes

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| budget =

}}

The Abdication is a 1974 British historical drama film directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Peter Finch and Liv Ullmann. The film's score was composed by Nino Rota.{{cite web |title=The Abdication |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/66692/the-abdication/ |website=Turner Classic Movies |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=31 December 2022 |language=en}} It tells a fictionalized version of the rumored love affair between Christina, Queen of Sweden and Cardinal Decio Azzolino during the former's stay in Rome after abdicating her throne.

Plot

After abdicating her throne and converting to Catholicism, Queen Christina arrives in Rome, where Cardinal Azzolino is appointed to evaluate her and to help her to adapt to life in Rome. They fall in love, but after the Pope's death, Azzolino rejects her to re-embrace his position in the church.{{cite web |title=The Abdication (1974) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6be7da63 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914155306/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6be7da63 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 September 2016 |website=BFI |access-date=31 December 2022 |language=en}}

Cast

Peter Finch as Azzolino
Liv Ullmann as Queen Christina
Cyril Cusack as Oxenstierna
Paul Rogers as Altieri
Graham Crowden as Barberini
Michael Dunn as The Dwarf
Kathleen Byron as Queen Mother
Lewis Fiander as Dominic
Harold Goldblatt as Pinamonti
Tony Steedman as Carranza
Noel Trevarthen as Ginetti
Richard Cornish as Charles
James Faulkner as Magnus
Ania Marson as Ebba
Franz Drago as Birgito
Suzanne Huddart as Young Christina
Debbie Nicholson as Young Ebba
Edward Underdown as Christina's Father

References

External links

{{IMDb title|0071096|The Abdication}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160914155306/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6be7da63 The Abdication] at the British Film Institute{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
{{TCMDb title|66692|The Abdication}}
{{Letterboxd film|the-abdication}}

Category:1974 films

Category:British biographical drama films

Category:British historical drama films

Category:Films directed by Anthony Harvey

Category:Cultural depictions of Christina, Queen of Sweden

Category:Biographical films about Swedish royalty

Category:Films scored by Nino Rota

Category:1970s biographical drama films

Category:1970s historical drama films

Category:Films set in the 17th century

Category:Films set in Vatican City

Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios